The Liberata Story
Liberata Collective is led by Creative Director Olivia Doutney and Managing Director Susanna MacRae. The company creates visually striking productions rooted in historically informed performance practices and theatrical storytelling, and is currently touring the original creation Antonia: Behind the Myth of Marie Antoinette.
Both Olivia and Susanna’s experience as opera singers led them to find themselves questioning the gap between the stories opera tells and the way that audiences engage with them.
Rather than reshaping opera to fit modern theatre, they decided to return to its original language. Their work with Baroque Gesture, a historical acting method of gestures, movement and dance used throughtout the 17th & 18th centuries, became the foundation of a new approach.
Their first production, Orlando, was staged entirely in Baroque Gesture, and marked a rare full-scale use of Baroque Gesture on the U.K. operatic stage. It premiered at Buxton International Festival and Lichfield Festival in July 2023 to sold-out audiences and critical acclaim before touring to Stour Early Music Festival and Beaumaris Festival in 2024. Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito was mounted in the same system for Beaumaris Festival in 2025, further refining the style.
This work led to the creation of a hybrid form that moves between opera and theatre. Their current production, Antonia, is built within this language and explores the life of Marie Antoinette through music, movement and an original script.
Liberata Collective’s work has previously been supported by Arts Council England, The Golsoncott Foundation, Fidelio Trust and currently by the Maria Björnson Memorial Fund.
Productions:
Antonia - Various Composers, created by Olivia Doutney
2026 - Chiswick House | Chalke History Festival | Lichfield Festival | Nairn Book & Arts Festival
La Clemenza di Tito - Mozart
2025 - Beaumaris Festival
Orlando - Handel
2024 - Stour Early Music Festival | Beaumaris Festival
2023 - Buxton International Festival | Lichfield Festival