The Bradford Opera Festival will present the world premiere of “The Last Machine Breaker: An Opera on Luddites, AI & Revolution.”

The opera by composer Ben Crick and librettist Kamal Kaan, commissioned by the Festival and funded by the Arts Council, explores the parallels between the Industrial Revolution of 1812 and the modern-day AI revolution in the context of two intertwining stories: one set in 2030, where tech entrepreneur Eva creates a sentient humanoid AI named Adam; and another in 1813, where Luddite leader George Mellor faces the gallows.

The opera features digital projections and is directed by Alex Chisholm.

“This opera is about the Luddites and about now: who gets to benefit from technology and who gets to pay? Ben and Kamal’s piece tells an important Northern story – pushing forward what opera can do, and who gets to experience it,” Chisholm said per an official press release.

Performances will be held at Bradford, Skipton, Leeds, and Marsden from Nov. 10–16, 2025. The creative team will also host a mini-symposium on November 11 at Mind the Gap in Leeds, inviting artists and technologists to discuss AI’s creative impact.

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