James Bonas
© Mihaela Bodlovic
disrupting the form
‘Director James Bonas infuses the work with strong communicative energy and great fluidity in the crowd scenes, thanks to quasi-primitive dances and fully-rounded character portrayals’
Ôlyrix, Archipel(s), Théâtre national de l'Opéra-Comique
A traditional storyteller for the modern age, James Bonas combines imagination and intellect with a curiosity for technology and new forms, whether directing classical or contemporary theatre, opera, or dance.
Current opera productions include Sondheim’s Company for Génération Opéra, Massenet’s Manon for Theater Magdeburg, Die Zauberflöte for Göteborg Opera, Bernstein’s Candide for Welsh National Opera and the French premiere of Abrahamsen’s Snow Queen for Opéra national du Rhin.
Dance projects include ongoing collaborations with choreographers such as Helen Pickett and Sophie Laplane. With Laplane he created the highly-acclaimed Mary, Queen of Scots (Scottish Ballet/Edinburgh International Festival), which tours this season throughout the UK and the US. Projects with Pickett include Lady Macbeth (Dutch National Ballet), Crime and Punishment (American Ballet Theater), Emma Bovary (Canadian National Ballet) and The Crucible (Scottish National Ballet).
A regular collaborator with orchestras including Aurora at the BBC Proms, Bonas also explores innovative ways to present “theatrical concerts”, including Stravinsky’s L’histoire du soldat and The Rite of Spring, and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, and Glass Handel in collaboration with Anthony Roth-Constanzo and English National Opera.
‘We need to disrupt the form. I’m interested in celebrating what we do in theatre and music through different media, rather than just reframing old ways or simply filming the stage’
