Opera in the South East 2026 - 2027
From Bizet and Rossini to Gilbert & Sullivan and Mozart - where you can see opera and operetta performed in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, East & West Sussex and the Isle of Wight including fully staged, semi-staged and concert versions of complete operas.
Locations covered include Brighton, Aylesbury, Canterbury, Windsor, High Wycombe, Portsmouth, Oxford and Southhampton.
Glyndbourne Festival
Glyndebourne 2026 Summer FestivalLewes, East Sussex, BN8 5UU
21st May 2026 to 30th Aug 2026
The 2026 summer festival includes Il turco in Italia, L'Orfeo, Billy Budd, Ariadne auf Naxos, Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail and Tosca.
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Tosca
West Green House OperaThackham's Lane, Nr Hartley Wintney, Hook, Hampshire RG27 8JB
25th Jul 2026 to 26th Jul 2026
Perhaps opera's most gripping thriller, Puccini's masterpiece, ?Tosca? is a tale of passion, power, jealousy and betrayal where the action unfolds in Rome over a period of just twenty four hours.
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Cosi Fan Tutti
Two Sisters TheatreHever Castle & Gardens, Hever, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NG
26th Jul 2026
Playful deception meets its match in Merry Opera's production of Mozart's sparkling comic opera, reminding us that loveis rarely as simple - or as certain - as we'd like to believe.
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The Pirates of Penzance
The Quarry2 The Quarry, Sunningwell, OX13 6RA
26th Jul 2026
Opera Anywhere is delighted to be able to perform this Gilbert & Sullivan classic at The Quarry Amphitheatre, under a giant Tipi!
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The Pirates of Penzance
Weald & Downland Living MuseumTown Lane, Singleton, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0EU
28th Jul 2026
Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular operetta is performed by a 6-strong cast of actor/singers with a fully orchestrated accompaniment. Join Illyria for an evening of glittering wit, razor sharp satire and glorious music.
Website
The Pirates of Penzance
Stowe GardensBuckingham, Buckinghamshire, MK18 5EQ
29th Jul 2026
Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular operetta is performed by a 6-strong cast of actor/singers with a fully orchestrated accompaniment. Join Illyria for an evening of glittering wit, razor sharp satire and glorious music.
Website
The Pirates of Penzance
Great Comp GardenComp Lane, Platt, Nr Sevenoaks, Kent, TN15 8QS
30th Jul 2026
Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular operetta is performed by a 6-strong cast of actor/singers with a fully orchestrated accompaniment. Join Illyria for an evening of glittering wit, razor sharp satire and glorious music.
Website
The Pirates of Penzance
The HawthHawth Avenue, Crawley RH10 6YZ
31st Jul 2026
Performed by a six-strong cast of actor/singers with fully orchestrated accompaniment, The Pirates of Penzance boasts such gloriously memorable songs as ?To be a Pirate King!?; ?Modern Major General? and ?A Policeman's Lot is Not a Happy One?.
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The Pirates of Penzance
Chiddingstone CastleHill Hoath Road, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 7AD
2nd Aug 2026
Performed by a six-strong cast of actor/singers with fully orchestrated accompaniment, The Pirates of Penzance boasts such gloriously memorable songs as ?To be a Pirate King!?; ?Modern Major General? and ?A Policeman's Lot is Not a Happy One?.
Website
The Pirates of Penzance
Central Park Outdoor TheatreCentral Rd, Dartford DA1 1DJ
4th Aug 2026
Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular operetta is performed by a 6-strong cast of actor/singers with a fully orchestrated accompaniment. Join Illyria for an evening of glittering wit, razor sharp satire and glorious music.
Website
The Marriage of Figaro
Yvonne Arnaud TheatreMillbrook, Guildford GU1 3UX
7th Aug 2026
Bursting with glorious melodies - from the fizzing overture to the heart-stopping beauty of 'Dove sono' and the jubilant finale - The Marriage of Figaro is Mozart at his most brilliant. Presented by Wild Arts.
