The Shell Trial is a new opera by Pulitzer prize winning composer Ellen Reid and librettist Roxie Perkins, co-created by stage directors Gable Roelofsen and Romy Roelofsen (Het Geluid), Manoj Kamps (conductor) with stage design by Davy van Gerven.
Commissioned by Dutch National Opera, the work is based on the play 'De zaak Shell' by Anoek Nuyens. Rebekka de Wit, Frascati Producties and De New Tijd tells of a Dutch court ruling that Shell was legally responsible for its contribution to climate change.
In The Shell Trial, the various voices in the climate debate are heard and it becomes increasingly clear that we will not make any progress by endlessly pointing the finger at one another. The message of this topical opera is that the climate crisis is above all a crisis of responsibility.
Produced by Dutch National Opera for the Opera Forward Festival (OFF, March 2024)
The Shell Trial is developed and co-produced by the Dutch music theatre company Het Geluid Maastricht, the Bregenzer Festspiele and Opera Philadelphia.
Premiere March 16, 2024
