Yesterday Georges Bizet’s Carmen opened this year’s Bregenz Festival in Austria, with aerial artistry and technical consultation provided by Wired Aerial Theatre, who has been working with stunt choreographer Ran Arthur Braun on the awe-inspiring set designed by Es Devlin. Bregenz is renowned for its unique, open-air floating stage on Lake Constance and this production of George Bizet’s masterpiece is truly breathtaking.
Stage director Kasper Holten is the outgoing Director of Opera for the Royal Opera House in London. He approached Devlin five years ago to work on the project, he wanted a show which cohabits with the surroundings: “In Carmen, we’ll see a story that doesn’t just put a theatre on a lake, but that includes the water, includes the sky above us, includes the setting. And that the nature helps us tell the really dramatic moments in this story.”
Following a callout in January which attracted 250 applications, and saw 80 dancers and climbers audition in Liverpool, Wired has selected the very best talent from across the UK and Europe to bring the drama and passion of Carmen into the air this summer.
Carmen premiered yesterday at Bregenz Festival and runs through to 20 August 2017.
You can find out more on Bregenz Festival’s website.