Roméo et Juliette

Anouk H.H.
Dec 28, 2023
1 min read

An opera in five acts by Charles Gounod

Libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré after William Shakespeare

The question asked at the first rehearsal was: "What was your first interaction with the tale of Romeo and Julia?"

My answer to that would be the animation film "Gnoemo and Juliet" in 2011. It was a hit in our family and still makes me laugh now. Now going from that childrens movie to this opera was not something I was expecting when I first heard this tragic love story.

The difference between the process of this opera compared to Tosca is that the theatre, Buehnen Bern, rented this production. This means that the costumes and set all already existed and had to be altered to fit our stage and singers.

I translated the information we received in French into German and English to ensure that singers, dressers, seamstresses, and myself all understand what happens when. There was still a lot of work for us to do. The costume designer of this piece was not present, leaving the work of taking care of the costumes during rehearsals, fittings, and more.

It was a lot of fun, beautiful music, and a colourful crowd.

Photos by Janosch Abel