Stage director Kathleen Smith Belcher is currently engaged in her 20th year as a member of the directing staff at the Metropolitan Opera .

Among others, she has worked extensively with the San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera and the San Diego Opera.  Belcher assisted Peter Sellars on the world premiere of John Adams’ Dr. Atomic in San Francisco and helped to remount the production for The Netherlands Opera (Amsterdam), and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Woody Allen, Michael Mayer, Bartlett Sher, Susan Stroman and Julie Taymor are just a few of the directors with whom she has collaborated. As a member of the Metropolitan Opera directing staff, she has collaborated on numerous “Live in HD” broadcasts, including the Emmy-winning production of Don Pasquale.   

Engagements for last season included company debuts directing Gianni Schicchi at La Scala, Rigoletto for Kentucky Opera, a new production of Il barbiere di Siviglia for Chautauqua Opera, and assisting on James Robinson’s new production of Porgy & Bess at ENO and Michael Mayer’s new production of La Traviata at the Met. The 2019-2020 season includes La bohème for Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Rigoletto for Florida Grand Opera, and her return to the Metropolitan Opera for productions of Porgy and Bess and Der Rosenkavalier.