Cutting Edge Project by Turocy and Goettingen Handel Festival

The Teseo Project: On Stage and on the Internet

As Stage Director for a new production of Teseo by George Frederick Handel for the Goettingen Handel Festival in Germany this June, I have incorporated the popular social networks Facebook and Twitter in the staging. In addition, I am using Facebook and a blog as educational tools for middle school and high school students.

This groundbreaking use of social networks, to my knowledge, has not been done before, and I am very excited to be taking opera in this innovative direction.

The Story Exists on Two Levels

First Level: The opera will be experienced by the audience on two levels. The first is as a period opera on a period stage set that exists within the bare theater. By being smaller than the actual stage and having its inner workings exposed to the audience, this set creates a "play within a play". Dancers will alternate changing the scenes of the opera as the "crew" and performing their customary roles within the opera proper. On this period set the story of Teseo will be told by employing Baroque costume, movement and choreography, as well as period stage machinery such as trap doors and flying machines.

Second Level: The second level involves the "behind the scenes" story of the performers (fictitious and authored by me), which will be told simultaneously by projecting live and recorded video sequences on a screen over the center of the proscenium. During long instrumental passages in the arias, the audience will catch an affair between the singer playing Medea and a Patron, see dancers running from the dressing room to the stage and read Facebook entries and tweets from some of the performers - revealing the "drama" behind the drama. These live and filmed sequences are carefully woven into the emotional development of the opera. When the opera comes to a conclusion...so does the "behind the scenes" story. The goal in my stage direction is to offer a period production with sidebars: the audience will experience the conventional opera while at the same time be able to see and read into the experiences of the performers as they are playing the characters.

Facebook and the Educational Component

One of the main characters in the opera, the young princess Agilea, will have a Facebook page. She lives in Athens, Greece during the 5th century B.C. and is in love with Teseo. Her page goes up on the first day of our rehearsal, a month before the premiere of the opera in Goettingen. The FB account is more a platform for Agilea to tell about herself and about her life in a creative way. The account will be restricted to the students of the participating schools.

Through her status updates, Agilea will reveal aspects of life in Ancient Greece and express the yearning and concern for the safety of her secret lover--the hero Teseo. Her FB entries will be short and clever, but will also include an embedded link to an educational site on various subjects such as the mythology surrounding Medea or weapons used in battle in ancient Greece (or the ancient world). The purpose of the FB page for Agilea is to teach the students in an informal way all the research that goes into imagining a character in order to portray and embody emotions of this character in a performance. Through this experience I hope to stimulate a deeper relationship to Baroque opera, to history and to our shared cultural past. I also hope to cultivate the younger generation of concert-goers.

Amy Freston, the singer performing the role of Agilea, will meet with the students in person to discuss her process of preparing a role. In this way, the students will have a real experience of the artist and then, through the FB page, a deeper understanding of how historical knowledge can form the interpretation of a character.

There will also be the possibility of exchanging comments with Agilea. However, I suspect that a blog format may be easier for the students to chat and comment amongst themselves.

The Blog

After much discussion with the festival office and my assistant, Sarah Edgar, we have concluded that it would be beneficial to set up a special blog linked with the Goettingen Festival website and with Facebook. The blog will be a great opportunity for an interactive exchange between the opera and the students. Currently we are working on the details of connecting four different pages (two FB accounts, the festival website and the blog) and making decisions about who is supposed to be participating on which page. The question of privacy is very important when involving students and schools, and it is our priority to function in a safe environment. We also hope to make this blog visible to the ticket subscribers and members of the Goettingen Handel Festival.

A student intern from the festival will be managing the blog. Three to four times a week the student will come to rehearsals in order to keep the blog up to date with anecdotes, impressions of the rehearsal process, photos and short video clips. We will also encourage musicians and singers to post some of their insights on the production.

Twitter

Once the production leaves the studio and goes to rehearsal on the stage (May 23), one of the stage crew will be sending tweets from his perspective. The nuts and bolts of getting the opera ready for the premiere will be told from a craftsman/worker view. During the performances he will also be sending a few tweets, keeping fans actively informed.

