By and with die schlangenknaben

One room. One frenzy. One host. Is this still opera—or already a plague? The opera is under siege. Voices warp. Roles slip. Characters go off the rails. Who’s telling the story? Who’s singing? Who’s shining? And for whom? Dido doesn’t die. Papageno doesn’t catch anything. Carmen doesn’t show up. Elisabeth doesn’t wait.

In *Pöbelarien*, a collective of parasites sets to work. It creeps into costumes, gnaws at arias, burrows through the canon of Western opera. It takes what feels good. The rest is discarded. Together with the snake boys, the audience becomes a swarm: made up, costumed, loud, uninvited. A cell emerges—the party score begins! It spreads out: onto streets and squares. It takes hold. Each episode infects a new work. Each invasion transforms the body.

#1 (Sept. 26 – Oct. 3) DIDO DOES NOT DIE

(based on Dido and Aeneas)

#2 (Oct. 30 – Nov. 1) CARMEN DOESN’T COME

(based on *Carmen*)

#3 (Nov. 13–15) PAPAGENO CATCHES NOTHING

(based on The Magic Flute)

#4 (Dec. 10–12) ELISABETH WON’T WAIT

(based on *Tannhäuser*)

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