The Production

For this production of The Magic Flute, ENO has collaborated with director S imon McBurney‘s theatre company Complicite. The production harnesses Complicite’s trademark use of multimedia technology, with spectacular video projections and live foley, to emulate the theatricality of the original production in contemporary terms.

When conceptualising his take on The Magic Flute, Simon wanted to draw parallels from Mozart’s story to Shakespeare’s The Tempest – he saw Sarastro as Prospero, Tamino as Ferdinand, Pamina as Miranda, Monostatos as a sort of Caliban, and in the Three Spirits (sung by boys but who look like bearded ancients) he saw strong hints of Ariel. Stephen Jeffreys’ translation includes some Shakespearean borrowings that further hint at the connection.

In The Magic Flute, McBurney worked with 16 soloists, a chorus of 44, 13 actors, a foley artist, a video operator and an orchestra of 50 to work together and develop a common language on stage.

Games are essential to Complicite’s rehearsal process. During the rehearsal period, games such as the ones in the activities below are often used to help the performers warm up physically, becoming aware of and engaging with their bodies in the same way that they might warm up their voice. This is especially important in this production of The Magic Flute as the stage is very open and dynamic, with the orchestra showcased onstage.

Exploring space

For Complicite, learning how to use space is an essential part of the rehearsal process. The dynamic of an ensemble moving in space will create the atmosphere, narrative and emotions in the piece. As the set in this production includes a large moveable platform that the performers work on and around, it is especially important that they consciously interact with the space around them.

The use of space is especially important in opera as arias often involve little action. These can prove difficult to stage because of the sense of expanded time and limited text, so a director has to think carefully about how to maintain the performance dynamic and keep the audience engaged.

While working on the opera, Simon begins every rehearsal session with a game, even within the time pressures of the rehearsal process. Games help with concentration, and help build a team – crucial in developing an ensemble that will nightly perform something complex and delicate together. In the following film, Simon demonstrates some of his practices working on this production of The Magic Flute with the co-producing house, Danish National Opera:

Video

The Design

The Context

The Music

The Foley Artist