Shawna Lucey

Opera Director

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.

Tosca  Lucia di Lammermoor  Tosca  Lucia di Lammermoor
Cosi Fan Tutte  Bluebeard's Castle  Cosi Fan Tutte  Bluebeard's Castle
Die Fledermaus  Pearl Fishers  Le Nozze Di Figaro  Die Fledermaus

Upcoming Performances

Latest News

Shawna Lucey stands on the balcony of an opera auditoriom

Opening Doors

Opera San José’s Shawna Lucey talks to Lisa Hirsch.

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Vast Imagination – Directors Shawna Lucey & Michelle Ainna Cuizon on Bringing their Vision to Opera San José & the Opera World at Large

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Portfolio & Productions

Explore Shawna’s past and present productions featuring artists and companies both nationally and internationally.