Goals

Our final goal is to create a more inclusive arena for Baroque opera through Facebook, blogging and Twitter. Through our backstage crew member on Twitter, we hope to demystify the "elitism" of opera and give it a human face on a human scale. Through using technology and social networks, we hope to encourage the next generation to engage in conversations, sharing their experiences of opera and becoming involved in the performing arts. By using elements of Facebook and Twitter as well as live and recorded camera feed in the opera production, we hope to create a theatrical experience which is more in keeping with the way today's audience processes live performance.

I am grateful to the festival for supporting my vision and developing a structure. I also appreciate the efforts of my assistant, Sarah Edgar. Under my supervision she is creating the storyline and entries for the Agilea Facebook page.

Below is a listing of the artists involved with this production:

Catherine Turocy Stage Director/Choreographer Scott Blake Stage Design Pierre Dupouey Lighting Bonnie Kruger Costume Susanne Rydén Soprano -- Teseo Amy Freston Soprano -- Agilea Dominique Labelle Soprano -- Medea Drew Minter Countertenor -- Egeo Céline Ricci Soprano -- Clizia Robin Blaze Countertenor -- Arcane FestspielOrchester Göttingen Nicholas McGegan Conductor Members of The New York Baroque Dance Company: Rachel List, Alexis Silver, Justin Coates, Junichi Fukuda, Alan Jones and Gregory Youdan Sarah Edgar Assistant to the Stage Director

Photo of Catherine Turocy by Juan Garcia

Review Excerpts for Armide

The New York Baroque Dance Company Review Excerpts for Armide by Gluck Performed at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, February 1 and 3, 2010 with Opera Lafayette Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Ryan Brown

”Much of the credit for the success of this performance should go to its choreographer, Catherine Turocy. Whether the dancing was in any way similar to how it was originally performed is unknown. Ms. Turocy in her notes states that no surviving period dance notation scores are extant for the dances in Armide. She based her choreography on treatises written in Gluck's time, and the dancers performed eloquent movements, hands raised delicately in the air, their expressive faces reflecting the emotions of the moment. Commendations are particularly in order for Caroline Copeland (who also soloed brilliantly in Opera Lafayette's production last year of Monsigny's Le Déserteur) whose mime-like, happy-to-sad facial alterations in the Act V Chaconne were worth the price of admission, and then some.” Stan Metzger, Seen and Heard International Opera Review, 2/3/10

“Along with the outstanding Opera Lafayette Chorus and Orchestra and beautiful artistry of The New York Baroque Dance Company, the story of Armide was conveyed at the highest level of artistic excellence…The New York Baroque Dance Company, in soldier's costumes elegantly danced the possibility of vengeance, as the Opera Chorus resounded the theme in splendid harmony… Each dance and costume conceived by the extraordinary choreographer, Catherine Turocy captured the essence of each movement. Complimenting Burden's solo were the dancers moving with such grace, beautifully adorned with the flowers of spring. In the brief appearance of La Haine, soprano Houtzeel made her sole appearance on stage to warn Armide,but to no avail. Houtzeel's clarion voice sounded forth in urgency and her delivery was very convincing. Many wanted to hear more of this singer. The dancers again added to the mood of the story, dancing in all black with splashes of color

Opera Lafayette is indeed one of our nation's most esteemed performing ensembles. The performance was outstanding from start to finish. This performance was stellar on all levels: soloists, orchestra and dancers all prepared beyond measure to render the best performance possible. Patrick McCoy, The Examiner 2/2/10

“Opera Lafayette presented "Armide" in 2007 in conjunction with the University of Maryland in a production directed by Leon Major. Not having seen the 2007 staging, I can't compare, but this semi-concert presentation, studded with dance interlays from the New York Baroque Dance Company (a frequent Opera Lafayette collaborator, resplendent in period costume) was excellent at conveying the spirit of the opera and showing the work's dramatic continuity. And it revealed the way that the dance was conceived as a part of the action, or the way that some moments (the Act I finale, a rapid-paced ensemble) might have influenced Mozart.”Anne Midgette, Washington Post 2/3/10

"The dancers in costumes and choreography devised by Catherine Turocy were a rare treat. Not since Mary Skeaping devised an 18th Century dance for Baryshnikov in ABT's Sleeping Beauty, as well as a ballet solo "Vestris," have we seen Baroque dancing that was so convincing and enjoyably non-academic. The dances tonight were very well executed -- at times it was almost as if the ghosts of Vestris, Gardel, Guimard and Heinel were actually on stage. The rather eerie spectral quality was emphasized by the semi-interactions between the fully, and elaborately costumed dancers and the singers in modern concert attire standing behind music stands. James Camner ,OPERA-L internet blog 2/4/10

