The Opera Story: Dani Howard's The Yellow Wallpaper in Copenhagen and at Sadler's Wells

Dani Howard's first opera Robin Hood was premiered by The Opera Story in 2019 [see my review] and now she is back with another. The Opera Story will be performing Dani Howard's The Yellow Wallpaper at the Copenhagen Opera Festival (19 & 20 August 2023) and at Sadler's Well Lillian Baylis Studio (14 & 15 September 2023).

The Yellow Wallpaper, which has a libretto by Joseph Spence, is based on the story by feminist Victorian writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It tells of a woman subject to the “rest” treatment of solitary confinement prescribed at the time for women suffering postpartum depression, and its effects on her mental health. Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1892 semi-autobiographical short-story, The Yellow Wallpaper is regarded as an important early work of American feminist literature for its illustration of the attitudes towards mental and physical health of women in the 19th century, as well as being an excellent work of horror fiction.

Dani Howard's opera is scored for mezzo-soprano, cello, piano, and dancer. The production will feature mezzo-soprano Clare Presland as a woman who secretly tries to write her way out of captivity. The opera will be directed by Amy Lane, who is director of the Copenhagen Opera Festival, and The Yellow Wallpaper will be The Opera Story's first production to tour.

Full details from The Opera Story's website.