司馬勤

過去數(shù)年以來，舞美設(shè)計師兼制作人茱莉亞·諾蘭-美霞（Julia Noulin-Mérat）一直是歌劇界“快速行動，打破常規(guī)”新媒體座右銘的表率——可是去年因為疫情影響，什么都被破壞得一塌糊涂。她的沉浸式項目以及特定場所的制作往往模糊了現(xiàn)場表演和裝置藝術(shù)之間的界限。如今，她的任務(wù)就是重新拼砌起散在地上的瓦礫，而某些重組后的成品與原裝的版本相比，樣貌可能變得似是而非。

自立門戶創(chuàng)辦諾蘭-美霞工作室之后，她參與設(shè)計了400多部電影和電視作品，還有歌?。?5部首演制作）與話?。?2部新作品），其中包括由環(huán)球百老匯推出的、在中國巡演的沉浸式親子劇《彼得潘的冒險島》（Peter Pans Neverland）。這位在加拿大出生、歐洲長大、長居波士頓的制作人，在疫情迫使整個世界都停擺時，卻大步向前，邁向全球。

去年秋天，諾蘭-美霞為亞特蘭大歌劇院設(shè)計了適合戶外“馬戲團帳篷”（circus tent）演出的防疫透明箱子。不久之后，她開始籌備一部時長90分鐘的《波希米亞人》。這部電影在紐約實地取景，演員的年齡與劇中角色相仿，他們來自不同的族裔。該項目由諾蘭-美霞主導(dǎo)，香港藝團與幾家美國區(qū)域性歌劇院共同參與。拍攝以及后期工作的效率很高，在五個月之內(nèi)就完成了。今年5月底，波士頓抒情歌劇院的視頻網(wǎng)站（operabox.tv）推出該版《波希米亞人》供全球網(wǎng)民點播。

《波希米亞人》項目進行期間，諾蘭-美霞被聘任為哥倫布歌劇院的總監(jiān)及首席執(zhí)行官，盡管當(dāng)時歌劇院不能進駐劇場演出（所有劇場都因為疫情關(guān)了門）。今年4月底，歌劇院終于用一部時長90分鐘的“解構(gòu)”了的《唐喬瓦尼》，為姍姍來遲的2020演出季拉開帷幕，演出地點是該市的科學(xué)工業(yè)博物館。幾周后搬演的《波希米亞人》同樣歷時90分鐘，在一個改裝為藝術(shù)家工作室與畫廊的老倉庫里舉行。與此同時，諾蘭-美霞是香港無限音樂劇場（More Than Musical）（《波希米亞人》制作伙伴）的創(chuàng)作總監(jiān)，她為《卡門|香港》設(shè)計的布景與服裝將于7月底在西九龍文化區(qū)藝術(shù)公園自由空間亮相。（這也是西九龍地區(qū)的第一部西方歌劇制作。）

今年我跟諾蘭-美霞的兩次相遇（大家更騰出時間坐下來暢談）都與《波希米亞人》扯上關(guān)系：2月份，我特意跑到紐約的唐人街探班；5月份，我們在哥倫布藝術(shù)家畫廊（即《波希米亞人》的后臺）聊天，然后看演出。

盡管新冠疫情令全球停擺，你在過去的一年里事業(yè)卻發(fā)展得如魚得水。有什么原因？

當(dāng)疫情期間，大都會歌劇院開始每晚免費播放歌劇視頻時，我們都很擔(dān)心。世界上有其他歌劇院可以跟它相抗衡嗎？如果你只提供與“大都會高清”大同小異的視頻，可想而知結(jié)果會注定失敗?？墒?，大都會的這一舉帶動并擴大了整個歌劇市場。某些不愿意到大都會歌劇院里看演出的人樂于在家中看免費的《卡門》，因而能更加了解劇中情節(jié)。他們開始對歌劇現(xiàn)場演出感興趣了，更可以接受導(dǎo)演套用完全不同的處理手法。

在香港無限音樂劇場（More Than Musical）《卡門|香港》的舞美設(shè)計里，你的構(gòu)思顯然屬于“完全不同的處理手法”?？梢哉f說與無限音樂劇場合作電影《波希米亞人》以及制作的初衷嗎？