“Like all 18th-century French operas “Armide” abounds with dance. This performance, conducted by Ryan Brown, Opera Lafayette’s founding director, featured elaborately costumed ballet segments performed by the New York Baroque Dance Company, choreographed by Catherine Turocy. Anthony Tommasini, New York Times 2/4/10

“The voices filled the small theater, the string section of the small orchestra was full enough to thrill, the dances were delicious, the French diction superb…Dance always played a large part in French grand opera, and reconstructing French court dance has long been Catherine Turocy’s specialty. Her dancers here enacted battling warriors, masked temptations, courting shepherds and rag-headed demons with steps that hovered between mime and formal dance. They were always entertaining and generally relevant to the story, and when masked evincing an impersonality appropriate to spirits summoned and embodied by a great and enigmatic witch.” John Yohalem, Opera Today, 2/11/10

Drottingholm! ~ by Sarah Edgar

relaxing in the boys' dressing room in between our swirls on stage

The set for the end of Act III (minus the statue of Mars that rises out of the floor)

close-up of the legs

backstage

in the gardens

The Gang in Stockholm: me, Caroline, Jason, and Rachel

The pensive Fire

our dressing room

me, vainly posing in my mask and costume

The palace at Drottninghom

Ladies and Gentlemen, I hereby offer my meager description of the delight of performing with The New York Baroque Dance Company in the opera Orlando at Drottningholm.

First of all, you should know that the Drottningholm Theater is one of the very rare 18th c. theaters in which many parts are still original. The set designs are faithful copies of the sets found in the theater when it was rediscovered in the 20th c. (before that it was used as a storage house), and the stage designs are flown in and out of the stage using ropes, according to the way it was done in the 18th c.

We had 17 stagehands flying any number of sets and objects in and out, and in the last aria of the 2nd Act (Orlando's "Hello everyone! Now I am completely Mad!" Aria) we made them pull practically every rope in the theater--- the set itself changed a couple of times, the cloud machine came down to whisk the lovely Angelica away, a boat glided across the River Styx (with waves, thanks to our Supers!), and a chariot carrying our magician, Zorastro, flew across the stage as the curtain came down.

Everyone on the stage and in the orchestra pit spent most of the time at the theater in amazement at how different doing a baroque opera in a baroque theater really is. The acoustics of the theater were stunning, and it was fantastic to really hear the orchestra.
Orlando was directed by our charming leader, Catherine Turocy, and she is brilliant at coaching the singers in a natural and historically-informed performance. The mix of comedy and tragedy in Orlando is particularly highlighted in this production, and all of the singers brought new depth to this aspect in their performances.

The dancers played the genies of Zorastro with Caroline as the genie of fire, myself as the genie of water and air, and with Jason and Alan as the Salamander genies. Although there is no dance music per se in this opera, we helped maintain the magical element of the plot. I really enjoyed the quasi-grotesque nature of our roles, exploring the off-kilter spirals so beloved of 18th c. gesture and relating to my fellow dancers in a more exaggerated way than when we are "people" onstage.

Our dressing rooms were the actual rooms where the performers lived in the 18th c, with even 18th c. wallpaper on the walls! Since Drottningholm was the summer residence of the royal Swedish family, the performers lived there the whole summer season with their families and pets. They were paid in wine and given free room and board--- typical of the aristocracy to not actually pay! I heard that Gustav III loved novelty, and the performers were not allowed to do the same show more than twice in a month. Whew!

The people who worked at Drottningholm-- the dressers and makeup artists and production staff-- were all very helpful. We made ourselves right at home and hope we can go back sometime soon!

Update from Sarah Edgar

I am pleased to announce my new performance group in Cologne: The Punks Delight! It is an experimental company playing with dance and music history to make new forms for today's audience.

Our debut Cologne performance was at the Arkadas Theater/ Bühne der Kulturen on February 4th and 5th, 2009.

