Renowned producer Ellen Kent has been creating and touring extraordinary international operas -  featuring world-class performers, dazzling visuals and even the occasional animal(!) - since 1992.

This year marks a last outing for her critically acclaimed versions of Madama Butterfly, La Traviata and Carmen. Now being co-produced by live-entertainment promoters Senbla, each production is visiting the Midlands in the upcoming months, with two of them stopping off in the region during February.

What’s On spoke to Ellen about the ‘Farewell’ tour and her remarkable career...

For over 30 years, Ellen Kent has toured extravagant opera and ballet productions to appreciative audiences around the UK, in the process showcasing the talents of some of Europe’s major opera companies.

Famed for their ambition and spectacle, three of her productions are now travelling the nation on a celebratory ‘Farewell’ tour.

Ellen’s first foray into theatrical touring was far removed from the grand operatic scenes for which she is now renowned. She began her producing career touring European children’s theatre - but even then, she had a keen eye for the spectacular...

“When I did Bleu D’Ecailles - or Why The Fish Left The River - we had huge tanks of koi carp…” Ellen explains. “I never did things by halves. Doing things by halves is not ‘me’. We went right over the top, and created this sort of liaison with Europe. We developed touring theatre from Strasbourg and all over.”

The ability to make and develop relationships has served Ellen well - whether liaising with European opera greats, or approaching a national treasure to take part in a bilingual children’s show…

“I got hold of Judi Dench,” she recalls. “I sent this email and asked Judi Dench whether she would consider being the English narrator for us. Judi Dench became my patron - she still is!”

Ellen was born in India - her Scottish father was High Commissioner, while her mother was raised in India, in Pune. The family moved to Spain when Ellen was 12 - but being a sociable person even then, she wanted the opportunity to meet friends her own age.

“I used to read all the Enid Blyton stories; I loved Enid Blyton. My mother was a huge storyteller as well - she did very good Indian ghost stories. I said to my mother, look, I want to go to boarding school… Most people would hate going to boarding school, but guess what? I loved it. I had people of my own age, I made friends, I had a social life; it was great. I’m very good at getting on with people.”

Ellen’s first opera production materialised in 1992 when she and her then husband lived in Rochester.

“Rochester Castle, bless their hearts, they rang me up and said, ‘Ellen, you do all these wonderful children’s shows from France; can you do something spectacular like that for us at Rochester Castle? We do these festivals in the summer…’ [Even though] I had no experience of opera, I heard myself saying, ‘I’m not sure that children’s plays will get you your vast audience - but opera might.’”

Ellen’s instincts proved sound, and in collaboration with the Romanian National Opera, she brought Verdi’s Nabucco to Rochester Castle. She remains a firm advocate for European artists, and in recent years has been working with Ukraine’s Opera International Kyiv - the company which stars in all three of this year’s productions.

Speaking of which... Puccini’s Madama Butterfly shows at Coventry’s Warwick Arts Centre this month, telling the story of the beautiful Cio-Cio-San, who falls in love with an American naval lieutenant.

“It's the most popular opera in the whole world, ‘The Butterfly’ is very beautiful. We’ve got a very good cast. We’ve got a Korean girl, Elena Dee, who’s a class act, playing Cio-Cio-San. Good cast, slick, beautiful production… For some reason, it seems to be the British favourite.”

Also touring this year are Verdi’s La Traviata and Bizet’s Carmen. Famed for her large-scale productions, for this tour Ellen has had to make some logistical changes, returning to the cloth backdrops which were made for her when she first produced Carmen.

“I do love my Carmen. I did a spectacularly wonderful Carmen. I used to have horses in the show. I mean, can you imagine? Andalusian stallions galloping on!

“With this one, it’s more of an open stage. And the cloths... I looked at the cloths I had painted in Moldova, based on designs I sent them; Goya, Picasso, that sort of thing. They are beautiful - I’d forgotten how beautiful the cloths were.”

After a decades-long career (“I'm rather proud of being 76 and still doing what I’m doing, to be quite honest...”) Ellen takes the process in her stride, including the challenges which are inevitable with such an ambitious, international endeavour.

“What I always say is, a window will open and you’ll find a way - and I always do. Maybe the gods are looking after me - the Indian gods, of course, the goddess Kali… I always make a few pujas to Kali, and say, ‘Are you going to help me, Kali?’ Suddenly, a window will open up, and there it is - it all works out!”

Although the current tour may be billed as a ‘farewell’, Ellen isn’t ready to say goodbye to her career - indeed, she’s already looking forward to her next venture, with her ‘Number Two’, Victor Donos.

“I cannot stop and do nothing. Victor and myself - Victor being 36/37, and me being 76, not a bad combination - we’re going to launch the Ellen Kent International Opera Artist Agency. We're already signing people up.”

This seems like a natural step in a remarkable career. After bringing together international opera stars, rallying collaborators and creating productions which are intended to be entertaining rather than elitist, it’s not surprising that, for Ellen, it’s all about the people.

“I’m a people person. I mean, I believe in people. You can’t do anything without people, can you? And I’ve managed to get an entire army. I should have been like Queen Boadicea; I could have led my army… I’m quite good at leading people and gathering the forces to support me. I don’t know where that’s come from, but that’s probably one of my talents.”

Madama Butterfly shows at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, on Friday 20 February; The Alexandra, Birmingham, on Sunday 1 March; Stoke-on-Trent’s Regent Theatre on Saturday 7 March, and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on Wednesday 13 May

La Traviata shows at Malvern’s Festival Theatre on Sunday 15 February; The Alexandra, Birmingham, on Friday 27 March, and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on Monday 11 May

Carmen shows at The Alexandra, Birmingham, on Saturday 28 March, and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on Tuesday 12 May

By Jessica Clixby