Opera house is gifted 300 hoodies for St Francis

Staatsoper Stuttgart is putting on a new production of Olivier Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise.

The four-hour opera will last twice as long as it winds throught the streets of the city.

Its watchword is sustainablity. ‘Following a public appeal by Staatsoper Stuttgart over 300 hoodies were received as donations as costumes. In addition, the Staatsoper distributed knitting kits to interested people who wanted to knit parts of the stage set at home.’

How it works: The first three scenes take place on the opera stage. Afterwards, specially trained guides take the audience to Wartbergpark in Stuttgart via public transport, where the fourth scene (The Travelling Angel) can be heard on headphones whilst walking up the footpath to the Killesberg open-air stage where Anna-Sophie Mahler stages the fifth (The Music-making Angel) and sixth scene (The Bird Sermon). The journey then continues back to the opera house by either bus or tram, where the seventh and eighth scene takes place. The audience is asked to wear comfortable and sturdy shoes. In case of bad weather, an indoor alternative for all the audience members will take place.