Opera in the South West 2026 - 2027

Opera Guide UK - The Guide to opera and operetta in the UK

From Mozart and Rossini to Gilbert & Sullivan and Verdi - where you can see opera and operetta performed in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Bristol, Wiltshire, Dorset and Gloucestershire, including fully staged, semi-staged and concert versions of complete operas.

Locations covered include Exeter, Plymouth, Taunton, Bristol, Truro and Gloucester.

Don Pasquale

The Minack Theatre
Porthcurno, Penzance, Cornwall TR19 6JU
7th Sep 2026 to 11th Sep 2026
Surrey Opera brings Donizetti's comic opera Don Pasquale into the twentieth century with John Upperton's new Art Deco production, with music under the masterful baton of Jonathan Butcher.
Website

The Pirates of Penzance

Merlin Theatre
Bath Rd, Frome BA11 2HG
12th Sep 2026
Performed by a six-strong cast of actors/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

The Minack Theatre
Porthcurno, Penzance, Cornwall TR19 6JU
14th Sep 2026 to 18th Sep 2026
Set in England's idyllic countryside, a group of Lords tangle with the mischievous fairies of the mystical forest as they try to woo the much-desired Phyllis, the love of Strephon (a half-fairy, half-mortal lowly shepherd and nephew of the Fairy Queen).
Website

Don Giovanni

Tobacco Factory Theatres
Raleigh road, southville, Bristol bs3 1TF
23rd Sep 2026 to 3rd Oct 2026
This tale of seduction, murder and divine retribution is nevertheless richly imbued with darkly comic episodes, provided by the fast and furious interplay between Giovanni and his servant Leporello, one of opera?s most memorable creations.
Website

Iolanthe

The Regent
Christchurch, BH23 1AS
24th Sep 2026 to 26th Sep 2026
Christchurch G&S Society present the political satire of Gilvert & Sullivan's Iolanthe.
Website

Trial by Jury/Arias for the Defence

Nailsworth Town Hall
Old Bristol Road, GL6 0JF
26th Sep 2026 to 27th Sep 2026
Cardiff Cotswold Opera presents Arias for the Defence, a playful concert bringing together some of opera?s most memorable arias, duets and ensembles with the irreverent one act comedy of Gilbert & Sullivan's Trial by Jury.
Website

Trial by Jury/Arias for the Defence

Stroud Congregational Church
Bedford Street, Stroud, GL5 1AY
3rd Oct 2026
Cardiff Cotswold Opera presents Arias for the Defence, a playful concert bringing together some of opera?s most memorable arias, duets and ensembles with the irreverent one act comedy of Gilbert & Sullivan's Trial by Jury.
Website

The Gondoliers

Barnfield Theatre
Barnfield Road, Exeter EX1 1SN
14th Oct 2026 to 17th Oct 2026
When two handsome gondoliers discover that one of them may be the long-lost King of Barataria, their newly married lives are thrown into delightful confusion.
Website

Cavalleria Rusticana

St Gregory's Church
Dawlish, Devon, EX7 9QR
17th Oct 2026
A concert performance of Cavalleria Rusticana. Also to include selected opera favourites.
Website

Cavalleria Rusticana

St Luke's Church
1 Countess Wear Rd, Exeter EX2 6LG
18th Oct 2026
A concert performance of Cavalleria Rusticana. Also to include selected opera favourites.
Website

Cosi Fan Tutte

The Wharf Theatre
Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 1EB
27th Oct 2026 to 31st Oct 2026
White Horse Opera's new touring opera is Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, a gorgeous piece with stunningly beautiful music and a daft but hilarious plot.
Website

Ariadne / Dido & Aeneas

Queen's Theatre
100 Boutport Street, Barnstaple, EX31 1SY
2nd 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.
Website

Orpheus & Eurydice

Queen's Theatre
100 Boutport Street, Barnstaple, EX31 1SY
3rd 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

Patience

The Mission Theatre
32 Corn Street, Bath BA1 1UF
11th Nov 2026 to 14th Nov 2026
Expect witty wordplay, sparkling melodies, and a riot of Roman pageantry in this fresh, toga-clad twist on a timeless G&S favourite.
Website

La boheme

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Royal Parade, Plymouth PL1 2TR
26th 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.
Website

Dido and Aeneas

St Swithin's Church
37 The Paragon, Bath BA1 5LY
26th Nov 2026
Join The Handful, one of Bath's leading chamber choirs, for an evening of sumptuous music by Henry Purcell, with Purcell?s opera Dido and Aeneas in a semi-staged performance.
Website

Bluebeard's Castle + Oedipus Rex

Theatre Royal Plymouth
Royal Parade, Plymouth PL1 2TR
28th 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.
Website

Madama Butterfly

Wyvern Theatre
Theatre Square, Swindon SN1 1QN
17th Mar 2027
With magnificent costumes, atmospheric staging, outstanding soloists and a live orchestra, this production promises an unforgettable evening of beauty, drama and music.
Website

Tosca

Theatre Royal Bath
Sawclose, Bath BA1 1ET
22nd Mar 2027
Set over two chaotic days of passion and intrigue, English Touring Opera?s new production of Puccini's Tosca is epic drama at a human scale.
Website

Orpheus and Eurydice

Theatre Royal Bath
Sawclose, Bath BA1 1ET
23rd Mar 2027
Orpheus & Eurydice is brought to life in a powerful retelling of this timeless story of ill-fated love by acclaimed director and movement specialist Jenny Ogilvie, uniting Gluck's music with dance and a new orchestration.
Website

The Anonymous Lover

Bristol Old Vic
King St, Bristol BS1 4ED
24th 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.
Website

La Boheme

Redland Hall
Redmaids' High School, Westbury Road, Westbury-on-Trym BS9 3AW
8th Apr 2027 to 10th Apr 2027
This is a fully staged production in costume and will be accompanied by the Bristol Opera orchestra.
Website

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