Theatre and Opera Director
LINK IN MY BIO: a new, interactive opera co-created by Seta White, Jennifer Farmer, Charlotte Marlow and DirtyFreud.
Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, 2024.
Produced by Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg and Britten Pears Arts as part of enoa’s (European Network of Opera Academies) inaugural Opera Creation Journey.​​
"Link in my Bio brings opera firmly into the 21st century"
Luxembourg Times
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Blending cross-cultural instrumentation, spoken word and grime, this story of a diverse group of young people who are on a bus hi-jacked by alt- and far-right terrorists charts how young people are targeted and radicalised by neo-facist ideology.
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The Ring of Fire - an opera by Avet Terterian
Marylebone Theatre, 2024.
"The almost subliminal evocation of memories heightened the sense that a dangerous and inexorable ritual was playing out." - Yehuda Shapiro, Opera Magazine.
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Directed and designed for London Armenian Opera.
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Anoush - an opera by
Armen Tigranian
Marylebone Theatre, 2023..​​
"It is moving to see members of a diaspora successfully portraying a homeland community in an opera that has become part of their cultural identity." - Yehuda Shapiro,
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Directed for London Armenian Opera
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1000 Songs: A new opera based on an old Armenian folktale
Britten Pears Arts 2019 and Arcola's Grimeborn Festival 2018
“Imaginative and wonderful sounds” –Sean Rafferty, BBC Radio 3 In Tune
One of “the best alternative hip opera shows to see” – Peter Braithwaite, The Independent.
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An ACE funded project, for which Seta also received funding from St. Sarkis Charity Trust and AGBU to develop a new opera based on an Armenian folktale, The Nightingale of a Thousand Songs. Composed by Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian with a libretto by Ziazan, the work has been devised by Seta and developed with Pinch Punch and Myaseen Collective.
Kaj Nazar - a comic opera by Haro Stepanian
The Bishop Centre, 2019
“Wisely, director Seta White does not encourage them to overact, not does she play for easy farcical laughs. Rather, she creates a series of almost ritualistic tableaux with simple decor, richly detailed costumes, a procession around the theatre and surreal projections such as a moon that becomes a rolling eyeball.” – Yehuda Shapiro, The Stage.
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Directed for London Armenian Opera, Kaj Nazar was performed in a converted church. Seta drew on the site-specific setting, using the church to add texture to the piece and immerse and draw the audience into the surreal world that was created. Scenes were set around the audience and within the church, using the architecture of the space to enrich the scenes and the story.
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Sayat Nova - an opera by Alexander Arutunian
The Bishop Centre, 2019
A semi-staged production directed for London Armenian Opera
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Fire Ring - an opera by Avet Terterian
Arcola Theatre, Grimeborn 2016
"Tightly and inventively directed by Seta White, with gracefully enigmatic interventions by dancers, the whole fusion proved compelling." - Yehuda Shapiro, Opera Magazine.
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Directed for London Armenian Opera.
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Davit Bek - an opera by Armen Tigranian
Britten Theatre, 2015
"No surtitles were provided, but the action unfolded clearly in Seta White's straightforward, richly-costumed production." - Yehuda Shapiro, Opera Magazine.
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Directed for London Armenian Opera.
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Armania
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, 2014
Armenian music and poetry explored in the context of Shakespeare, a piece which Seta devised and directed for the theatre’s inaugural season.
Garineh - a comic opera by Tigran Chouhajian
The Tabernacle, 2014
Directed for London Armenian Opera
Salon Mashup
Shoreditch Town Hall, 2013
A site-specific performance & art event which saw a collaboration between 40 artists on the theme of displacement and regeneration. Seta conceived of and devised this work for the Armenian Institute, and it was supported by Arts Council England.
Walnuts
Salon Mashup, Shoreditch Town Hall, 2013
As part of Salon Mashup, Seta also scripted and devised this verbatim piece on loss and resettlement taken from interviews conducted by Dr Susan Pattie.
Anoush - an opera by Armen Tigranian
The Tabernacle, 2012
Directed for London Armenian Opera