“In this new production of Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, the core of the dramaturgy and the entire aesthetic of the performance revolve around the conflicts of different versions of historicity: the romantic and historically inaccurate portrayal of Anne Boleyn’s final days by the composer, Nicholas Georgiadis’ costumes for the 1976 staging of the work at the GNO, and our own historical perception. Georgiadis’ costumes are brought back to life half a century later in a bold, new stage setting that illustrates the tense balance between historical authenticity and contemporary experience. The historical characters of 16th-century England, Georgiadis’ costumes, the history of the GNO itself, and our own historical reflexes become materials that will mould a contemporary and intense performative present in constant dialogue with the past. Set and costumes transform before the audience’s eyes, dramatizing the conflict between a captivating authenticity and a modern visual gesture that reveals the power and oppression mechanisms often hidden within this fascination. The new Bolena of the GNO not only focuses on the tragic relationships among the characters, but also explores their imprisonment by their very history, clothing, living spaces, as well as our fantasies about the past. Finally, it also aims to accompany them in their melancholic effort to live out an elusive experience of emotional truth and personal freedom; that is, to become contemporary.”