ENO are delighted to continue our partnership with Factory Academy through a series of traineeships offering young people routes into opera production, as part of our wider commitment to broadening access to the art form.

Factory Academy was launched by Manchester’s Factory International in 2018 to create pathways into creative careers, particularly for people from backgrounds underrepresented in the arts.

Since then, the training and development programme has offered opportunities to over a thousand young people from Greater Manchester, with a particular focus on technical and backstage roles.

For the UK premiere of Du Yun and Royce Vavrek’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Angel’s Bone at Aviva Studios, Manchester in May, ENO partnered with Factory International to extend Factory Academy’s vocational training offer into opera. Twelve young people from the city-region undertook paid placements on Angel’s Bone in disciplines including Stage Management, Lighting and Sound, giving them real-world industry experience working on a world-class opera production.

Factory Academy participant Ben Stewart, who worked in the Lighting team on Angel’s Bone, gave us his perspective on the experience:

‘Having never worked on an opera before, I hope I will be able to do so again in the future: I was proud to have seen my hard work pay off and help in a small way to bring about such an impressive production.’

Olivia McGrath, Factory Academy trainee in Stage Management, said:

‘This was one of the most amazing professional work experiences I’ve had, and I will take away a lot of new skills and understanding of the industry.’

Cynthia Zijing Zhu, who also worked in Lighting, commented:

‘Being part of such a talented, welcoming team made me feel right at home, and it has definitely made me excited about a future career in opera.’

Some of the other trainees were interviewed by the BBC about their involvement in Angel’s Bone, describing it as a ‘dream come true’.

In a continuation of our relationship with the Factory Academy trainees from Angel’s Bone, seven of them went on to work on ENO and Walk the Plank’s finale performance of Perfect Pitch at We Invented the Weekend Festival on 6 June 2026. The trainees were given the opportunity to work on this large-scale public spectacle celebrating opera and football, supporting the team across a range of disciplines from Sound to Stage Management.

Marija Linkeviča, who worked on both Angel’s Bone and Perfect Pitch, commented:
‘Continuing my work with ENO has given me even more experience, this time assisting the stage manager in managing a large group of over 200 people. It made me realise that I love working with people and solving problems, especially within creative projects.’

The ENO and Factory Academy partnership will continue during our 2026-27 Season, with trainees working behind-the-scenes on a new production of Einstein on the Beach, premiering at Aviva Studios in spring 2027. This highly anticipated, experiential staging of Philip Glass’ iconic 1976 opera will be created by ENO, Factory International, Park Avenue Armory and Improbable.

Jennie McCusker, ENO’s Executive Director: Creative Engagement, commented:

‘At ENO, we are deeply committed to making opera accessible to all, so it’s been incredibly rewarding to see our first cohort of Factory Academy trainees gaining confidence and hands-on industry experience in opera production through their work on both Angel’s Bone, in partnership with Factory International, and Perfect Pitch. We’re thrilled that the legacy of our partnership will continue to create tangible career opportunities for young people in Greater Manchester during our 2026/27 Season.’

Einstein on the Beach will open at Aviva Studios, Manchester, in June 2027. Tickets go on sale in Autumn 2026.