Check out our website-- www.thepunksdelight.com

Best Wishes,
Sarah Edgar

Thoughts on Choreography for Dido and Aeneas (performed 2/16 with the Dallas Bach Society)

From Catherine Turocy
Photo by C.Andrako

As choreographer for this work I tried to imagine the first performance of Dido and Aeneas at a girl's school in Chelsea in 1689. I thought of the freshness of youth and the excitement of the young ladies on the cusp of womanhood as they portrayed the tragic story of Dido. Their dance training was intended to prepare them not for the stage, but for society where they were expected to dance a graceful minuet. They also studied the art of declamation and gesture. Performing the dances in the opera gave the young students an opportunity to show their parents how they mastered these subjects. The figured dances of Act I demand a knowledge of geometry, rhythmic complexity, musicality and an understanding of ballroom dance steps. The pantomime dances in Acts II and III ask for a command of gesture, expressive posture and the courage to stand out as a character playing a role. The Baske dance performed to the chorus "Fear no Danger" is specifically indicated in the original score. This dance type was originally performed with swords but for a girl's school in 17th century England it was common to replace the swords with flowered branches. Eventually the branches were replaced with garlands and became a part of the May celebrations.

I was very happy to have the experience of working with the students of the School of Contemporary Ballet Dallas over these past two months. Learning a new dance style and dancing in corseted dresses with hooped skirts and in heels is quite a change from leotards, tights, ballet slippers and toe shoes. However, they met the challenge and were able to tell the story with purity, spontaneity and a sense of "wonder" which added to the charm of the evening. Some comments from the audience:

“This is the best concert from the DBS I have ever seen. And the girls were not dancing to be seen for their own talents, they were dancing as a group to tell the story. They had such integrity and dignity, it is inspiring to see this in girls so young, very unexpected and refreshing. It was so beautiful! “

“The dancing brought a sense of magic to the stage. The young dancers’ presence underscored the simplicity of the musical structure and matched the symmetry in the poetry. It was just beautiful!

I am also delighted Glenda Norcross was able to be a guest artist from our company. She was not only an inspiration to the dancers, she also coached them along with their teachers, Valerie Shelton Tabor and Lindsay DiGiuseppe Bowman. The young girls ranged in age from 11-13 years.

Riot Report Photos

This is the information from Chris Woltmann about seeing all the photos and obtaining copies for private use:

Go to http://www.chriswoltmann.com/. At the bottom of the screen, click on 'login'. Use LadyRiot (case-sensitive) for both the 'name' and 'password'. You will be directed to the photos. If you need to see some larger, let Chris know which ones and he can email them to you or anyone who is interested. Chris's rates are $50 per hi-res image, $90 for two, $120 for three, after that he will discuss.

Riot Report

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

What a delight it was to see you at the ball last Saturday evening! I enjoyed the masks, the costumes, the cocktail attire (especially Lady Riot’s dressed wig, she assured me no animals were harmed in the creation of her rooster regalia) and the general air of amusement and good fellowship. I promised you a few more details about the dances and here they are!

(Note: photos are coming soon.)

1. La Bretagne

Danced by Lady Rachel List and Lord Terence Duncan
Choreography: Guillaume Louis Pecour, published throughout the 18th century in Europe and its colonies. Music by André Campra

2. Le Prince George

Danced by the Assembled
Choreography by Raoul Auger Feuillet, first published in 1706

3. Kellom’s Minuet

Danced by Lady Caroline Copeland and Lord Jason Melms
Choreography by Kellom Tomlinson, first published in 1735
Music by Paisible

4. Le Menuet du Chevalier

Danced by the Assembled
Choreography by Raoul Auger Feuillet, first published in 1706

5. El Fandango

Danced by Lady Catherine Turocy and Lord Carlos Fittante
Music by Luigi Boccherini
Choreography based on original sources and arranged by Carlos Fittante with a little assistance from Lady Catherine

6. Lady Riot’s Spanish Can’tdanza

Danced by the Assembled
Choreography by Catherine Turocy in honor of Lady Riot
Music by Arcangelo Corelli


Biographies of the Performers:

Caroline Copeland received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Goucher College in Baltimore, M.D. Upon graduating she joined the New York Baroque Dance Company, with whom she continues to perform as a soloist. Her roles have included Euridice in Gluck’s Orphée, the Galant in Mozart’s Les Petits Riens, and Doris in Royer’s Le Pouvoir de l’Amour. She has also performed as a guest artist with the Boston Early Music Festival in their productions of Lully’s Thésée and Conradi’s Ariadne. In addition, Ms. Copeland has appeared with numerous other companies and contemporary choreographers in New York City, including The Metropolitan Opera, The Maffei Dance Company, Trebien Pollard, and Elke Rindfleisch. In addition to dancing, Ms. Copeland teaches and consults on 18th century movement, holding workshops for groups such as the Aquila Theatre, Manhattan School of Music, and Lincoln Center Theater.

