Performer: Christopher Cull

Rain cannot wash away the charm of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Lismore Castle, a visually clever, if uneven, outdoor staging with moments of real enchantment.

Every July, Buxton’s charming opera house hosts an international festival of opera, literature and the arts. This year the festival opened with a strong familiar favourite, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.

Oliver Mears' impressively-cast farewell production in Belfast combines gripping drama and exuberant fun in a symbol-packed reading of Don Giovanni. 

A light and sassy comedy from Wolf-Ferrari showcases the latest crop of talent from the Guildhall in a stylish 1960s production from Yannis Thavoris with video by Dom Baker, directed by Stephen Barlow.

Mahagonny surfaces for just the second time in Ireland, in a collaborative production resonating harshly with the country's recent economic history.