Project Butterfly: Boosting environmental awareness in opera creation aims to create a new attitude towards sustainability in theatre and opera houses by exploring new green practices related to opera production and circulation. It all couldn’t happen without our most important partners – students! The project’s main objective is to create a unique opera piece combined with three acts (one for each partner country: Poland, Finland and Italy). The stories that make up the libretto are provided by school students from European partner countries and are dedicated to environmental themes: water, earth and air. The schools were carefully selected and are said to be engaged with Butterfly till 2025. So far, a lot has happened! Students participated in preparatory and co-design meetings with the teachers, group meetings and recently completed creative workshops with local librettists. 

The Butterfly Project focuses on engaging young audiences throughout the process. The Gdańsk, Espoo and Modena students are currently finalizing their projects (each school writes 3 from which only one can be selected for the final libretto) on preparing a fantastic elements-inspired story. Soon three proposals in total will be chosen by a professional jury, translated into English and combined together. The other ones will become the subject of a video produced by Heimspiel and be published on the project website and social media accounts. Based on the stories three composers selected in the international composers call will create the music.

In May, we expect to hold two online meetings of all the young participants to allow them to meet and introduce their ideas in the form of a presentation. Finally, the students will have a chance to give their feedback on the proposals from composers and musicians concerning the brand-new Opera.

The Butterfly Project is very proud of all the young people contributing to its objectives and wishes them good luck with their work!