Werewolf

An opera by Margo Kõlar and Ivar Põllu, based on August Kitzberg’s play

Composer Margo Kõlar
Music Director Kasper Joel Nõgene
Conductor Aleksandr Bražnik
Director and Librettist Ivar Põllu (Tartu New Theatre)
Set and Costume Designer Kristiina Põllu (Tartu New Theatre)
Lighting Designer Rene Liivamägi (Tartu New Theatre)
Cast Pirjo Jonas or Marta Paklar, Rael Rent or Grete Oolberg, Rasmus Kull or Oliver Timmusk, Karmen Puis or Annaliisa Pillak, Märt Jakobson or Kristjan Häggblom, Simo Breede or Janari Jorro or Egon Laanesoo, Merle Silmato (Finnish National Opera) or Eve Kivisaar et al.

Vanemuine Opera Chorus and Symphony Orchestra

A pretty ordinary love story.

Girl likes boy, boy likes girl. Of course, there is a small nuance: the girl is not of his kind at all. And one more nuance: there is another girl who also likes the boy. So, it can’t end well – and a witch hunt begins.

Of course, the boy could put his foot down and form his own opinions and decisions, not let himself be tossed around by the women. But how can you know what is right if for centuries your kind have been bred to be miserable subordinates? And who is the boy to decide something himself?

This opera is about how we treat strangers.
About what we do to belong.
About how we change ourselves in order to fit, to be accepted, to survive.
It is about how, no matter how great the emotions or how tragic the story, it ultimately becomes only a memory — and how no one ever truly learns from the tragedies of others.

Werewolf is the first production by Ivar Põllu, the creative director of Tartu New Theatre, at the Vanemuine Theatre. However, it’s not the first time for the Tartu theatre audiences to see an opera directed by Põllu: Alo Põldmäe’s chamber opera Nightingales of River Emajõgi premiered in Tartu New Theatre in 2019.

Premiere: February 7, 2026 – Harbour Theatre

Attention! The performance includes loud sound effects!

Language: Estonian
Surtitles: Estonian, English