Join us in welcoming the Opéra Comique back to the Library and discover their new show Archipel(s). Commissioned by their youth theater troupe La Maîtrise Populaire de L’Opéra Comique, this production combines singing, acting, and dance. The story, inspired by a series of workshops conducted with the Maîtrise’s pupils, is an exploration of coming-of-age and how young people follow, or choose to break, society’s rules.

Librettist Adrien Borne, choreographer Ewan Jones, and stage director James Bonas will offer a behind-the-scenes perspective on the show’s creation and share their thoughts on opera’s place in the future.

About the speakers:

Director James Bonas recently directed Leonard Bernstein’s Candide at the Welsh National Opera with his regulator collaborator, animation artist Grégoire Pont. The pair also directed the French premiere of Hans Abrahamsen’s The Snow Queen for the Opéra National du Rhin and Carl Orff’s Der Mond and Maurice Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges and L’Heure Espagnole for the Opéra de Lyon.

Choreographer Ewan Jones trained in musical theater at Arts Educational Schools London and holds an MA in choreography. His work in musical theater and opera has taken him around the world; most recently he returned from Dubai, where he was staging the critically acclaimed new version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. Other international credits include Matilda (Norway); Something Rotten! and Sister Act (Germany); The Phantom of the Opera (Romania, Norway, Greece, Bulgaria, and Saudi Arabia); Der Mond in Lyon and L’Étoile (Portugal). In 2019 Jones became movement coordinator and choreographer for seasons 2 and 3 of the hit Netflix TV series Sex Education. Following that, he was invited to join Disney+ as movement director for their upcoming series The Ballad of Renegade Nell.

Librettist Adrien Borne is the author of several award-winning novels in French, including Mémoire de soie et La Vie qui commence, published by JC Lattès, as well as an adaptation of the opera Carmen for teenagers. He divides his time between writing, journalism, and public speaking. His work explores the liberating power of words and the stories they tell, whether fictional or real.

Learn more:

The Maîtrise Populaire de l’Opéra Comique brings together young performers ages eight through twenty-five for an immersive education in the theater arts. Discover their work.

Read more about Archipel(s).

Important information: The discussion will be available both online and in person. While the conversation will happen in person (the speaker(s) will appear in the Reading Room), the Library will stream the conversation on Zoom for a live viewing experience. Both in-person and online attendees will be able to pose questions.

Attendance at this event constitutes permission for your photograph or video to be taken at the event and used by the American Library in Paris for marketing, promotional, pedagogical, or other purposes.