WE ( wir )
Contemporary Opera – 2026

PH Thomas M. Jauk
NEW PROJECT – Choreography / Soloist Dancer
In the perfect “One State” created by the surviving humans after a global catastrophe, happiness and harmony reign supreme. Everyone has a serial number, a uniform, and a glass apartment. The talented engineer D-503 believes this way of life to be ideal — until he encounters the mysterious and beautiful I-330. She awakens uncontrollable ancient instincts and passions within him, leading D-503 to a terrifying discovery: there are people determined to destroy humanity’s last remaining stronghold.
The dystopian novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin was written in 1920 and immediately banned in the USSR as “subversive” and “anti-ideological.” First published in English in 1924, the novel inspired writers such as Aldous Huxley and George Orwell to reflect on the nature of dictatorships and their dark futures. In her opera, specially composed for the Oper Dortmund, contemporary composer Sarah Nemtsov creates a powerful reflection on Zamyatin’s vision of a sterile “Brave New World,” where the most natural human emotions — empathy, friendship, and love — struggle to preserve their right to exist.
World premiere / Commissioned by the Oper Dortmund • Opera in five acts by Sarah Nemtsov for nine solo voices, choir, orchestra, instrumental soloists, and electronics • Libretto based on We (МЫ/We) by Yevgeny Zamyatin, compiled by Sarah Nemtsov and translated into English by Oleg Krokhalev • Performed in English with German surtitles.
https://www.theaterdo.de/wir-we/