A medieval scandal gets an operatic glow-up in ELEANOR, a new work by Niccolo Seligmann about Eleanor Rykener — the gender-nonconforming Londoner whose 1394 arrest left the courts very confused.

This semi-staged performance at the experimental New Stage Performance Space on the Upper West Side dives into the story of Eleanor, who was arrested in London in 1394 while presenting as a woman. We only have one surviving document about Eleanor’s life, so we can’t know her full story – but this piece uses that fragment as a starting point to explore identity, gender, and belonging in the medieval world. 

Niccolo Seligmann (they/them) brings a deeply personal lens to the work, and the role of Eleanor will be premiered by non-binary soprano Elisse Albian.