Directing today’s performers in 18th-century opera: a practical approach to historically informed staging

Directing today’s performers in 18th-century opera: a practical approach to historically informed staging

Starting from a description of how an historically informed perspective of dance and musical theatre first originated in my artistic development as a dancer, actress and subsequently choreographer and stage director, in this talk I try to define my practical methodology and approach to the historically informed staging of early opera works. Furthermore, I describe how this approach was received, approved or criticised within the frame of actual opera productions in various theatres and festivals, and the challenges in working with contemporary artistic directors and performers, showing photographs from different opera productions.

Deda Cristina Colonna graduated in classical ballet from Civico Istituto Musicale Brera in Novara (Italy) and from Ecole Supérieure d’Etudes Chorégraphiques in Paris and obtained a Maîtrise in Dance at Paris IV-Sorbonne University. She is a graduate from Centre National d’Ecriture du Mouvement in Labanotation and she holds a diploma from the Acting School of Teatro Stabile di Genova. 

She has danced and acted internationally and has directed and choreographed numerous operas; her repertoire of choice is opera from the 17th – 18th century and contemporary opera.  She has been teaching baroque dance, gesture and acting for over 25 years and has held courses and masterclasses in various institutions. 

She teaches ‘Gestures and Historical Acting Techniques’ at Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, is the Director of the Dance School of Accademia Gaetano Marziali in Seveso (Italy) and holds a course in ‘Opera Stage Directing’ at Accademia AMO of Fondazione Teatro Coccia in Novara (Italy).

Sha was awarded the Jan Kiepura 2022 theater award as best director for the staging and choreography of ‘Castor et Pollux’ by J.-Ph. Rameau (Warszawska Opera Kameralna, 2021).