Louisa Proske makes Metropolitan Opera debut directing Verdi's Macbeth in New York

Louisa Proske, a German opera director, is making her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York with a new production of Verdi's Macbeth. She was selected by general manager Peter Gelb after a previous director dropped out, and she prepared the production quickly with a team of collaborators. The opera opens Tuesday and runs for ten performances, with a live broadcast on October 17. Proske, who wrote her thesis on Shakespeare's play, describes the opera as a terrifying tale for terrifying times, focusing on power and societal collapse. She previously co-founded Heartbeat Opera and directed at Oper Halle in Germany.