Albert-André Lheureux: “It is time that Debussy’s once revolutionary masterpiece be brought to the Estonian audiences. “Pelléas et Mélisande” is as if a magic ritual that awakens a secret world inside and around us. At the dawn of the 20th century, the flourishing age of symbolism that favours investigation of unknown worlds, Maurice Maeterlinck, the winner of the Nobel Literature Prize wrote a mysterious play “Pelléas et Mélisande” in addition to the famous “The Blue Bird”. Immediately, Claude Debussy saw in it a subject for an opera… The amazing blend of text and music through musical lights and shadows makes it only vaguely possible to apprehend the secret being of a human. What is the meaning of our life, the journey of our soul, our the meaning of doubts and search for truth? Where is the truth? Everyone searches for it in their own way. This story shows us what the innocent eye of a child or the child himself catches. He will drag us by hand into the fairy-tale, where the good or the bad spirits seem to choose our paths. Let the unique blend of music and text take us with them and discover our surroundings like a child who is presented with a world where to look for and find himself. It is a passionate story of poetic love, chained to the torture chair by jealousy, doubt and violence. Exceptional beauty charms us. In this exclusive piece it reflects in the whirlwind of emotions, while finding its way through the dense forest of our contradictory thoughts”. Performed in French with subtitles in Estonian and English.

Musical by John Kander Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood World premiere on November 20, 1966 in Broadhurst Theatre Premiere in the Estonian National Opera on February 9, 2024 Lyrics by: Fred Ebb Translation of the lyrics by: Kirke Kangro Book by: Joe Masteroff Translation by: Hannes Villemson Music Director: Kaspar Mänd Conductor: Lauri Sirp Assistant to the Music Director: Martin Trudnikov Stage Director: AnnaKarin Hirdwall (Sweden) Designer: Caroline Romare (Sweden) Lighting Designer: Peter Stockhaus (Sweden) Choreographer: Adrienne Åbjörn (Sweden) Cast: Emcee: Priit Võigemast, Kaarel Targo (Must Kast) Sally: Hanna-Liina Võsa, Piret Krumm Cliff: Kalle Sepp (Revüüteater Starlight Cabaret), Kaarel Targo (Must Kast) Fräulein Schneider: : Juuli Lill, Katrin Karisma Herr Schultz: Mart Laur, Jassi Zahharov Fräulein Kost: Karis Trass, Kadri Nirgi Ernst Ludvig: Mart Madiste, Jaak Jõekallas Performed in Estonian with subtitles in Estonian and English. Berlin 1929. The ideas about The New World are growing stronger. But at the Kit Kat Klub, everyone is still welcome. Sally Bowles is the star of the club and together with the emcee she tries to keep the dream of freedom alive. Then she meets Clifford Bradshaw, an American writer who has come to Berlin in search of himself. In a Germany where the Nazis are marching ever louder, this love story unfolds in the shadow of an approaching world war. “Cabaret” is one of Broadway’s legendary masterpieces, a musical with a serious underlying theme, depicting the impact on the lives of ordinary people caught up in the increasing decadence of Germany in the 1930s. The musical caused a sensation when it made its 1966 Broadway debut, and the season ran for nearly 2000 performances. The wild freedom and abandon of the time establishes an environment of spiritual, artistic and sexual freedom that was soon to be destroyed by the Nazi regime. Stage Director AnnaKarin Hirdwall: “Have you ever let your wants and dreams pass you by out of fear of the consequences of pursuing them? In this piece I want to tell you about how people get affected by fear and how we become who we are. Do we live our lives imprisoned or free in truth? Can we enable personal and societal change in the future or do we hold back and cling to the old world in fear of renewal? I want to welcome the audience into a world populated by characters who believe, wish, love, dare, dream and hope – despite forces that want to limit, control, straighten and intimidate into fear and silence”. Consultant, Art Historian Harry Liivrand: “There are two exceptional works in the history of music that stand out from the rest of the genre – “West Side Story” and “Cabaret”. These musicals are flesh and blood, so to speak, dealing with the maze of social conditions and human relationships in difficult political times, not just providing high-level musical entertainment. They are timeless because the issues they echo are timeless. To understand the Berlin-musical “Cabaret”, one must take into account the ultra-liberal political, cultural and social conjuncture of Germany, the Weimar Republic at the time. Thanks to the new art of photography, the Bauhaus school, expressionist modernism (die Neue Sachlichkeit) in the visual arts, and sexual freedom without taboos, Berlin became Europe's leading centre of avant-garde art and sexual emancipation in the second half of the 1920s. Dozens and dozens of cabarets, revue theatres, nudist bars, and entertainment clubs opened in the city became symbols of the latter, which were mostly managed and financed by gays, lesbians and transvestites. There were about a hundred gay clubs in Berlin alone. The proportion of Jewish musicians in Berlin's operetta and cabaret world promoting modern jazz (Kurt Weill, Oscar Straus, Paul Abraham, Fritzi Massary, etc.) was outstanding. Against the background of the blatant political struggle in the German capital – especially the Nazis versus the Communists – the unrestrained nightlife was also a “dance on the volcano”, but still, until January 1933, this joyful ideology of the “golden twenties” continued, developed, and lived creatively. /.../ KitKatClub reopened in 1994, but in a new location, and of course it's not quite what it once was. But the name and the legend sell. The dress code is checked at the door - I know from my own experience, because once we couldn't get in with Kristel Pappel and Tõnu Kõrvits... I recommend establishments such as “Wintergarten”, “Tipi am Kanzleramt” and “Bar jeder Vernunft” to fans of variety shows, operettas and musicals. It is possible to have a proper dinner there before the show a

