Unify the Stage

I was struck by this article in the New York Times about Frank Castorf, famous German director, and his new production of The Ring Cycle at Bayreuth. First off, to direct at Bayreuth is an honor. The festival theater was built FOR The Ring Cycle, under the genius of Wagner himself, who is credited with pushing along and defining the role of the director in the modern theater. And Frank Castorf is no unknown. He's run the Volksbrune theater in Berlin since 1992 and is known for his avante-guarde work. (I saw his Medea when I was in Berlin in 2009, the theater was being renovated so it was staged on the front steps of the theater:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESGluUOXDlc ) So when a director known for their desecration of text and insane directorial concepts is hired to direct THE RING CYCLE what do you expect? Sure, parts of it sound horrible to me. And sure, the audience booed. And there he stood, pointing at them. He wanted to make them angry. It's what he does! So...

In A Director Prepares , Anne Bogart describes getting the German theater magazine Theater heute and drinking it in, how it expanded her ideas of theater, how it inspired her to learn German, and how she eventually directed in Germany. The director's theater of Germany is truly outstanding and mind blowing. The artistry of the director is paramount in the German theater and opera, and while for many it's too much, learning about it (instead of writing it off) can help expand our own directing ideas and creativity. And now, with the magic of google translate, you can even read it online in English (broken google translate English, but it's pretty awesome) http://www.kultiversum.de/Schauspiel-Theaterheute/ Take advantage of expanding your horizons via the internet!

For those of you who know me, you know I do both. Or at least I try to. And the two art forms, while similar in foundation of competition on a stage, creating a unified world with design and acting, etc., are also incredibly different. So this may be the first of a series of blog posts dedicated to considering those differences. I had a meeting the other day with some really nice people who run Wolf Trap Opera company. They happened to be in town for their audition tour, and they were kind enough to put me on their schedule. And Kim Witman, the General Director of WTO asked me what is one of the most important questions to ask someone who is primarily a theater director who has directed some opera: "What, to you, are the challenges or things you do differently when you approach an opera." Awesome question. I think about this a lot. I think about the challenges that the best theater directors can't seem to overcome when they bring themselves to the world of opera. Obv...

Seriously, Lyric tickets for $20. https://www.lyricopera.org/next/index.aspx Go. Learn things.

And for those of you not familiar with Francesca Zambello, here is her website: http://www.francescazambello.com/

Ghita Hager passed away, here is her obit. She was the first female stage director to direct at the San Francisco Opera in 1968. That opera company now has a woman directing many operas and acting as artistic advisor, the amazing director Francesca Zambello. Although I do not know Hager's work, I thank and admire those who broke ground for woman directors! http://www.oregonlive.com/performance/index.ssf/2012/08/ghita_hager_controversial_oper.html

Short interview with director Jan Philipp Gloger on his production of The Flying Dutchman: http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16125878,00.html