Latest news with #Turandot
Middle East Eye
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Middle East Eye
Royal Opera pulls out of Israel production after staff revolt
The Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) has pulled out of a planned production run of the opera Turandot in Israel, the company's CEO Alex Beard confirmed in a message to staff. Beard told his employees that "Tosca will not be going to Israel" following weeks of staff dissent over their refusal to perform in Israel and anger at the treatment of a performer who raised the Palestinian flag after a performance. In July, dancer Danni Perry raised the Palestinian flag during an ovation following a performance of Il Trovatore. Perry was challenged by the opera's director, Oliver Mears, who attempted to pull the flag off him. The performer was later reportedly "banned" from participation in future performances. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The incident set off declarations of solidarity with Perry by members of the company, with 182 members of staff joining a call to reject future performances in Israel. Staff, including performers, dancers, musicians and technicians amongst others, signed a letter demanding that RBO "withholds our productions from institutions that legitimise and economically support a state engaged in the mass killing of civilians". "In recent months, the world has witnessed the systematic destruction of Palestinian lives, homes, and cultural heritage. Tens of thousands have been killed, millions displaced, and essential infrastructure deliberately targeted, in clear violation of international law," the letter said. War on Gaza: Campaigners shut down fundraiser for Israeli soldiers at London theatre Read More » "It is in this climate that our organisation has chosen to actively support the Israeli state and its economy by hiring our production of Turandot to The Israeli Opera." Staff demands in the letter included the cessation of performances in Israel, an acknowledgement by the RBO of genocide in Gaza, solidarity with Perry and disciplinary action against Mears. The world of opera, like others in the performing arts, faces an internal reckoning over its response to Israel's onslaught on Gaza. Many artists refuse to perform in Israel as they consider it tacit endorsement of its atrocities against Palestinians in the besieged enclave.
Euronews
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Euronews
UK's Royal Ballet and Opera cancels 2026 Israel show after protest
The UK's Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) has cancelled its 2026 production of Puccini's Tosca in Tel Aviv after almost 200 staff condemned the UK company's 'hypocrisy' on the war in Gaza, accusing it of aligning with 'a government currently engaged in crimes against humanity'. In an internal message to staff, according to The Guardian, RBO chief executive Sir Alex Beard said: 'We have made the decision that our new production of Tosca will not be going to Israel.' Beard acknowledged an open letter, signed by 182 members of staff, including dancers, musicians, singers, and backstage crew, that was sent to him and the board last Friday. 'We reject any current or future performances in Israel,' the signatories wrote. They also condemned 'the organisation's silence on Israel's genocidal conduct, which has killed over 60,000 Palestinians.' The letter strongly criticised the RBO's recent decision to allow its production of Turandot to be staged at the Israeli Opera. 'The decision cannot be viewed as neutral,' the staff wrote. 'It is a deliberate alignment, materially and symbolically, with a government currently engaged in crimes against humanity.' They further claimed that the Israeli Opera 'routinely offers free tickets to soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces.' 'The RBO is clearly making a strong political statement by allowing its production and intellectual property to be presented in a space that openly rewards and legitimises the very forces responsible for the daily killings of civilians in Gaza.' The letter also referenced an incident last month when performer Daniel Perry unfurled a Palestinian flag during the curtain call of Il trovatore at the Royal Opera House. 'An act of courage and moral clarity on our very stage,' the letter said of Perry's action, in which he appeared dressed as a horned demon holding the flag before a live audience. Video footage showed RBO's Director of Opera, Oliver Mears, attempting to seize the flag from Perry, leading to a brief tussle. The protest occurred in front of the applauding crowd. Signatories criticised Mears for attempting to intervene. 'We witnessed [him] attempting to forcibly snatch the flag from the performer, displaying visible anger and aggression in front of the entire audience,' they said. Perry later alleged that Mears told him he would 'never work for the Opera House ever again.' The letter called for Mears 'to be held accountable for his public display of aggression,' saying the act 'sent a clear message that any visible solidarity with Palestine would be met with hostility.' The letter also noted the RBO's swift response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and urged the organisation to show the same clarity in the face of mass civilian casualties in Gaza. Following the announcement, references to the Royal Opera House and its Tosca production have been removed from the Israeli Opera's website.
The Age
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Opera Australia to premiere a new version of La Boheme in Melbourne as leadership tumult continues
Opera Australia's 2026 program will feature a new production of La Boheme – the company's first revamp of the beloved Puccini work in 15 years. Exclusive to Melbourne, the production is one of the highlights of a solid program revealed on Monday by the company for its 70th-anniversary season. The launch comes in a year the company has had significant departures at leadership level – there is still no permanent CEO or artistic director – and in which it recorded a $10 million deficit. Next year marks 130 years since La Boheme was first staged, and in that time Puccini's cherished work has been endlessly reimagined. 'You're dealing with one of the greatest works ever written,' says director Constantine Costi. 'Claus Guth set La Boheme on the moon for the Paris Opera, so I feel like the ceiling has been smashed.' Costi's version, conducted by the internationally acclaimed Finnegan Downie Dear, will 'go back to the essential DNA of the piece'. 'The hook, for me, was thinking about these central characters being artists – we're dealing with a writer, a painter, a poet, a philosopher ...' he says. 'So we're really exploring a kind of heightened reality, a heightened romantic Paris, as seen through the eyes of these artistic Bohemians.' Meanwhile, Sydney opera fans will be treated to a new production of Turandot, directed by Ann Yee, in a season that opens there with a welcome return of Moffatt Oxenbould's dreamy Madama Butterfly, a sharp contrast to the controversial 2022 version from Graeme Murphy. Reliable favourites Hansel & Gretel, Rigoletto and The Merry Widow will sit alongside a new opera, The Drover's Wife, based on the play, novel and film by Leah Purcell. New operas are 'always a priority for us' says head of music Tahu Matheson. 'I really hope it comes to Melbourne. It certainly deserves to. It's quite an extraordinary piece.'