Musical by John Kander Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood World premiere on November 20, 1966 in Broadhurst Theatre Premiere in the Estonian National Opera on February 9, 2024 Lyrics by: Fred Ebb Translation of the lyrics by: Kirke Kangro Book by: Joe Masteroff Translation by: Hannes Villemson Music Director: Kaspar Mänd Conductor: Lauri Sirp Assistant to the Music Director: Martin Trudnikov Stage Director: AnnaKarin Hirdwall (Sweden) Designer: Caroline Romare (Sweden) Lighting Designer: Peter Stockhaus (Sweden) Choreographer: Adrienne Åbjörn (Sweden) Cast: Emcee: Priit Võigemast, Kaarel Targo (Must Kast) Sally: Hanna-Liina Võsa, Piret Krumm Cliff: Kalle Sepp (Revüüteater Starlight Cabaret), Kaarel Targo (Must Kast) Fräulein Schneider: : Juuli Lill, Katrin Karisma Herr Schultz: Mart Laur, Jassi Zahharov Fräulein Kost: Karis Trass, Kadri Nirgi Ernst Ludvig: Mart Madiste, Jaak Jõekallas Performed in Estonian with subtitles in Estonian and English. Berlin 1929. The ideas about The New World are growing stronger. But at the Kit Kat Klub, everyone is still welcome. Sally Bowles is the star of the club and together with the emcee she tries to keep the dream of freedom alive. Then she meets Clifford Bradshaw, an American writer who has come to Berlin in search of himself. In a Germany where the Nazis are marching ever louder, this love story unfolds in the shadow of an approaching world war. “Cabaret” is one of Broadway’s legendary masterpieces, a musical with a serious underlying theme, depicting the impact on the lives of ordinary people caught up in the increasing decadence of Germany in the 1930s. The musical caused a sensation when it made its 1966 Broadway debut, and the season ran for nearly 2000 performances. The wild freedom and abandon of the time establishes an environment of spiritual, artistic and sexual freedom that was soon to be destroyed by the Nazi regime. Stage Director AnnaKarin Hirdwall: “Have you ever let your wants and dreams pass you by out of fear of the consequences of pursuing them? In this piece I want to tell you about how people get affected by fear and how we become who we are. Do we live our lives imprisoned or free in truth? Can we enable personal and societal change in the future or do we hold back and cling to the old world in fear of renewal? I want to welcome the audience into a world populated by characters who believe, wish, love, dare, dream and hope – despite forces that want to limit, control, straighten and intimidate into fear and silence”. Consultant, Art Historian Harry Liivrand: “There are two exceptional works in the history of music that stand out from the rest of the genre – “West Side Story” and “Cabaret”. These musicals are flesh and blood, so to speak, dealing with the maze of social conditions and human relationships in difficult political times, not just providing high-level musical entertainment. They are timeless because the issues they echo are timeless. To understand the Berlin-musical “Cabaret”, one must take into account the ultra-liberal political, cultural and social conjuncture of Germany, the Weimar Republic at the time. Thanks to the new art of photography, the Bauhaus school, expressionist modernism (die Neue Sachlichkeit) in the visual arts, and sexual freedom without taboos, Berlin became Europe's leading centre of avant-garde art and sexual emancipation in the second half of the 1920s. Dozens and dozens of cabarets, revue theatres, nudist bars, and entertainment clubs opened in the city became symbols of the latter, which were mostly managed and financed by gays, lesbians and transvestites. There were about a hundred gay clubs in Berlin alone. The proportion of Jewish musicians in Berlin's operetta and cabaret world promoting modern jazz (Kurt Weill, Oscar Straus, Paul Abraham, Fritzi Massary, etc.) was outstanding. Against the background of the blatant political struggle in the German capital – especially the Nazis versus the Communists – the unrestrained nightlife was also a “dance on the volcano”, but still, until January 1933, this joyful ideology of the “golden twenties” continued, developed, and lived creatively. /.../ KitKatClub reopened in 1994, but in a new location, and of course it's not quite what it once was. But the name and the legend sell. The dress code is checked at the door - I know from my own experience, because once we couldn't get in with Kristel Pappel and Tõnu Kõrvits... I recommend establishments such as “Wintergarten”, “Tipi am Kanzleramt” and “Bar jeder Vernunft” to fans of variety shows, operettas and musicals. It is possible to have a proper dinner there before the show and to order more during the break of the show. By the way, “Cabaret” will also be performed in “Tipi am Kanzleramt” from July."