自新冠疫情影響大眾的生活，我不斷尋找機會，希望可以創(chuàng)作新作品。與此同時，無限音樂劇場創(chuàng)辦人長谷川留美子（Rumiko Hasegawa）跟我說，希望她的機構(gòu)可以進入美國市場。我們深入討論的其中一個方案，就是制作一部藝術(shù)電影。問題是，選擇哪類藝術(shù)電影？很多歌劇院找來原創(chuàng)音樂然后拍攝數(shù)碼短片把它放上網(wǎng)，觀眾相當(dāng)喜愛這類觀賞經(jīng)驗。但是，在過去一年里，有16家美國歌劇院取消了原本計劃中的《波希米亞人》演出。這代表著渴望觀看常規(guī)劇目的一大批受眾的需求卻被忽略了。

你跟長谷川留美子很快就決定電影的方向吧？

對于這個成立于香港的機構(gòu)，留美子有著很清晰的見解——首先，必須提攜年輕的亞裔演員，或者最起碼歌劇中的主要角色應(yīng)由美國的少數(shù)族裔擔(dān)綱，亞裔演員越多越好。我希望聘請的，是在美國初露頭角并能代表全球的藝術(shù)家。她再加了一句：“我們的演出模式，時長限于90分鐘?！蔽一卮鸬溃骸疤昧耍@也是觀眾看網(wǎng)上視頻的極限?！?/p>

你最初從事的就是影視制作。再次涉足影視行業(yè)的感覺如何？

剛剛進入職場那一年，我經(jīng)常跟自己說：“拜托，我想?yún)⑴c歌劇?！蔽业挠迷~可能不夠精準(zhǔn)，因為我第一份工作是肥皂?。╯oap opera）——美國哥倫比亞廣播公司電視臺（CBS）的長壽連續(xù)劇《指路明燈》（Guiding Light），最終于2009年停播。我的第一輪職業(yè)生涯的頭4年半就這樣貢獻給了影視行業(yè)。這一次有機會再次參與電影制作，感覺很好。

眾所周知，肥皂劇的制作速度驚人。這一方面多多少少也影響到你這一部《波希米亞人》嗎？

去年12月我們決定制作這部電影時，我立即找來了導(dǎo)演萊妮·雷特莫（Laine Rettmer）。早在2014年，她領(lǐng)導(dǎo)紐約閣樓歌劇團（LoftOpera）推出過一個風(fēng)格時髦的當(dāng)代版《波希米亞人》。過去的幾年，她把精力放在影像藝術(shù)上。首次排練在1月的第3周舉行，2月中旬春節(jié)期間開機拍攝。我們的目標(biāo)是要把紐約的元素滲透在這部歌劇里。

除了大小歌劇院于這段時期都關(guān)門以外，電影產(chǎn)業(yè)（除了紀(jì)錄片）同樣停滯不前。你是怎樣把這一項目組織起來的？

在疫情期間進行拍攝工作很困難。我們經(jīng)常需要接受核酸檢測，大部分時間都得保持社交距離。整個拍攝團隊共35人，他們來自美國的東西南北，對于戴口罩的準(zhǔn)則都不同。我們原本的計劃中安排了兩對夫婦扮演劇中兩對戀人?？墒?，一對夫婦因在韓國隔離回不來；而原先答應(yīng)扮演穆塞塔的演員因為另一家歌劇院的合約條文所限，也無法參加。我們最后請來了常碧洲與向子文擔(dān)綱咪咪與魯?shù)婪颍麄儌z都是旅居美國的中國歌唱家。而穆塞塔一角就由拉里薩·馬丁內(nèi)斯（Larisa Martínez）演出。我本來很猶豫是否要邀請她，但她是2014年萊妮在閣樓歌劇團時執(zhí)導(dǎo)的《波希米亞人》中的穆塞塔，她也樂意參與我們這個制作。音軌是預(yù)先在錄音棚錄制的，所以演員不需要在拍攝場地開口唱歌，這樣大家也可以挨近一點。

