A love story with mythological heroes, shipwrecked kings, queens, witches, a drunken sailor and a famous death scene plays this weekend at the Yard in the form of Dido and Aeneas, a 50-minute opera sung in English. There will be dancing, action sequences and a string quintet.

And of course there will be its famous aria, Dido’s lament, When I Am Laid in Earth, which has been performed by artists as far from opera as Klaus Nomi, Jeff Buckley and even (as a Trance mix) Armin van Buuren.

Dido and Aeneas will be followed by Kings, Queens, Witches & Drunks, a second act of short opera favorites.

Directed by Yard artistic director Wendy Taucher, this production promises to showcase the opera singers because, as she points out, “they do everything actors and dancers do — on pitch and in four languages.”

All evening performances offer pre-concert talks at one hour before curtain (this weekend it’s Martina Arroyo and Marni Nixon; next weekend’s talks are by Cori Ellison, dramaturg of New York City Opera).

Tonight at 8 p.m. is opening night; Saturday is a full performance at 8 p.m. and a free family matinee at 4 p.m. Sunday’s show begins at 7 p.m. The schedule is repeated next weekend. Tickets range from $15 to $100. For details call 508-645-9662 or see online dancetheyard.org.