On a glossy, smoke-filled stage, one performer in a white vest leans toward another curled on the floor, with empty auditorium seats and orchestra players beyond.

York Hall, Bethnal Green, London2025

Das Rheingold

The Production

Regents Opera’s Das Rheingold opened the company’s complete Ring cycle at York Hall, Bethnal Green, staged in the round in the historic boxing venue. The production used Ben Woodward’s reduced orchestration for a chamber-sized ensemble, bringing Wagner’s epic to an intimate, close-quarters setting.

45 photographs in the curated edit

Director: Caroline Staunton
Musical Director: Ben Woodward
Lighting Design: Patrick Malmström
Set & Costume Design: Isabella van Braeckel
Commissioned by: Regents Opera
Photography: Steve Gregson

Three performers in flowing blue translucent robes form an arching, wave-like shape on a reflective stage under red and blue light.

A performer in a bright yellow pleated costume embraces a seated bearded performer from behind in a tight spotlight against a dark background.

Several performers move among glowing plinths and small sculptural objects on a reflective stage, with rows of empty seats behind them.

A performer in beige hauls themself up from the edge of a glossy stage while two blue-robed performers stand in the warm-lit background.

Close-up of a performer in a sheer blue robe looking upward with one hand pressed to their chest, lit with cool and warm stage light.

An ensemble gathers around glowing plinths on a reflective stage as a performer in green bends over another performer’s hand in the foreground.

A bald performer in a red turtleneck and patterned suspenders holds up a glowing pale sphere, their face marked with a bold black design.

A performer in red trousers stands on a plinth with arms spread wide, surrounded by other performers and glowing pedestal props.

Close-up of a performer in a bright green costume crouched near the stage edge, gazing intently into the darkness.

Three performers lean in around a white block prop, their contrasting costumes and bold face makeup heightening the tense, intimate exchange.

A performer in a yellow-green pleated costume kneels on a glossy black stage, reflected in the floor as others stand or bend among white blocks behind.

A suited performer grips the front of another performer’s black mesh costume in a tense confrontation, while a third figure watches from the background.

Amber haze fills the reflective stage as three performers stand among white plinths, one printed with vertical German text.

A shirtless performer with metallic body paint leans face-to-face with a suited performer in smoky blue and orange light.

A performer in black mesh and red trousers holds up a small pale round object, studying it under a focused stage light.

In smoky orange light, a performer in a green jumpsuit shouts while gripping a bent-over performer in black and red.

A performer in a yellow pleated costume presses against a suited performer’s chest with eyes closed and mouth open, creating an intimate moment.

A wide view of the reflective runway stage shows performers facing each other among white plinths, with auditorium seating and projected surtitles in the background.

A shirtless performer with metallic gold-painted skin throws his arms wide and laughs under warm stage light, with another performer blurred behind.

A bare-backed performer in green trousers stands with arms outstretched on a dark stage, the words “GESAMT KUNST WERK” marked across his back.

In a tight, dramatic close-up, a black-clad performer grips a bare-chested performer streaked with gold paint as he throws his head back under blue-green light.

A performer in a black mesh top and red trousers lies low on a glossy stage, grimacing and holding up a small white strip beside pale plinths and empty seats.

Two performers stand on a reflective stage in amber and blue haze, one bare-chested in green trousers and the other in red trousers, beside a white pillar reading “DU HAST NICHTS.”

A bare-chested performer dusted with gold paint raises one hand under cool blue light, with a low white block in front reading “DU HAST NICHTS.”

A bare-chested performer with gold paint sits with his hands behind him while a performer in red trousers crouches close, gesturing sharply in a tense exchange.

A bare-chested performer covered with gold paint lies on his side on the reflective floor, one hand pressed to his chest and his face turned toward the stage.

A bare-chested performer curls on the floor in the foreground while a suited performer stands near a tall metal pole on a white plinth, with empty seats behind them.

A bearded performer in a black jacket and shirt stands in close-up beside a metal pole, a white streak of paint running down his forehead.

On a glossy stage washed in blue haze, a bare-chested performer in green trousers kneels near an open rectangular trench while two other performers watch from behind.

A man in a dark suit with a silver stripe painted down his forehead studies his open hand under stark stage lighting.

A woman in a bright green dress stands on a white plinth with her hand near her throat, surrounded by performers, white columns, and musicians on a glossy black stage.

Beside a tall gold-foil-wrapped structure, a man in brown clothes and suspenders sings with one arm outstretched as other performers watch behind him.

A performer in a sleeveless white dress with pale face and hands stands wide-eyed against a black background, mouth open in a tense spotlight.

A woman in a green dress stands between vertical metal poles, one hand raised to her cheek and a silver streak painted down her forehead.

A woman in a translucent yellow dress clasps her hands to her chest and looks upward with a worried expression in bright stage light.

On a smoky reflective stage, a man in a pale suit stands on a pedestal with one arm raised while others face him among white columns and a prone body.

Green and blue haze fills the stage as a performer in patterned overalls stands on a plinth near a prone figure, gold foil, and tall white columns.

On a reflective runway between rows of seats, a performer in red gestures toward a woman in green on a plinth while two others stand farther back.

A performer in pale gold kneels on a glossy stage with one hand lifted, surrounded by white plinths and dark rows of empty chairs.

A translucent dagger-like prop stands in a clear block on a white plinth, with a blurred seated performer in yellow-green costume behind it on a dark stage.

A performer in a yellow-green pleated costume looks upward with one hand raised, lit brightly against a black background.

A performer in red trousers and a black mesh top stands wide-legged on a reflective stage among white geometric blocks, with other performers seated and standing nearby.

A performer in red trousers balances on a white block with one knee raised and an arm arched overhead, while other performers watch from the reflective stage.

A shirtless performer with gold-painted chest and hands gestures emphatically under a bright spotlight, with dim orchestra lights in the background.

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Die Walküre

York Hall, Bethnal Green, London2025

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