theatre O - projects

Ariodante and The Bear

I’ve spent the last few weeks working with the brilliant singers of The Academy of The Royal Danish Opera - we’ve been working on two pieces - a shortened version of Ariodante by Handel, and The Bear by Walton. This is a wonderfully rough and ready gig where we only have what’s available in the stores of the opera and I have to fulfil the roles of designer, costume designer, lighting designer etc! Fortunately for me the singers are all excellent and have been a joy to work with - hard working, creative, imaginative, talented.

We’ve turned both pieces on their head in response to the politics of the original versions and how that sits with how the world is today - or in fact how the politics doesn’t sit with the world today. We’ve had a lot of fun showing the behaviour of the characters for what it is, and giving agency to characters who are traditionally denied it. This may upset the traditionalists, but I believe it’s a more honest approach, makes for a better drama, and is firmly rooted in the pieces themselves.