Terence Duncan received his BFA in dance performance from Towson University where he worked with artists such as Mark Taylor, Lawrence Keigwin, Stephen Koplowitz and Mark Dendy. He was a principal dancer with New York Theatre Ballet for seven years and danced with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet for three seasons. Mr. Duncan has performed a wide range of both classical and contemporary repertory, including works by Tudor, Balanchine, and Lubovitch. He has been a guest dancer with companies including Connecticut Ballet, The Tallahassee Ballet, and David Parker and the Bang Group. Terence began dancing with The New York Baroque Dance Company in 2000 and continued until 2003, taking leave to attend graduate school. He was awarded the Suzanne Farrell Fellowship at Florida State University from 2003 through 2006 and received his MFA in dance in the spring of 2006.

Judson Griffin, violin, appears in New York as concertmaster of Concert Royal, Amor Artis, and the American Classical Orchestra, among others, and has been named concertmaster of a new classical-period orchestra, Sinfonia New York. He has been guest soloist and concertmaster with the Dallas Bach Society and New Trinity Baroque in Atlanta. He was associated with the Connecticut Early Music Festival for many years as concertmaster, soloist, conductor, and for six years as Music Director. He has been a principal player with Helicon, the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, and Apollo's Fire of Cleveland; and concertmaster of the Philadelphia Classical Orchestra.

Carlos Fittante is a dance artist of remarkable diversity. He is a graduate of the School of American Ballet and currently specializes in Balinese and Baroque dance. He is the artistic director of BALAM Dance Theatre (BALAM), a contemporary dance company inspired by Balinese theatre founded in 1979 by Islene Pinder. Through his work with BALAM he has studied and performed extensively in Bali and has choreographed a multitude of East/West fusion works including “Sita Lost in the Forest ,” a story ballet inspired by the Hindu epic, “Ramayana.” “Sita Lost in the Forest ” received international critical acclaim in July 2000 when it was presented at the Bali Arts Festival hosted in Denpasar, Bali. He began his studies of Baroque dance with Catherine Turocy in 1988 and was a member of the NYBDC for 14 years. We are happy to have him join us again for Lady Riot’s Costume Ball.

Rachel List has been a member of the New York Baroque Dance Company since 1990, performing soloist roles at venues such as Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Handel Festival in Goettingen, Germany. Previously, she performed nationally and internationally with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, The Vanaver Caravan, and Partridge/ Benford/Dance/Music. Ms. List has taught ballet and Baroque dance in universities and conservatories across the U.S. and in Europe and is currently on the faculties of Hofstra University, Queens College, Barnard College, and Peridance. Ms. List created numerous works for her own company between 1985-'95 and also founded and directed Manchester Dance, a summer workshop in Vermont. She is frequently on the faculty of the Bates Dance Festival in Maine. Ms. List recently served as movement consultant for the Pearl Theater Company's production of Marivaux's Double Infidelities. She holds an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee.

Jason Melms began his training with the Tidewater Ballet Association and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. In 1991 he moved to New York City to study at the Joffrey Ballet School, where he was selected to perform with its touring company, Joffrey II. Shortly after, Mr. Melms accepted a principal dancer position with the Eglevsky Ballet of New York City. He has also performed with Ballet Theatre Pennsylvania, The Virginia Ballet Theatre, Bravo Ballet, Tony Powell’s Music in Movement and The Virginia Opera. He has worked with such noted choreographers as Laura Alonso, Trinette Singleton, Glenn White, and Sally Wilson. In 2000, Mr. Melms accepted the position as the Artistic Director to the Harrisburg Dance Conservatory, and during his directorship was a chair member for the Regional Dance America’s northeast festivals, where his choreography was featured in the 2001 festival and received with much acclaim. Mr. Melms has also worked as a faculty member for the USDAN Center for the Creative and Performing Arts and is currently on faculty at Peridance in New York City.

