Welsh National Opera’s (WNO) Youth Opera is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint for its showcase scheduled for May 27 and 28.

The event will feature 80 talented young singers who will bring “The Pied Piper of Hamelin & The Crab That Played With The Sea” to life on stage.

Designers Céleste Langrée and Costume Supervisor Bea Viña embraced sustainability using costumes and props from past WNO productions, breathing new life into materials.

The cast members of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” added an innovative touch, crafting puppets from old socks to depict thousands of scampering rats. These individually created sock puppets added a personal flair, allowing young performers to express themselves beyond singing and acting.

In an official press release, Langrée stated, “As a designer, I treat it as a conscious challenge from the beginning. I’m delighted that we managed to have most of our costumes come second hand. Many came from charity shops here in Cardiff, and others were reused from the costume stock here at WNO. When it came to props, my goal was also to re-use as much as possible.” She added, “Repurposing, sharing, re-cycling old pieces of set, props or costume should be the industry norm. This is a great example of how we can reframe our views of performance and make it more environmentally friendly.”

“The Pied Piper of Hamelin & The Crab That Played With The Sea” combines the well-known tale of the Pied Piper and a beloved story from Rudyard Kipling’s “Just So” collection.