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The Pirates of Penzance
Brighton Open Air TheatreDyke Rd, Brighton and Hove, Hove BN3 6EH
14th Aug 2026
Performed by a six-strong cast of actor/singers with fully orchestrated accompaniment, The Pirates of Penzance boasts such gloriously memorable songs as ?To be a Pirate King!?; ?Modern Major General? and ?A Policeman's Lot is Not a Happy One?.
Website
Iolanthe
Two Sisters TheatreHever Castle & Gardens, Hever, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NG
23rd Aug 2026
We're delighted Charles Court Opera are returning with their enchanting production of Gilbert & Sullivan?s sharp satire of power, privilege and parliamentary democracy.
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The Tempest - A semi-opera
The VacheChalfont St. Giles, HP8 4SD
29th Aug 2026 to 6th Sep 2026
Performed under a big-top tent with open vistas onto a magical lake and woodland, Shakespeare's spoken text will flow in dynamic harmony alongside 17th-century music and surround-sound live electronics.
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Cosi Fan Tutte
The Big Wood EstateCrowhurst Place, Lingfield RH7 6LY
5th Sep 2026
In Barefoot Opera's new production, Don Alfonso is a scientist bent on testing his thesis: "All women are like that". A human experiment is set up ? but does Alfonso have the last laugh?
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Cosi fan Tutte
Norden Farm Centre for ArtsAltwood Road, Maidenhead SL6 4PF
23rd Sep 2026
Experience a fresh take on Mozart and Da Ponte's effervescent comedy. Barefoot Opera's productions always delight featuring wonderful young opera singers and innovative staging and orchestration.
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HMS Pinafore
Bembridge Village HallHigh Street Bembridge Isle of Wight PO35 5SW
24th Sep 2026 to 27th Sep 2026
Another great mix of humour and fantastic musical entertainment, delivered to you by the group who won the IW Theatre's 'Best Music and Singing' Award 2025 for The Mikado
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Tosca
New Theatre Oxford24-26 George St, Oxford OX1 2AG
24th Sep 2026
Join Oxford International Opera and celebrated opera stars for a new, fully-staged production of Puccini's Tosca brought to the New Theatre in Oxford for two nights.
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Cosi fan Tutti
Bourne End Community CentreWakeman Road, Bourne End SL8 5SX
3rd Oct 2026
In Barefoot Opera's new production, Don Alfonso is a scientist bent on testing his thesis: "All women are like that". A human experiment is set up ? but does Alfonso have the last laugh?
Website
Trial By Jury
Adastra Hall31 Keymer Road, Hassocks BN6 8QH
4th Oct 2026
An afternoon of Gilbert and Sullivan favourites including a complete performance of Trial By Jury.
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The Marriage of Figaro
Oxford PlayhouseBeaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2LW
9th Oct 2026 to 10th Oct 2026
Award-winning Oxford Opera presents Mozart?s joyful masterpiece The Marriage of Figaro. Join the fun as the smart-witted partnership of Figaro and his love Susanna, with the help of the spurned Countess, outwit the entitled snobbery of the Count.
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HMS Pinafore
St John's ChurchMain Road, Stein Rd, A259, Southbourne PO10 8LB
10th Oct 2026
A concert performance of Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore presented by Opera Comique
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David & Jonathan
Windmill TheatreBlatchington Mill School, BN3 7BW
11th Oct 2026
Opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) in a new English translation by Christopher Cowell .
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Glyndbourne Festival
Glyndebourne 2026 Autumn FestivalLewes, East Sussex, BN8 5UU
14th Oct 2026 to 13th Dec 2026
The 2026 autumn festival includes The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville and Spark, a world premiere by composer Lucy Armstrong and librettist Olivia Bell.
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David & Jonathan
Holy Trinity ChurchChurch St, Cuckfield, Haywards Heath RH17 5JZ
17th Oct 2026
Opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) in a new English translation by Christopher Cowell .