Ballet by Gianluca Schiavoni Created after Lewis Carroll’s novel of the same name Music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Aram Khachaturian and Alberto Nanetti, arranged by Alberto Nanetti World premiere on May 14, 2017 in San Carlo Theatre Premiere in the Estonian National Opera on November 29, 2019 At sunset, Alice and her friend run cheerfully through the streets of an ancient and fascinating city. They stop in front of an old and drooping doorway. Inside they realise that they are in an abandoned theatre and they begin to discover this mysterious world. On stage, Alice discovers among dusty sets and tools an old script bearing the title “Alice in Wonderland”. Suddenly she hears strange noises and perceives a shadow running at the back of the stage. She curiously follows it, climbs a ladder, slips and falls… and falls… down, and down… When she wakes up, she finds herself in Wonderland full of adventures to be discovered. She meets the strangest creatures imaginable, often changing size unexpectedly (she grows as tall as a house and shrinks to 7 cm), she encounters a hookah-smoking Catepillar, drinks tea with the Mad Hatter, March Hare and a Dormouse, and plays croquet with the Queen of Hearts. The fantastic ballet rich in multimedia effects was born for San Carlo Theatre in 2017. Choreographer Gianluca Schiavoni blends spectacle with imaginative dance and Lewis Carroll’s beloved story. Missing a step on a ladder can transport you to a fairyland, where there is no end to wonders… Come and join Alice in Wonderland together with the Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, March Hare, the Queen of Hearts and other wondrous characters! Cast: Alice: Alena Shkatula, Laura Maya, Ketlin Oja, Abigail Mattox, Ami Morita, Madeline Skelly White Rabbit: Leonardo Gelegato, Sergei Upkin, Francesco, Piccinin, Jan Trninič, Antonio Gallo Jack of Hearts: Francesco Piccinin, Cristiano Principato, Ali Urata, William Newton, Joel Calstar - Fisher Queen of Hearts: Ana Gergely, Anna Roberta, Alena Shkatula, Nadežda Antipenko, Triinu Upkin, Nanae Maruyama, Madeline Skelly Mad Hatter: Sergei Upkin, Ali Urata, Jevgeni Grib, Francesco Piccinin, Leonardo Celegato Caterpillar: Jevgeni Grib, Ali Urata, William Newton, Marcus Nilson, Erik Thordal-Christensen, Andrii Havrõljuk Twins Tweedledee, Tweedledum: Sergei Upkin, Francesco Piccinin, Cristiano Principato, Hidetora Tabe, Leonardo Celegato, Jan Trinic, Antonio Gallo, Pol Monsech, Luca Giovanetti Gardners: Ali Urata, Connor Williams, Francesco Piccinin, Cristiano Principato, William Newton, Hidetora Tabe, Nikos Gkentsef, Marcus Nilson, Andrii Havrõljuk, Erik Thordal- Christensen Alice’s friend: Abigail Mattox, Karina Leškin, Ketlin Oja, Madeline Skelly, Maarja Praks The Dutchess: Vitali Nikolajev, Triinu Upkin, Nadežda Antipenko Butterfly: Ana Gergely, Nanae Maruyama, Marta Navasardyan, Lena Scherer Dragonfly: Laura Maya, Abigail Mattox, Ellinor Piirimäe, Beatriz Domingues Duck: Ellinor Piirimäe, Lena Scherer, Polina Sosimova Owl: Nikos Gkentsef, Benjamin Pierce, Sacha Barber, Samuel Parham Dodo: Finn Adams, Joel Calstar-Fisher, Oscar Poucholin Turtle: Anthea van der Ham, Marianna Odinets, Evelin Agu, Phillipa McCann Parrot: Connor Williams, Marcus Nilson, Hidetora Tabe, Luca Giovanetti Mouse: Akane Ichii, Beatrize Domingues, Anastasiia Sosimova Fish: Francesco Piccinin, Cristiano Principato, Connor Williams, Ali Urata, Finn Adams, Marcus Nilson Frog: Oksana Saar, Nanae Maruyama, Lena Scherer Cook: Oksana Saar, Anthea van der Ham, Marianna Odinets March Hare: Nanae Maruyama, Maarja Praks, Karina Leškin Dormouse: Connor Williams, Samuel Parham, Anatole Blaineau, Francesco Piccinin Flowers, Cards, Flamingos: Estonian National Ballet Fireflies, King of Hearts, Hedgehogs, Courtiers: Tallinn Music and Ballet School students Courtiers, soldiers, executioner: Extras Estonian National Opera Orchestra