English National Opera is to take on “patriarchal structures” and toxic masculinity in its new season, which will include a version of Jack the Ripper minus the murderer.

ENO’s new productions include a “radical feminine” interpretation of Salome, an empowered Merry Widow, and a re-telling of the Jack the Ripper story from the perspective of women.

The 2018-9 season will also include ENO’s first staging of Porgy and Bess featuring “all diverse singers”.

Daniel Kramer, the company’s artistic director, said that the theme of the season, “the question around the patriarch and what a healthy masculine looks like in today’s society”, had come up “gently” during the planning stages.

“The nine operas that we’ll be performing at the Coliseum this season explore and examine some of the patriarchal structures, relationships, and roles of masculinity within our society.