Schiller: The Operas
Role: Director, Lecturer
Performances: The Bunker Theatre, London (2017)
Collaborators: Philippa Boyle, Guy Murgatroyd, Thea Eike, The Faction
I was approached by The Faction to direct a set of arias from operas based on Schiller like Maria Stuarda, Don Carlos, and Guillame Tell. Having spent a lot of time studying Romantic aesthetics and operas, I was very excited. The team developed a lecture/staged concert to share the best of Schiller-opera with The Faction.
Unfortunately illness meant that one singer couldn’t make the show, so we had to quickly improvise something to fill the time. That turned out to be a much more informal version of the show - a salon discussion with the audience about Schiller, how he was adapted, and how directors approach works from such a different social context.
It was a lot of fun - a chance to talk directly to an audience about what they did and didn’t like about ‘concept’ productions, and why. It’s something I’ve always liked doing on a one-to-one basis, and will hopefully get to do with a whole audience again soon.
"In this palace, thousands of years ago,
A desperate cry ran out..."
"You are a citizen, and remain one at the theatre."
