News: La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club Presents World Premiere of "Allegra & the Cello, in Movements" this December

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club will present the world premiere of Allegra & the Cello, in Movements, a new opera with story and libretto by Catherine Filloux and music by Julia Schwartz, directed by Elena Araoz. A High Hard Heat/Dominick Balletta production, this new opera runs December 10-20, 2026, at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City. Tickets are on sale at lamama.org.

In a canon spanning more than four centuries, no opera has ever placed a woman doctor at its center until now. Allegra, the opera's protagonist, is believed to be the first female physician to serve as the lead character in the history of the art form, a milestone achieved not through an institutional commission but through an act of artistic will.

Filloux, an established playwright and librettist whose career spans three decades of work centered on human rights, women's voices, and the capacity of art to bear witness, conceived and developed the opera entirely on her own initiative, outside the traditional commission system. Her previous opera, Orlando (libretto by Filloux, music by Olga Neuwirth), made history as the first opera by a woman composer and woman librettist ever staged at the Vienna Staatsoper and went on to win the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.

"I couldn't wait for permission," says Filloux. "If I had, it wouldn't have happened at all. I created Allegra for a soprano star and a cellist star, a role for a woman in her 30s to 50s, of any ethnicity, because I believe this story needed to exist in the world, and it was mine to make."

GRAMMY Award winner Brittany Renee, currently performing the role of Bess in Porgy & Bess at the Metropolitan Opera, takes on the title role of Allegra. Alongside her, acclaimed cellist Akua Dixon accompanies the 70-minute work. Dixon is the first cellist to win the DownBeat Critics Poll and the recipient of the 2025 Jazz Legacy Award, bringing a singular voice to the score.

Director Elena Araoz leads the creative team, which includes Tony Award-winning set and lighting designer Justin Townsend, Slumdog Millionaire costume designer Suttirat Larlarb, and projection designer Milton Cordero. Casting is by Jamibeth Margolis CSA. This world premiere is presented by La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, a High Hard Heat (Dominick Balletta) production. Katie Rosin and Erin Kramer as Press Representatives; and social media by Daniel Rosen.

La MaMa is one of Filloux's artistic homes, where her last four productions have premiered, including works directed by Araoz, a collaboration that deepens with this new opera. The production is designed to travel: French and Spanish translations are in development, with further productions planned for international markets.

“Catherine Filloux’s plays are more than just stories; they’re catalysts; they aim to send you forth from the theater not just satisfied and thinking but to make change in the world,” says Matt Barbot of Immigrant Report, and you can see the story of Allegra & the Cello, in Movements, on the following schedule through Sunday, December 20, 2026:

​ Thurs Dec 10th - 7:30pm

​ Friday Dec 11th - 7:30pm

​ Saturday Dec 12th - 6pm

​ Sunday Dec 13th - 3pm

​ Thurs Dec 17th - 7:30pm

​ Fri Dec 18th - 7:30pm

​ Sat Dec 19th - 6pm

​ Sun Dec 20th - 3pm

​Tickets are $30 (general admission), $25 student/senior, with La MaMa’s standard 10 tickets for $10 available to each performance. ​ La MaMa’s The Club is located at 74a East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003. 

​Running time is 70 minutes, with no intermission. See more at CatherineFilloux.com