“滲透紐約的元素”于電影有什么含意？

我們想要讓歌劇與現(xiàn)實生活產(chǎn)生可信的連接。在電影版本的《波希米亞人》中，咪咪染上新冠肺炎，我們還把故事的背景設(shè)定在2020年2月，即美國人民還未搞清楚疫情嚴(yán)重性那一刻。根據(jù)故事的邏輯，我們應(yīng)該戴口罩還是不戴口罩？《波希米亞人》讓我們探索當(dāng)時大眾面對的疑惑。魯?shù)婪蚺c咪咪分手的一場是在凌晨3點拍攝的，地點是康尼島（Coney Island），因為沒有任何地方可比這個空空如也的休閑娛樂區(qū)在寒氣迫人的2月凌晨更冷清、更令人沮喪。我們選中代替莫墨斯咖啡館的場地位于曼哈頓唐人街。擁有百年歷史的南華茶室，在拍攝前幾天才重新營業(yè)（《蜘蛛俠2》也曾選用了南華茶室作為外景之一）。這樣，我們就有借口錄下唐人街于疫情期間春節(jié)之際的街景。歌劇故事往往都有“姑且信以為真”的材料，我們也加入了點魔幻現(xiàn)實主義（電腦三維動畫特效）——紐約是一個充滿魔幻的都市，一切皆有可能發(fā)生。

但你不是在紐約土生土長的。你的背景如何呢？

我在加拿大蒙特利爾出生，巴黎長大，也曾在布魯塞爾住過一年。大多數(shù)這樣搬來搬去的人，他們的父母可能是政府派遣駐國外工作或者是醫(yī)生之類。我的父母在制藥行業(yè)工作。我們在法國南部有一套房子，就在阿維尼翁附近，所以我看過很多舞臺劇。藝術(shù)節(jié)就像我的非正式學(xué)校。我回到加拿大上大學(xué)時，原計劃是念醫(yī)科，卻在劇場里當(dāng)上了實習(xí)生。經(jīng)過一段“冒充者綜合征”的日子，我終于決定轉(zhuǎn)系改念舞臺設(shè)計。后來我到了美國，在波士頓大學(xué)拿到兩個碩士學(xué)位：一個專攻制作設(shè)計（production design），另一個則是藝術(shù)管理。

為什么選擇歌??？

它是表演藝術(shù)范疇里的視覺藝術(shù)。歌劇就如同是藝術(shù)行業(yè)的奧運會，歌唱家差不多就相當(dāng)于運動員。歌劇具有的戲劇性強度很不一樣，令我神往。事實上，這就是吸引我來到波士頓的原因。有人選學(xué)校為了名氣，或者為了某一位老師。對我來說，重要的是找一個有實力的歌劇課程的好音樂學(xué)校。波士頓大學(xué)的歌劇中心非常強大，讓我有機會物色到導(dǎo)演與剛起步的歌唱家。

我的同行朋友都以為我畢業(yè)后就回到歐洲，但美國近年來的歌劇復(fù)興——新作品的出現(xiàn)以及經(jīng)典作品的沉浸式制作——更令我振奮不已。畢業(yè)后兩年，專攻特定場地制作的波士頓抒情歌劇院（Boston Lyric Opera）邀請我跟他們合作。突然間，我為觀眾創(chuàng)造出一個視角，主導(dǎo)了他們的整個歌劇體驗。這也是我后來跟只委約新作品的游擊隊歌劇團（Guerilla Opera）合作的關(guān)鍵。從宏觀角度來看，波士頓抒情歌劇院搬演詹姆斯·麥克米蘭（James McMillan）《仁慈》（Clemency）的美國首演（一部把圣經(jīng)故事改編為當(dāng)代故事的作品），與亞特蘭大歌劇院在一個游樂場的馬戲帳篷里演《丑角》，藝術(shù)上的距離其實相當(dāng)接近。

你現(xiàn)在是哥倫布歌劇院總監(jiān)，跟從前身為制作團隊一分子的角色不同了。角色過渡順利嗎？

身為總監(jiān)的優(yōu)勢，是因為我不只具有院團行政的經(jīng)驗，也不只負(fù)責(zé)選角。舞美設(shè)計的工作很實在很具體。我在業(yè)內(nèi)已經(jīng)建立聲譽，曾與創(chuàng)作新歌劇的同行合作，也在另類的表演場地搬演陳詞濫調(diào)的歌劇，讓觀眾重新發(fā)現(xiàn)經(jīng)典新篇。當(dāng)你走進一個大倉庫時，你會愿意擁抱新經(jīng)驗，因為你離開了自己的舒適圈。