Nina Stern is one of North America’s leading performers on the recorder and classical clarinet. She is also hailed as an innovator in teaching school-age children to be fine young musicians. Ms. Stern performs regularly as a principal player with The New York Philharmonic and New York City Opera as well as with many of North America’s major early music ensembles. Ms. Stern is on the faculty of the Mannes College of Music and has taught at Oberlin Conservatory and at the Five Colleges. For her work in education, she was awarded an Endicott Fellowship in 2003, and Early Music America’s “Early Music BringsHistory Alive” Award in 2005.Nina Stern’s latest projects include performances of traditional music of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. She recently released an album of world music entitled “East of the River”. Ms Stern is the author of “Recorders Without Borders.”

Catherine Turocy, Artistic Director and co-founder, with Ann Jacoby , of The New York Baroque Dance Company, is internationally recognized for her contribution to the current revival of 18th-century ballet. In 1995 she was decorated by the French government in the Order of Arts and Letters in recognition of her work in French Baroque ballets. In 2001 Ms. Turocy received the prestigious New York City BESSIE AWARD for Sustained Achievement in Choreography. She is also featured in Janet Roseman’s book, Dance Masters: Interviews with Legends of Dance. This last September she received the Natalie Skelton Award for Artistic Excellence from the Dance Council. She is a stage director, choreographer, performer, teacher and often lectures and writes on historical dance.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO:

Lady Riot played by Valerie Eads is far to complicated to describe in a paragraph. But, in an effort to do her some justice, she received her Ph.D. from the City University of New York Graduate Center in 2000 with a Major: Medieval History; Minor: Comparative Literature. Her dissertation: "Mighty in War: The Role of Matilda of Tuscany in the War between Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV." She earned a Distinguished Scholar Dissertation Fellowship: Helaine Newstead Bequest Award 1996-97. She also holds: M. Phil., History, CUNY Graduate Center, New York NY and B.A., English Literature, Temple University, Philadelphia PA . She was on faculty at State University of NY at New Paltz and the School of Visual Arts, SUNY-New Paltz, Manhattan College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Queens College CUNY.

Lady Riot’s entourage: Austin McCormick, Yeva Glover and Laura Careless of Company XIV, a non-profit mixed media dance/theater company based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by Artistic Director, Austin McCormick in June of 2005, the company works in the mediums of live dance/theater and film. It is contemporary, yet baroque inspired. The mission is to create compelling theatrical dance productions that elicit a beautiful affecting experience for its audience. Company XIV also seeks to present unique historical and cultural dance perspectives through the exploration of various artistic partnerships.

And to the sponsors of the ball: The New York Baroque Dance Company and the Harkness Dance Center 92nd Street Y

Volunteers, thank you for all your help: Jay Brenneman, Peter Brown, Joy Havens, Ani Udovicki
Photographs: cwoltmann@yahoo.com

Costumes for the company were designed by Marie Anne Chiment and Marilyn Skow.

Suggestion for period clothing on line: http://www.smilingfoxforgellc.com/

Catherine Turocy stage directed Handel's opera. ORLANDO, for the Goettingen Handel Festival in Germany. With sold out houses and unending applause, this production may have future appearances in Europe. We will keep you informed! Bonnie Kruger is the costume designer and this is one of her sketches for the production.

The talented Nicholas McGegan conducted the Festival Orchestra of Goettingen (FOG) in this dramatic interpretation with William Towers as the mad Orlando, Dominique Labelle as the fickle Angelika, Susanne Ryden as the comic Dorinda, Diana Moore as the young Medoro and Wolf Matthias Friederich as the powerful Zoroastro.

Sarah Edgar was the sharp-eyed assistant to the stage director as well as a dancer, playing the genie of air and water and the shadow of Persephone. She was joined by the fiery Caroline Copeland who also portrayed a quivering Princess Isabella, and Alan Jones and Jason Melms who spent the whole opera in remarkable Fire Salamander masks designed by Jane Stein. Our trusty production assistant who never missed a beat was Leonie Wener.

Of course we could not be a success without our supers who played Cupid (Christian Hauke Poensgen) and the lovers (Franziska Poensgen, Selen Erdogmus, Marc Duck and Florian Hallaschka).

Scott Blake designed the wonderful sets and Pierre Dupouey transformed the stage with his lighting design. The last performance ( of 6 ) is this coming Monday, May 12th. So if you are in Germany, fly to Goettingen on a dragon to catch this unusual production!