An evening full of captivating music, humor, feathers and sequins. A Little Trallalala – A Homage to Fritzi Massary and Max Pallenberg with Ruth Brauer-Kvam and Robert Palfrader premieres on March 27th at Volksoper Vienna. 

"La Dispute", a comedy written by one of the most important French playwrights of the 18th century Pierre de Marivaux will open on the stage of UNI.T theater Berlin in May 2020.

The intriguing story features orphans  who have been raised in isolation, from the world and from each other. An aristocrat releases these human guinea pigs into a sinister Garden of Eden to solve the question of whether man or woman is more faithful. Topics of  love, sex and jealousy take on a new form in this experimental adaptation that not only mixes up the characters but also fuses  Marivaux' brilliant text with movement and music.

Take a stroll in the 3D model of the production and see some costume drawings to get started.

A forgotten treasure - J:Bach's opera "Zanaida" will have its premiere tonight at Staatstheater Mainz, Germany. See some drawings for the production as well as behind-the-scenes video here.

This week brings the first rehearsals of J.C.Bach's opera "Zanaida" at  Staatstheater Mainz, Germany. The brand new production of this near-forgotten opera is led by musical director Adam Benzwi and stage director Max Hopp. Set and costume designer of the opera is Madis Nurms, lights by René Zensen and dramaturg is Christin Hagemann.  The opera has a fresh German libretto by Doris Decker.

On December 17th a Christmas production of Jacques Offenbach's "La belle Hélène" will premiere at the Universität der Künste Berlin. "La belle Hélène", otherwise known as "The Beautiful Helen" or "Die schöne Helena" is an opéra bouffe from 1864 that revolves around the ancient legend of Helen's elopement with prince Paris, which set off the Trojan War.  Take a sneak peak at the rehearsals here.

On December 17th a christmas production of "La belle Hélène" will have its premiere at the Universität der Künste Berlin.  "La belle Hélène", otherwise known as "The Beautiful Helen" or "Die schöne Helena", is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. The piece revolves around the story of Helen's elopement with prince Paris, which set off the Trojan War.

Have a look here for the costume drawings and a sneak-peek video.

Set and lighting design for the show of German singer and actress Désirée Nick on a Caribbean cruise ship.

Désirée Nick is a multi-faceted artist, known for her performances as an actress/singer from manifold performances at the Friedrichstadtpalast, Komische Oper Berlin, the Renaissance Theater, Volksbühne, Gorki Theater etc.

The cabaret program balances between glamour, grotesque and comedy, it offers a cross-section of the music from the Golden Twenties, the decade of the 1920s in Germany. She is accompanied by pianist Adam Benzwi, conductor of the Komische Oper Berlin and a specialist of popular music from the twenties and thirties.

Here are some fresh images of the dance piece "Waiting" by architectural photographer Maris Tomba. 

Pictures from the dress rehearsal

The stage is already set for tomorrow's premieré - Indrek Kornel's dance piece "Waiting". The performance is site-specific and takes place at the Museum of Occupations. The location is specially adapted for the choreography and performing at a museum gives a playful dimension to the subject matter of the piece.

Today the soloists of "Waiting" - dance piece by Indrek Kornel - wear their finished costumes for the first dress-rehearsal.  

The "memory gowns" are made of two metallic fabrics with different density to create the unusual form and are adorned with images of importance from the performers past.

Rehearsals of dance performance "Waiting" have reached a point where the entire performance can be run from beginning to end, exactly as the real performances will be. 

In "Waiting" two seasoned dancers Reet Paavel and Ülle Toming, both in their sixties, use their changed bodies to tell a story about their love for dance. The world of professional dance can be ruthless - in each passing year, many of its brightest stars are replaced by fresher, much younger bodies. While experience and longevity are still respected, the dancers need to be on the stage dies hard.

Two seasoned dancers Reet Paavel and Ülle Toming, both in their sixties, use their changed bodies to tell a story about their love for dance. The world of professional dance can be ruthless - in each passing year, many of its brightest stars are replaced by fresher, much younger bodies. While experience and longevity are respected, the dancers need to be on the stage dies hard.

Promising young choreographer Indrek Kornel now explores the themes of changing bodies and the urge to stay active in a piece both nostalgic and light-hearted. The main subject is how to find ways for retired dancers to reinvent themselves as the world around them is inevitably changing. The performance is set to the music of Sergei Prokofiev and uses an excerpt of Ludwig van Beethoven’s sonata.