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The Pirates of Penzance
The Nomad TheatreBishopsmead Parade, East Horsley KT24 6RT
22nd Oct 2026 to 24th Oct 2026
Bookham Light Operatic Society present one of Gilbert & Sullivan's most beloved operas.
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David & Jonathan
Devonshire Park TheatreCompton Street, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4BW
23rd Oct 2026
Opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) in a new English translation by Christopher Cowell .
Website
David & Jonathan
Theatre Royal Winchester21-23 Jewry Street, Winchester, SO23 8SB
25th Oct 2026
Opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) in a new English translation by Christopher Cowell .
Website
The Merry Widow
The Whitty TheatreLuckley House School, Wokingham RG40 3EU
27th Oct 2026 to 31st Oct 2026
Particular highlights include Anna's beautiful Vilia, with its folk inspired melody, the hero?s catchy You?ll find me at Maxim?s and the sweeping Merry Widow waltz, both tender and joyous, which brings the story to its climax.
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HMS Pinafore
The Players TheatreNelson Street, Thame, OX9 2DP
31st Oct 2026
The Players Theatre welcomes the return of Opera Anywhere with two performances of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore.
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Bluebeard's Castle + Oedipus Rex
The MayflowerCommercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1GE
12th Nov 2026
In Bluebeard's Castle, Judith leaves everything behind to be with the enigmatic Duke Bluebeard. In Oedipus Rex, a plague grips the land, and its king is determined to uncover the truth behind it.
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Ruddigore
Bourne End Community CentreWakeman Road, Bourne End SL8 5SX
12th Nov 2026 to 14th Nov 2026
Maidenhead Operatic Society present Gilbert & Sullivan's comic gothic opera.
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La boheme
The MayflowerCommercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1GE
13th Nov 2026
Puccini's deeply moving masterpiece captures the passion of youth through some of the most beautiful and recognisable music ever written. La boheme evokes the spirit and intensity of bohemian life.
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La boheme
New Theatre Oxford24-26 George St, Oxford OX1 2AG
19th Nov 2026
Puccini's deeply moving masterpiece captures the passion of youth through some of the most beautiful and recognisable music ever written. La boheme evokes the spirit and intensity of bohemian life.
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Orpheus & Eurydice
Saffron HallAudley End Road, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB11 4UH
20th Nov 2026
A timeless story of love and loss is brought to life in ETO's new production of Orpheus & Eurydice, celebrating the myth of Orpheus through the power of the voice and profound theatricality.
Website
Bluebeard's Castle + Oedipus Rex
New Theatre Oxford24-26 George St, Oxford OX1 2AG
21st Nov 2026
In Bluebeard's Castle, Judith leaves everything behind to be with the enigmatic Duke Bluebeard. In Oedipus Rex, a plague grips the land, and its king is determined to uncover the truth behind it.
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Ariadne / Dido & Aeneas
Saffron HallAudley End Road, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB11 4UH
21st Nov 2026
A double bill of Ariadne, where Elena Langer sets Glyn Maxwell's Poem Ariadne to Theseus, and Dido and Aeneas, in which Elena Langer sets Glyn Maxwell's Poem Ariadne to Theseus, based on Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid.
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The Gondoliers
Godalming Borough HallThe Burys, Godalming GU7 1HR
17th Feb 2027 to 20th Feb 2027
The Gondoliers is one of Gilbert & Sullivan?s best-loved operas. The action takes place in the vibrant setting of Venice and the fictional island of Barataria.
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The Gondoliers
The Leatherhead TheatreChurch Street, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8DN
26th Feb 2027 to 27th Feb 2027
The Gondoliers is one of Gilbert & Sullivan?s best-loved operas. The action takes place in the vibrant setting of Venice and the fictional island of Barataria.
Website
The Anonymous Lover
MAST Mayflower Studios142-144 Above Bar Street, Southampton, Hampshire SO14 7DU
19th Mar 2027
Playful, witty and irresistibly charming, The Anonymous Lover is a sparkling romantic comedy about the risks and rewards of falling in love. Presented by WNO.
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