我告訴你，哥倫布歌劇院的董事局非常支持我。他們大可以說：“因為疫情……我們必須取消演出……明年再見！”在面試過程中，他們了解我對于探索歌劇意義的想法。我說，“堅持傳統(tǒng)的觀眾可以找到他們喜愛的制作，熱愛黑盒劇場的觀眾也可以找到稱心的演出。全部制作都會吸引觀眾——但不一定是同一個觀眾群?！彼麄儗Υ烁械脚d奮，但很多其他的歌劇院就未必那么開明。當(dāng)我說我希望如期搬演《唐喬瓦尼》與《波希米亞人》時，他們問我：“我們需要籌備什么，讓你的計劃可以實現(xiàn)？”

在疫情期間上任歌劇院總監(jiān)感覺如何？

近年來很多探索經(jīng)典歌劇的新制作，把陳詞濫調(diào)的作品濃縮至90分鐘內(nèi)，刪掉了合唱團，樂隊規(guī)模也變小了。說實話，很多傳統(tǒng)院團接受不了90分鐘時長。倘若我在兩年前提議“90分鐘的經(jīng)典歌劇版本”，肯定有人會罵我斗膽顛覆傳統(tǒng)。正如我的音樂總監(jiān)提醒我，《唐喬瓦尼》里的精華詠嘆調(diào)就不止90分鐘了?？墒且驗橐咔椋瑳]有中場休息的90分鐘演出版本卻讓歌劇團渡過難關(guān)。

你的確搬演了90分鐘版本的《唐喬瓦尼》！

這完全是對經(jīng)典作品的重新構(gòu)思。首先，演出地點是哥倫布科學(xué)工業(yè)博物館，場地的面積很大。由伊芙·薩默（Eve Summer）執(zhí)導(dǎo)的《唐喬瓦尼》一開場就在地獄——為了對抗疫情，我們都被隔離了一年多，大家都有概念，明白什么是地獄——所以，當(dāng)我們看到演員被隔離就知道舞臺代表地獄。隨后，就是解釋情節(jié)的來龍去脈。我早已為了保護歌唱家而設(shè)計了大型的透明箱子。在亞特蘭大，這些箱子看上去像馬戲班用的大篷車，但在哥倫布，它們就像是博物館里單獨的陳列品。

哥倫布觀眾的反應(yīng)如何？

他們都很好奇。哥倫布歌劇院感到驕傲，因為吸引了三成的新觀眾，其中的大部分都是00后。我們不能忽視這些年輕的觀眾們：他們很快就會成為美國四分之三的勞動主力；他們不喜歡坐在黑暗的劇院里看演出；他們渴望的是參加活動，參與體驗。最后，他們得到的是歌劇。

哥倫布的《波希米亞人》同樣只有90分鐘時長（跟電影版刪減的段落大同小異），但用上新的英語唱詞。由丹尼斯·懷特黑德·達林（Dennis Whitehead Darling）導(dǎo)演的演出舞臺效果相當(dāng)濃烈，比美萊妮·勒特莫版本的電影質(zhì)感。

我受聘接手哥倫布歌劇院時，《波希米亞人》的選角只做了一半。因為新冠疫情，我們也無法舉行試聽會。于是我打了個電話給常碧洲，說，“現(xiàn)在開始學(xué)唱英語唱詞吧！”（大笑）我們還聘請了楊熠（電影版本中的阿爾欽多羅），還有美籍華裔女高音周華飾演穆塞塔。

演出場地是早年改裝為藝術(shù)家工作室與畫廊的老倉庫。這個環(huán)境令我聯(lián)想起歌劇歷史的始源：當(dāng)年的宮廷大廳同樣掛著“當(dāng)代”藝術(shù)作品。有當(dāng)代油畫與雕塑在周邊，讓一切更有動力。每一次聽到人家說歌劇屬于“老”藝術(shù)時，我總覺得啼笑皆非。相比油畫與雕塑，歌劇還很年輕?？上覀兺纪鼌s這一點。我們把歌劇擺進一個盒子，然后說：“歌劇在這個時空活著，它屬于博物館陳列品?！?/p>

