National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) will host a creative learning workshop this August offering audiences a behind the scenes look at its upcoming production of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.”

The workshop, titled “Decoding Opera — Il Trovatore,” is scheduled for August 22, 2026 and structured around six sessions led by members of the production’s creative and performance teams. Soprano Lai Jueyu opens the workshop with a session exploring the vocal and emotional world of the opera, drawing on her own experience interpreting Verdi’s characters. Production coordinator Hung Wei follows with a session on the logistics and challenges of bringing an opera from page to stage.

The afternoon includes a rehearsal observation session led by stage director Pier Francesco Maestrini, in which participants will watch a live rehearsal after a short introduction to the staging concept; this portion will be conducted in English with consecutive interpretation into Mandarin. Stage designer Nicolas Boni then discusses the development of the production’s spatial and scenic language, also delivered in English with interpretation. The workshop closes with a session from assistant costume designer Huang Tzuen, who will walk participants through design sketches and the reasoning behind the production’s costume choices.

The workshop precedes Weiwuying’s staging of “Il Trovatore,” which runs Sept. 3 through 6, 2026.

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