Angel's Bone

A UK Premiere and brand new for the ENO in Greater Manchester, Angel’s Bone is the Pulitzer prize-winning opera – theatre work composed by Du Yun and librettist Royce Vavrek.

This collaboration with Factory International and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra will be presented at Aviva Studios, Manchester in Spring 2026, with tickets on sale from Autumn 2025.

Overview

Angel’s Bone is the haunting tale of two fallen angels, drawn back to earth by nostalgia for its pleasures.

Mr and Mrs X.E, are a desperate couple facing financial crisis and a crumbling marriage and they long for a better life. When they discover the two bruised and battered angels in their garden, they bring them inside to nurse them back to life.

Care quickly turns to control. The couple seize the opportunity to exploit the magical beings in pursuit of fame and fortune.

Staging & Score

In this moving and evocative work, Royce Vavrek’s gripping libretto delves deep into the harrowing realities of modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

Du Yun’s bold fusion of musical styles brings together chamber music, theatre, punk rock, opera, cabaret, and electronics – to deliver an experience that’s as powerful as it is unforgettable.

Singers & Creatives

Directing this modern masterpiece is writer and director of opera, theatre and screen, Kip Williams, making his ENO and UK opera debut. Williams’ operatic and theatre work has garnered him international and critical acclaim, with his recent production of The Picture of Dorian Gray (2024), starring Sarah Snook (Succession), having a sold-out West End run and then transferred to Broadway (March 2025).

Marg Horwell joins Williams as the Designer of Angel’s Bone. They reunite after working together on Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and The Picture of Dorian Gray, for which Horwell received an Olivier Award for Best Costume Designer (2024).