哥倫布歌劇院未來有什么計劃？

明年是哥倫布歌劇院成立40周年。今年12月，我們會推出《托斯卡》新制作，這個劇目是歌劇院40年前成立時的首部制作。明年2月我們將搬演2016年創(chuàng)作的《旅行伙伴》（Fellow Travelers）。直至整個5月，我們將舉辦“歌劇40天”，在哥倫布市內(nèi)多個地點舉行不同活動，壓軸制作沉浸式的《茶花女》。觀眾將有機會跟蹤4位維奧萊塔在鬧市區(qū)酒店的不同空間里穿梭。

你的舞臺與電影作品都會刻意強調(diào)無膚色差別選角。什么驅(qū)使你這樣做？反響又如何？

不同族裔與身份認(rèn)同的藝術(shù)家能有平等機會站在臺上，很是重要。雖然這會聽起來好像有點離題，但我最喜歡的電視節(jié)目之一是《實習(xí)醫(yī)生格蕾》（Greys Anatomy）。編劇珊達·萊梅斯（Shonda Rhimes）最偉大的成就，是把“任何族裔都可以當(dāng)外科醫(yī)生”這個理念平?；！短茊掏吣帷放c《波希米亞人》在哥倫布同期排練的一個晚上，兩位指揮拉我到一邊認(rèn)真地說：“你知道你做了什么？在一個與亞洲毫無關(guān)系的歌劇里，你聘用了兩個亞裔女主角！在這里史無前例！”我說：“好吧，歡迎你來到未來世界?！?img src="https://cimg.fx361.com/images/2021/07/23/qkimagesgejugeju202106geju20210607-6-l.jpg"/>

For some time now， the designer and producer Julia Noulin-Mérat has been operas answer to the newmedia motto “Move fast and break things”—except that after a year of pandemic disruption， things were pretty much broken already. For an impresaria of immersion whose site-specific productions often blur the line between live performance and installation， its now a matter of reassembling the rubble， sometimes with only a vague resemblance to the original.

As founder of the Noulin-Mérat Studio， she has designed more than 400 productions for film and television as well as opera （25 premieres） and theatre（22 new plays）， including an immersive touring production of Neverland in China for Broadway Asia. But it is as a producer—during the Covid-19 pandemic， when much of the world was shuttered—that the Canadian-born， European-raised， longtime Bostonian went from working steadily in the wings to reaching the global stage.

Fresh from designing Covid-resistant sheaths for Atlanta Operas outdoor “circus tent” productions last fall， Noulin-Mérat found herself producing a 90-minute film of La Bohème—shot on location in New York City with an age-appropriate， multi-ethnic cast—with a Hong Kong partner and a consortium of regional American opera companies. Shot and edited in less than five months， the finished film launched in late May on Boston Lyric Operas digital venue （operabox.tv）.

During the Bohème project， Noulin-Mérat was also appointed General Director and CEO of Opera Columbus， which was still locked out of its local theatres. Belatedly， the company opened its 2020 season in late April with a 90-minute deconstruction of Don Giovanni at the citys science museum， followed a few weeks later by， again， a 90-minute Bohème， this time staged in a former warehouse converted into an artist studio and gallery space. Meanwhile， NoulinMérat was appointed Creative Director of More Than Musical （her Hong Kong partner for the Bohème film） where her sets and costumes for a radically updated Carmen will finally make their debut in late July as the first Western opera to appear at the West Kowloon Cultural Districts Freespace.

Both times I managed to see Noulin-Mérat this year （and actually sit down for a relaxed moment） involved productions of Bohème： first， in February on the Chinatown film set in New York City， and second， backstage at the gallery space in Columbus before the opera in late May.

Professionally， youve had a really successful year despite the Covid pandemic. How do you account for that？

When the Metropolitan Opera started streaming its content for free， we were all scared. How can any opera company compete with that？ Anyone trying to do the same thing is just setting themselves up to fail. But this actually expanded the entire opera market. People who might not have felt comfortable sitting at the Met found themselves streaming Carmen at home and got to know the story. Many were ready to experience opera live in a completely different way.

Evidently， the Carmen you designed for More Than Musical in Hong Kong will be “a completely different way.” Tell us about the film of La Bohème you did with them and how that came about.

