Oliver Mears

Oliver Mears is an English opera director.

Early life

Mears read English and History at Lincoln College, Oxford,[1] where he was awarded a Double First Class Honours Degree in English and History. He began assisting the playwright and director Howard Barker while still at university, before becoming a Trainee Assistant Director at the King's Head Theatre, London.

Career

Second Movement

Mears founded Second Movement as joint Artistic Director with the conductor Nicholas Chalmers.[2] His productions for them included the UK stage premiere of Veniamin Fleishman's opera Rothschild's Violin, Mozart and Salieri, Trouble in Tahiti, A Hand of Bridge and The Knife's Tears.[1] The latter production toured to Prague and Brno in the Czech Republic in October 2010.

Northern Ireland Opera

In 2010 Mears was appointed as the Artistic Director of the newly created Northern Ireland Opera.[3] His productions for them have included The Medium, Tosca, which won the Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Opera in 2012, L'elisir d'amore, Flying Dutchman [4](Nominated for Achievement in Opera Award, Theatre Awards UK 2013), Macbeth,[5] Salome [6] and The Turn of the Screw.[3] In August 2014 his production of The Turn of the Screw premiered at Novaya Opera Theatre, Moscow.

His production of Benjamin Britten's Noye's Fludde for Northern Ireland Opera was performed at the Beijing Music Festival in October 2012, the Chinese premiere of the piece.[7]

He has also directed productions for the Young Vic, Aldeburgh Music,[8] Early Opera Company, Opera North,[9] Nederlandse Reisopera Holland, Pimlico Opera, Nevill Holt Opera[10] and Scottish Opera, and directed Don Giovanni at Bergen National Opera in spring 2015.

In 2012, Mears was nominated for an Achievement in Opera award at the Theatre Awards UK, and in 2013, in the Best Newcomer category at the International Opera Awards.

Royal Opera

On 12 September 2016 Mears was announced as the new Director of Opera at The Royal Opera, succeeding Kasper Holten who left the post on 11 March 2017. The position of Director of Opera is supported by Sir Mick Davis and Lady Barbara Davis [11].

On 19 July 2025, during a curtain call following a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore at the Royal Opera House, Mears entered the stage and attempted, but failed, to snatch a Palestinian flag from one of the performers, who had brought it on stage to unfurl during the bows in protest against the Gaza genocide. The performer, Danni Perry, later told Novara Media that after the curtain was lowered, Mears said to him: "You will never work at the opera house ever again" [12]. The altercation was recorded by audience members and later published online as well as mentioned by BBC news.[13][14][15]. The Royal Ballet and Opera described Perry's actions as "completely inappropriate".[16]

References

  1. ^ a b "Loesje Sanders Ltd".
  2. ^ "Second Movement website".
  3. ^ a b "NI Opera website".
  4. ^ Allison, John (27 February 2013). "The Flying Dutchman, NI Opera, Belfast, review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  5. ^ Blain, Terry (27 February 2014). "The Golden Age of Northern Irish Opera Continues". Culture Northern Ireland. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  6. ^ Ashley, Tim (8 February 2015). "A white knuckle ride that never lets up". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  7. ^ "KT Wong Foundation website". 8 July 2017..
  8. ^ White, Michael (24 October 2011). "Revealed in Aldeburgh: Albert Herring's secret sex-life when the show is over". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 October 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  9. ^ Higgins, Charlotte (8 February 2015). "A tale of two Hansel and Gretels". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  10. ^ Dunnet, Roderic (2 July 2013). "The Magic Flute". Behind the Arras. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  11. ^ Royal Opera House website
  12. ^ https://x.com/novaramedia/status/1947691997231255722
  13. ^ "Performer raises Palestinian flag onstage at London opera, prompting brief scuffle". Times Of Israel. 20 July 2025. Archived from the original on 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  14. ^ "Performer unfurls Palestinian flag on Royal Opera House stage". BBC. 20 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  15. ^ Salazar, Francisco (20 July 2025). "Royal Opera House Performer Raises Palestinian Flag During Curtain Call". Opera Wire. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  16. ^ "Royal Opera House cast member unfurls Palestine flag during curtain call". The Independent. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
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