Orfeo ed Euridice

2021

In December 2021, Vancouver Opera returned to live stage performances with a bold reimagining of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. Presented in collaboration with Ne. Sans Opera & Dance and The Dance Centre, the production premiered at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on December 4 and 5, led by director and choreographer Idan Cohen, with music directed by Leslie Dala and stirring design by Amir Ofek (sets), Evan Clayton (costumes), and Itai Erdal (lighting).

This staging transformed the mythic Underworld into a surreal, Felliniesque dreamscape — complete with ghostly clown‑ballerinas, a striking red circus ring, towering gold chandeliers, and fantastical ensembles that blended opera’s emotional intensity with contemporary dance dynamism.

The cast featured Mireille Lebel as Orfeo, Krisztina Szabó as Euridice, and Mireille Asselin as Amore, supported by a chorus and a troupe of dancers. Hana Rutka was one of six dance artists who embodied the opera’s emotional undercurrents through motion and presence, enriching the production’s theatrical texture and dramatic storytelling.