Hera, Mahogany Opera, and Dunedin Consort will present “In the Belly of the Beast,” a staged production of three Biblical cantatas by Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, on a UK tour running June 19 to July 4, 2026.

Soprano Carolyn Sampson leads the cast alongside Portuguese soprano Mariana Rodrigues, who was discovered through a UK-wide open call. Musicians from Dunedin Consort provide accompaniment.

Jennifer Fletcher directs, with lighting and projection design by Ben Moon and set and costume design by Ingrid Hu.

The production, which features a new English libretto by Hera co-director Toria Banks, revisits three stories traditionally used to reinforce obedience and patriarchal authority, reframing them as portraits of people grappling with the arbitrary nature of power. Jacquet de la Guerre’s rarely performed cantatas, published in 1708 and 1711, are presented here in their first major staged revival in centuries.

Tour dates include Edinburgh’s Assembly Roxy on June 19, the Britten Studio at Snape Maltings as part of the Aldeburgh Festival on June 25, Metronome London as part of the Spitalfields Festival on June 27, Perth Theatre on July 2, Stevenson Hall at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow on July 3, and Rosehill Theatre in Whitehaven on July 4.

The production runs approximately 60 minutes and includes English captioning.