Shawna Lucey
Opera Director
Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “A beautiful new Traviata meant to last for decades. Magnificent.”
Shawna Lucey is an acclaimed American theater and opera director, whose productions have been seen at The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and other major houses worldwide. Her legacy production of Tosca launched San Francisco Opera’s 99th season in 2021. It was followed in 2022 by her centennial celebration ground-breaking legacy production of La Traviata.
Her directorial work has been seen across the US, from The Met to Dallas Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, LA Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, and many others. She also boasts an international reputation, staging works in Spain, Russia, and Germany, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Bolshoi Theater, and Schauspiel Hannover, among many others, and has assisted esteemed directors, including Stephen Lawless, Lee Blakeley, John Caird, Peter Schumann, and Francesca Zambello.
In addition to opera, Lucey steps outside the canon into theatre and musicals, staging works such as Gilbert & Sullivan’s rollicking The Pirates of Penzance, which BroadwayWorld lauded for its “contemporary flair, dousing the classic with a touch of modern Monty Python alongside Carol Burnett Show moments. A true contemporary comic delight faithful to the original Gilbert and Sullivan intent.”
Lucey holds BAs in Theater and Italian from the University of Texas at Austin and received her MFA in Directing & Movement from the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute of the Vakhtangov Theater in Moscow and was awarded a Master of Science from Columbia University’s program for Non-Profit Management. She has also served as an adjunct professor in Speech and Theater at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, encouraging the next generation of artists while teaching acting, design, stage management, and directing courses.
She has been the General Director & CEO of Opera San José since the spring of 2022, the leading opera company of Silicon Valley.
Upcoming Performances
- 24MaySt. Louis, MO
Die Fledermaus
Opera Theatre of St. Louis - 30MaySt. Louis, MO
Die Fledermaus
Opera Theatre of St. Louis - 4JuneSt. Louis, MO
Die Fledermaus
Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Latest News


November 15, 2024
Vast Imagination – Directors Shawna Lucey & Michelle Ainna Cuizon on Bringing their Vision to Opera San José & the Opera World at Large
Read ArticlePortfolio & Productions
Explore Shawna’s past and present productions featuring artists and companies both nationally and internationally.
-
Bluebeard’s Castle
Opera San Jose
- Conductor / Joseph Marcheso
- Stage Director / Shawna Lucey
- Set Design / Steven Kemp
- Costume Design / Caitlin Cisek
- Lighting Design / Michael Clark
- CAST
- Judith / Maria Natale
- Bluebeard / Zachary Nelson
- Visit Company Website
-
La Traviata
San Fransisco Opera 2022, LA Opera 2024
- Conductor /
- James Conlon (2024 Apr 06, 14, 21, 24, 27)
- Louis Lohraseb (2024 Apr 18)
- Stage director / Shawna Lucey
- Set designer / Robert Innes Hopkins
- Costume designer / Robert Innes Hopkins
- Lighting designer / Michael James Clark
- CAST
- Violetta Valéry / Rachel Willis-Sørensen
- Flora Bervoix / Sarah Saturnino
- Annina / Deepa Johnny
- Alfredo Germont/ Liparit Avetisyan
- Giorgio Germont / Kihun Yoon
- Gastone de Letorières / Julius Ahn
- Barone Douphol / Patrick Blackwell
- Marchese d’Obigny / Ryan Wolfe
- Dottore Grenvil / Alan Williams
- San Fransisco Opera / LA Opera website
- Conductor /
-
Cavalleria rusticana | Pagliacci
Lyric Opera of Kansas City
- Conductor / Roberto Kalb
- Stage director / Shawna Lucey
- Set designer / Steven Kemp
- Lighting designer / Michael James Clark
- CAST – Cavalleria Rusticana
- Santuzza / Samantha Hankey
- Turiddu / Adam Smith
- Alfio / Gevorg Hakobyan
- CAST – Pagliacci
- Canio / Diego Torre
- Nedda / Gabriella Reyes
- Tonio / Gevorg Hakobyan
- Visit Company Website
-
Tosca
San Fransisco Opera
- Conductor / Leo Hussain
- Stage Director / Shawna Lucey
- Production Designer / Robert Innes Hopkins
- Lighting Designer / Michael Clark
- Chorus Director / Ian Robertson
- Fight Director / Dave Maier
- CAST
- Cesare Angelotti / Hadleigh Adams
- Sacristan / Dale Travis
- Mario Cavaradossi / Brian Jagde
- Floria Tosca / Carmen Giannattasio
- Baron Scarpia / Scott Hendricks
- Spoletta / Joel Sorensen
- Marchesa Attavanti / Tatiana Bookbinder
- Sciarrone / Andrew Manea
- Shepherd Boy / Zachary Zele (10/03, 14, 17, 26, 30), Miles Kaludzinski (10/07, 11, 20, 23)
- Jailer / Christian Pursell
- Visit Company Site
-
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lyric Opera of Kansas City
- Conductor / Carlo Montanaro
- Stage Director / Shawna Lucey
- Set & Costume Designer / Philip Witcomb
- Lighting Designer / Michael Clark
- CAST
- Sarah Colburn (Lucia)
- Evan LeRoy Johnson (Edgardo)
- Troy Cook (Enrico)
- Adam Lau (Raimondo)
- Kelly Birch (Alisa)
- Joseph Leppek (Arturo)
- Visit Company Site