That was quick! The delivery driver rings the doorbell, you scribble a signature, and just like that, you’ve got a package. But wait... you don’t remember ordering an oversized tin can. You open it up, and inside is—of all things—a child?!

Mrs Bertie Bartolotti had intended to spend the evening at the opera with Mr Egon, but now she’ll have to change her plans. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that a misdelivered tin can would turn her into a mother! The Himmelblau company, experts in mass-producing model children, has sent her the Premium Chromo.XY/3859 model, with hair parted to the side and the name Conrad . But what does such a child actually need? And what does he like? Hot peppers? Jellies? Liqueur chocolates? Sardines in oil? Well, best to start by putting a bit of everything on the plate! Conrad loves order and rules, so unfortunately he knows only too well that good children always finish their plates...Before long, his ‘Mama’ Bertie, his ‘Papa’ Egon, and his new friend Kitty have taken Conrad into their hearts. Determined to prevent the Himmelblau company from taking him back, they hatch a wild plan: Conrad must become somebody the company no longer recognizes—a boy who’s disobedient, cheeky, and loud!

Christine Nöstlinger’s humorous tales of rebellious outsiders have become beloved classics of Austrian children's literature. Now, in the world premiere of the children’s opera Conrad: The Factory-Made Boy , director Ruth Brauer-Kvam brings Samuel Penderbayne’s colourful modern fairy tale to life, celebrating diversity and solidarity while exploring the meaning of family and the question of what it means to be ‘perfect’.