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Opera Australia to premiere a new version of La Boheme in Melbourne as leadership tumult continues
Opera Australia's 2026 program will feature a new production of La Boheme – the company's first revamp of the beloved Puccini work in 15 years. Exclusive to Melbourne, the production is one of the highlights of a solid program revealed on Monday by the company for its 70th-anniversary season. The launch comes in a year the company has had significant departures at leadership level – there is still no permanent CEO or artistic director – and in which it recorded a $10 million deficit. Next year marks 130 years since La Boheme was first staged, and in that time Puccini's cherished work has been endlessly reimagined. 'You're dealing with one of the greatest works ever written,' says director Constantine Costi. 'Claus Guth set La Boheme on the moon for the Paris Opera, so I feel like the ceiling has been smashed.' Costi's version, conducted by the internationally acclaimed Finnegan Downie Dear, will 'go back to the essential DNA of the piece'. 'The hook, for me, was thinking about these central characters being artists – we're dealing with a writer, a painter, a poet, a philosopher ...' he says. 'So we're really exploring a kind of heightened reality, a heightened romantic Paris, as seen through the eyes of these artistic Bohemians.' Meanwhile, Sydney opera fans will be treated to a new production of Turandot, directed by Ann Yee, in a season that opens there with a welcome return of Moffatt Oxenbould's dreamy Madama Butterfly, a sharp contrast to the controversial 2022 version from Graeme Murphy. Reliable favourites Hansel & Gretel, Rigoletto and The Merry Widow will sit alongside a new opera, The Drover's Wife, based on the play, novel and film by Leah Purcell. New operas are 'always a priority for us' says head of music Tahu Matheson. 'I really hope it comes to Melbourne. It certainly deserves to. It's quite an extraordinary piece.'
Gulf Today
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Athens' ancient theatre closes for three-year restoration
For visitors to Athens, the ancient Odeon of Herod Atticus is the must-see theatre at the foot of the Acropolis. Artists revere it for the majestic stage where legends have performed. And for the Greek capital's residents it is the touchstone of their summer cultural calendar. The Odeon of Herod Atticus recently opened the 70th season of the annual Athens Epidaurus Festival, a cherished annual tradition for many Greeks. But this edition marks the last before the theater that's more than 18 centuries old shuts down for maintenance and restoration work that is expected to last at least three years. While theatre and dance grace its stage, music is its cornerstone. Renowned artists who have performed here include Luciano Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra, Coldplay, and Greece's own Maria Callas. Its closure will be a profound loss for spectators who have long enjoyed first-class performances under the stars in one of the world's most iconic open-air theatres. 'When (people) think of the Athens cultural scene, everyone thinks of the festival and Herodion,' said Katerina Evangelatos, the festival's artistic director since 2019, calling the theater by its commonly used Greek name. 'It has become a synonym of the festival. It is the heart of the festival.' When the Greek National Opera opened this season's festival with Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, it erected temporary structures behind the Roman-era odeon's arched walls to expand available space for performers' dressing rooms. The permanent underground facilities weren't enough. The production also needed more space inside the venue to accommodate the scale of the production. To meet the opera's scenic and casting demands, a crew constructed a wooden, balcony-like platform to partially extend over the orchestra pit. Ushers prepare the Odeon of Herodes Atticus ahead of the dress rehearsal of Giacomo Puccini's "Turandot" by the Greek National Opera under the ancient Acropolis hill during the 70th Athens Epidaurus Festival in Athens, Greece. File/AP This adaption allowed space for the large cast and complex staging, including the emblematic scene in which the emperor, Turandot's elderly father, is ceremonially rolled out in his towering throne to watch suitors attempt to solve his daughter's riddles at the risk of execution. The scene requires significant simultaneous on-stage presence by multiple performers. Giorgos Koumendakis, the Greek National Opera's artistic director, describes the Herod Atticus Odeon as 'a strained, fatigued space' which still commands widespread veneration. 'People who are conscious, cultivated, educated — who understand what this space is, its historical significance, the importance of the festival, and the history of the Greek National Opera — respect it deeply and enter it almost reverently,' said Koumendakis. 'It's like entering a temple — a temple of art — and it truly has an impact. I can see it from the singers and the orchestra, too. When they come here, they genuinely want to give their all.' Dancers warm up at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. During previous restoration and conservation projects, the Herod Atticus Odeon had surfaces cleaned, cracks filled with grout and new seating installed. This time, the scope of the work will depend on findings from the studies still underway. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said that although the venue's closing date is certain, at the end of summer, its reopening is not. 'This will depend on the problems that the studies will reveal,' she said in an interview to Greek radio station Skai last month. 'What is certain is that at least three years will be needed.' The closure of the Herod Atticus means the Athens Epidaurus Festival will need to consider alternatives for the next few years. Evangelatos reflected on the festival's 70 years, noting that it began during Greece's turbulent postwar years of political division and economic hardship. 'It's a miracle of survival and artistic legacy,' she said. On the festival's opening night, the backstage area was abuzz with final preparations, with wigs styled, masks adjusted and costumes touched up. Soprano Lise Lindstrom, who starred as Turandot, took in the gravity of the setting. Associated Press
