The Oper Zürich offers a wide range of audience development activities. Open rehearsals and workshops are the most common. The aim for the season 2014/15 was to widen these activities. As a pilot scheme three school classes of the Schulhaus Hirschengraben Zürich were invited to take part in the creation of their own theatre production. At the end of this process, led by professionals, the production would be shown on Studiobühne Oper Zürich.
Lucía Baumgartner and Teresa Rotemberg were commissioned to create and rehearse with these youths for six months on a weekly basis lasting a minimum of 90 minutes and the whole last month daily. Patronage of this project had the artistic director of Oper Zürich’s Ballet Christian Spuk himself.
The given topic was «Romeo and Juliet». The story revolves around teenagers whilst the topic of youthful love is embodied and lived through different means, mobile phones, videos and yes dance to name a few. The result is «#Romeo_Julia» a production which encircles said themes by way of choreography, movement, live music and the art of video installation. The audience get to see how these teenagers experience the story of Romeo and Juliet. The adolescent men and women who themselves have not quite arrived in their adult body seem powerful, clumsy and vulnerable all at the same time. Baumgartner and Rotemberg’s crafted choreography exhibited classical choreographic handiwork. Highlights were the dancing scenes oft he boys and the duos. How these lay dancers dealt with each others bodies in the pair scenes was moving. The careful play with arms and embraces showed the brittleness of this love that is sentenced to death. «#Romeo_Julia» plaid out this coming of age story with laymen in a highly professional manner.
Premiere: 3rd of July 2015, Opernhaus Zürich
Duration: 45 Minutes
Cast and Credits: Overall choreographic leadership: Lucía Baumgartner, Teresa Rotemberg_Composition and musical leadership: Andreas Michel_Music (live): Simon Baumann (Drums), Hans Ermel (Bass), Andreas Michel (Piano) _Costume: Tanja Liebermann. Dance: Pupils of the Schulhaus Hirschengraben Zürich
Supported by: Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne
SRF | TV-Sendung Aeschbacher, 25.6.2015
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