Out Loud!, a new queer opera company, will stage Engelbert Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel" at The Cockpit in Marylebone, London, on Oct. 17 and 18, 2026.

The production marks the company's first-ever staging. Out Loud! presents it together with Kids at The Cockpit.

William Byram directs. Adam Dickson serves as musical director, and Jackie Crier designs the costumes.

The cast pairs Rozanna Madylus as Hansel with Anna Gregg as Gretel. Mae Heydorn takes a triple role: the Mother, the Sandman and the Witch. Madylus has performed with Regents Opera and English National Opera; Gregg with the Royal Opera; and Heydorn with Glyndebourne and Regents Opera. Eleven young artists from BWA Performing Arts, a South London dance school, join the production.

Out Loud! states its mission plainly: to amplify queer stories through reworkings of the canon and through the performance and commission of new works by LGBTQ+ composers, writers and creative teams.

The company has already set its sights beyond the launch. Plans for 2027 include the European premiere of a chamber opera by a major American composer, whose name has not yet been disclosed, alongside networking events for artists in the sector. Out Loud! says it will release details at a future date.

The launch production signals the company's model from the outset: a canonical work reimagined through a queer lens, performed by singers with credits across London's major houses, with young local performers embedded in the cast.