Throughout the pandemic， I was looking for opportunities to create new work， and [More Than Musical founder] Rumiko Hasegawa had been asking how her company could enter the American market. One of the things wed brainstormed was making an art film. The question was， what kind？ Many companies had been making short films with original music， and audiences were responding well to the digital experience. But 16 different opera companies in the US had cancelled productions of La Bohème， so there was a hunger out there for the classics， with a whole audience being left behind.

How quickly did you and Rumiko come to terms？

Rumiko had a very clear perspective for a Hong Kong-based company—first， casting young Asian artists， or at least casting principal roles with ethnic minorities， with as many Asians as possible. I was looking for emerging talents in the US that also represent the entire world. Then she said， “Our format is 90 minutes.” I said， “Great， ‘cause thats as much as anyone wants to see online.”

You had an early television and film background. What was it like to return to that world？

When I first started working professionally， I used to say， “Please， let it be in opera.” But I shouldve been more specific， because for four years I worked in soap opera （laughing）. I learned a ton working on the final years of Guiding Light for CBS. My first life was nearly four and half years in television and film， and it was really nice to reconnect with that.

Daytime dramas were famous for their breakneck production pace. Did that rub off on your Bohème？

We decided to do the film in the first week in December. I approached director Laine Rettmer， whod done an updated production of La Bohème for LoftOpera back in 2014 but was recently doing a lot of video art. Our first rehearsal was the third week in January， and we started shooting in mid-February around Chinese New Year. Our goal was really to infuse the film with the city of New York.

Not only were opera houses closed during this time， but the film industry （except for documentary films） was also pretty quiet. How did you make this work？

Its not easy， filming during a pandemic. There was frequent testing， and we kept socially distant most of the time. We had a team of 35 artists， flown in from all over the US， with different mask requirements. Our initial idea was to have two couples playing the romantic leads， but one couple was put in quarantine in South Korea and our original Musetta couldnt get released from a prior contract. So we wound up with Chang Bizhou and Xiang Ziwen， two Chinese singers living in the US， as Mimi and Rodolfo， and Larisa Martínez playing Musetta. Id originally been hesitant to contact Larisa， but shed sung the role in Laines stage production and was eager to join. We recorded the singing in advance， so no one was actually singing on the set and we could all work closer together.

What did it mean to “infuse [the film] with the city of New York”？

We wanted to anchor it in our everyday lives. In this production， Mimi is suffering from Covid and we actually set it during February 2020， when we were all just figuring out what the pandemic was. So this justified dramaturgically， do we wear masks？ Do we not wear masks？ Bohème lends itself to that kind of exploration. We shot Rodolfo and Mimis breakup at Coney Island at 3 a.m. because nothing could be more cold and depressing than Coney Island at three in the morning in February. Our version of Café Momus was the Nom Wah Tea Parlor， a hundred-year-old restaurant in Chinatown， which had just reopened to the public a couple of days before. （Nom Wah had also been used as a film set for Spider-man 2）. This all gave us an excuse to document Chinatowns streetlife during Chinese New Year amid the pandemic. In answer to operas suspension of disbelief， we added touches of magical realism （with CGI）. New York can be such a magical city that anything seemed possible.

You didnt grow up in New York， though. What about your background.

I was born in Montreal and grew up in Paris， as well as a year in Brussels. When you move around like that， youre either an Army brat or your parents are in the medical field. Mine were in pharmaceuticals. We had a house in the south of France outside Avignon and saw a lot of plays. Festivals were my unofficial school. When it came time for college， I moved back to Canada thinking I would be attending medical school but I wound up in a theatre internship. After some initial“imposter syndrome，” I ended up switching from premed to theatre design. I later moved to the US and wound up with two Masters degrees from Boston University， one in production design， the other in arts administration.

So why opera？

Its a visual art within a performing art. Opera is the Olympics of art forms， and the singers are almost like athletes. The intensity of the drama is different and it really drew me in. Thats what lured me to Boston， actually. Some people choose a school for the name， some follow a teacher. For me， it was important to go to a good music school with a strong opera program. BUs Opera Institute was incredibly strong and proved to be a great way to meet directors and emerging singers.

