La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club will present the world premiere of Allegra & the Cello, in Movements, a new opera that brings a groundbreaking woman doctor to the center of the operatic stage.
The production, featuring a story and libretto by Catherine Filloux and music by Julia Schwartz, will run Dec. 10-20, 2026, at La MaMa in New York City. Elena Araoz directs the 70-minute work, which stars Grammy Award-winning soprano Brittany Renee and acclaimed cellist Akua Dixon.
The opera centers on Allegra, described by the production as the first female physician to serve as the lead character in the history of opera. The milestone comes after more than four centuries of operatic tradition and reflects Filloux’s longstanding interest in women’s voices, human rights and stories that have historically received limited representation.
Rather than waiting for a traditional commission, Filloux conceived and developed the project independently, creating the role specifically for a soprano and a prominent cellist.
Filloux is an established playwright and librettist whose work has frequently explored social justice and women’s experiences. Her previous opera, Orlando, with music by Olga Neuwirth, was staged at the Vienna Staatsoper and became the first opera by a woman composer and woman librettist presented by the institution. The production later received the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.
For Allegra & the Cello, in Movements, Renee takes on the title role. Renee is currently performing Bess in Porgy & Bess at the Metropolitan Opera and brings her operatic experience to the new work.
Dixon joins her on cello. A pioneering musician, Dixon became the first cellist to win the DownBeat Critics Poll and received the 2025 Jazz Legacy Award.
The creative team includes Tony Award-winning set and lighting designer Justin Townsend, costume designer Suttirat Larlarb, whose credits include Slumdog Millionaire, and projection designer Milton Cordero. Jamibeth Margolis, CSA, handles casting.
The production also marks another collaboration between Filloux and La MaMa. The playwright has premiered her last four productions at the experimental theater, including projects directed by Araoz.
The team is already looking beyond New York, with French and Spanish translations in development and plans for the opera to travel to international markets.
By combining contemporary storytelling, live music and an unconventional operatic structure, Allegra & the Cello, in Movements aims to expand the possibilities of who can occupy the center of an opera — while introducing audiences to a woman whose story has never before been given this place in the canon.
Performances will take place at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club from Dec. 10-20, 2026. Tickets are available through La MaMa.