Opera Australia stages La Boheme without digital effects
Constantine Costi stages La Boheme with painted sets instead of digital projections.
Constantine Costi is directing Opera Australia's new production of Puccini's La Boheme and rejects what he calls the sterile use of technology in theatre. Costi and his team use painted backdrops and handmade sets instead of projections.
The set designer is the acclaimed Dann Barber and costume designer is Sabina Myers. They inspire the bohemian artists who are the story's characters.
All three creatives are in their 30s. They studied together at the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
They share a passion for theatre that transports audiences beyond everyday life. Costi moved the story's setting from 1830s Paris to 1900s Paris.
He sees 1900s as the ultimate symbol of artistic freedom and passion. The production spans Melbourne and Sydney.
It involves 378 people on stage, backstage and in the orchestra pit.
- Constantine Costi
- Director
- Dann Barber
- Set designer
- Sabina Myers
- Costume designer
- 378 people
- Production scale
Why it mattersThe production demonstrates a major arts company investing in analogue craft and artistic vision as a counterpoint to technology-driven theatre design.
AustraliaOpera Australia is staging this production across two Australian cities, offering Sydney and Melbourne audiences a contemporary artistic response to how live performance can engage human imagination.
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