My colleagues had all expected me to return to Europe after graduation， but I was more excited by the renaissance of opera in the US， from new works to an immersive re-envisioning of the classics. Two years after graduation， I was approached by Boston Lyric Opera， which specialized in site-specific shows. Suddenly I was actually creating a point of view for the audience that could sustain the whole operatic experience. This is also how I also ended up working early on with Guerilla Opera， where they do exclusively new works commissioned for their ensemble. Its not a huge distance from the BLOs US premiere of James McMillans Clemency， a biblical opera on a modern scale， to the Atlanta Opera putting on Pagliacci in a circus tent on a fairground.

With Opera Columbus youve gone from being part of a producing team to actually running a company. How smooth was that transition？

I think part of my strength as a general director is that I dont just come from the administration side， or the casting side. Set designers are the ones who actually put things on their feet. Id already carved a niche for myself with people who were not only interested in creating new operas but also rediscovering the warhorses in alternative venues. When you see a show in a warehouse youre open to new possibilities， and you have to leave your comfort zone.

I have to say， the Opera Columbus board has been incredibly supportive. They couldve said， “Theres a pandemic…were cancelling both shows…see you next year！” But during the interview process， they understood I meant to explore what opera means. I told them， “Well have shows for traditionalists， and for black-box lovers. Therell be an audience for all our shows – but it wont necessarily be the same audience.” They were excited about that， and I must say not every company wouldve been. When I said I wanted to do both Don Giovanni and La Bohème this season， they asked， “What do we need to put in place for this to happen？”

What was it like being hired in the middle of a pandemic？

Much recent exploration in the classic repertory had involved distilling the warhorses into 90 minutes， without chorus or full orchestra， and frankly， a lot of traditional companies were not ready for 90 minutes. If Id said the words “90-minute warhorse” two years ago， they wouldve said， “How dare you！” As my music director kept telling me， 90 minutes isnt even a “best-of” for Don Giovanni. But during a pandemic， 90-minutes-no-intermission is going to get us through.

Yet you did a 90-minute Giovanni！

It was a total reimagining of the opera. First of all， it was staged at Columbuss science museum， which is a large space. Eve Summers production opened in hell—after being isolated for a year now we all know what hell feels like—so seeing people isolated already means were in hell. We just had to explain how we got there. Id already designed large vinyl boxes to protect the singers. In Atlanta， they looked like a circus wagon， but in Columbus they looked like individual museum exhibits.

How did this go over in Columbus？

They were intrigued. Opera Columbus was proud of the fact that 30 percent of our audience was new， and most of those were millennials， which will soon be about 75 percent of the workforce and an audience we cant afford to ignore. They do not want to sit in the dark for a show. They want an event， an experience. They came for an event； what they got out of it was opera.

You also did La Bohème， again at 90 minutes （with similar musical cuts as the film）， but with a new libretto in English and a production by stage director Dennis Whitehead Darling that is as theatrical as Laine Rettners film was cinematic.

When I was hired， we had only half a cast， and I couldnt really hold auditions during the pandemic， so I called Bizhou Chang and said， “Now learn it in English” （laughing）. We also hired Yi Yang （the Alcindoro in the film） and another young Chinese woman in the US named Ivy Zhou as Musetta.

We staged the production at an old warehouse converted into artist studios and galleries， which in a way harked back to what opera was in its beginnings， when you were surrounded by modern art. Paintings and sculpture by your contemporaries brings a certain energy into the art form. It always makes me laugh whenever anyone calls opera an “old” art because compared to painting and sculpture， opera is quite young. But we forget about that because weve already put opera in a box and said， “This is where it lives in time， as a museum piece.”

So where will be Opera Columbus be heading in the future？

Next season is our 40th anniversary， which opens in December with a new production of Tosca， the first opera that the company ever performed. In February we have Fellow Travelers， a recent opera from 2016. Then we end with “40 Days of Opera” throughout May， with events around town culminating in an immersive La Traviata， where audiences will be following four different Violettas throughout a downtown hotel.

Both your stage and screen productions embody a fairly aggressive devotion to racially blind casting. What inspired this， and what reactions have you gotten？

Representation matters. This may sound a little offtopic， but one of my favorite television shows was Greys Anatomy. Shonda Rhimes greatest achievement was to normalize that anyone could be a surgeon， anyone could have a role. One night in Columbus when both Giovanni and Bohème were rehearsing， the two conductors took me aside and asked， “Do you realize what youve done？ Youve cast two Asian women as leads in a non-Asian-themed opera. Thats never done here.” I said， “Well， welcome to the future.”