The Handmaid’s Tale opera was written by Danish composer Poul Ruders alongside librettist Paul Bentley. It is based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name.

The Handmaid’s Tale opera was written in 2000 and premiered in Copenhagen in March that year. The first English language production premiered with the ENO in April 2003 at the London Coliseum and has since been performed around the world.

The Handmaid’s Tale opera is set in the United States in a new Republic of Gilead, a patriarchal dictatorship.