司馬勤

過(guò)去數(shù)年以來(lái)，舞美設(shè)計(jì)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(dòng)，打破常規(guī)”新媒體座右銘的表率——可是去年因?yàn)橐咔橛绊?，什么都被破壞得一塌糊涂。她的沉浸式?xiàng)目以及特定場(chǎng)所的制作往往模糊了現(xiàn)場(chǎng)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(mén)戶創(chuàng)辦諾蘭-美霞工作室之后，她參與設(shè)計(jì)了400多部電影和電視作品，還有歌劇（25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(guó)巡演的沉浸式親子劇《彼得潘的冒險(xiǎn)島》（Peter Pans Neverland）。這位在加拿大出生、歐洲長(zhǎng)大、長(zhǎng)居波士頓的制作人，在疫情迫使整個(gè)世界都停擺時(shí)，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(jì)了適合戶外“馬戲團(tuán)帳篷”（circus tent）演出的防疫透明箱子。不久之后，她開(kāi)始籌備一部時(shí)長(zhǎng)90分鐘的《波希米亞人》。這部電影在紐約實(shí)地取景，演員的年齡與劇中角色相仿，他們來(lái)自不同的族裔。該項(xiàng)目由諾蘭-美霞主導(dǎo)，香港藝團(tuán)與幾家美國(guó)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(gè)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(diǎn)播。

《波希米亞人》項(xiàng)目進(jìn)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(shí)歌劇院不能進(jìn)駐劇場(chǎng)演出（所有劇場(chǎng)都因?yàn)橐咔殛P(guān)了門(mén)）。今年4月底，歌劇院終于用一部時(shí)長(zhǎng)90分鐘的“解構(gòu)”了的《唐喬瓦尼》，為姍姍來(lái)遲的2020演出季拉開(kāi)帷幕，演出地點(diǎn)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(shí)90分鐘，在一個(gè)改裝為藝術(shù)家工作室與畫(huà)廊的老倉(cāng)庫(kù)里舉行。與此同時(shí)，諾蘭-美霞是香港無(wú)限音樂(lè)劇場(chǎng)（More Than Musical）（《波希米亞人》制作伙伴）的創(chuàng)作總監(jiān)，她為《卡門(mén)|香港》設(shè)計(jì)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(shí)間坐下來(lái)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?cè)诟鐐惒妓囆g(shù)家畫(huà)廊（即《波希米亞人》的后臺(tái)）聊天，然后看演出。

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

當(dāng)疫情期間，大都會(huì)歌劇院開(kāi)始每晚免費(fèi)播放歌劇視頻時(shí)，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(huì)高清”大同小異的視頻，可想而知結(jié)果會(huì)注定失敗。可是，大都會(huì)的這一舉帶動(dòng)并擴(kuò)大了整個(gè)歌劇市場(chǎng)。某些不愿意到大都會(huì)歌劇院里看演出的人樂(lè)于在家中看免費(fèi)的《卡門(mén)》，因而能更加了解劇中情節(jié)。他們開(kāi)始對(duì)歌劇現(xiàn)場(chǎng)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(wú)限音樂(lè)劇場(chǎng)（More Than Musical）《卡門(mén)|香港》的舞美設(shè)計(jì)里，你的構(gòu)思顯然屬于“完全不同的處理手法”?？梢哉f(shuō)說(shuō)與無(wú)限音樂(lè)劇場(chǎng)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(jī)會(huì)，希望可以創(chuàng)作新作品。與此同時(shí)，無(wú)限音樂(lè)劇場(chǎng)創(chuàng)辦人長(zhǎng)谷川留美子（Rumiko Hasegawa）跟我說(shuō)，希望她的機(jī)構(gòu)可以進(jìn)入美國(guó)市場(chǎng)。我們深入討論的其中一個(gè)方案，就是制作一部藝術(shù)電影。問(wèn)題是，選擇哪類藝術(shù)電影？很多歌劇院找來(lái)原創(chuàng)音樂(lè)然后拍攝數(shù)碼短片把它放上網(wǎng)，觀眾相當(dāng)喜愛(ài)這類觀賞經(jīng)驗(yàn)。但是，在過(guò)去一年里，有16家美國(guó)歌劇院取消了原本計(jì)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(zhǎng)谷川留美子很快就決定電影的方向吧？

對(duì)于這個(gè)成立于香港的機(jī)構(gòu)，留美子有著很清晰的見(jiàn)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(guó)的少數(shù)族裔擔(dān)綱，亞裔演員越多越好。我希望聘請(qǐng)的，是在美國(guó)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(shí)長(zhǎng)限于90分鐘?！蔽一卮鸬溃骸疤昧?，這也是觀眾看網(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(jué)如何？

剛剛進(jìn)入職場(chǎng)那一年，我經(jīng)常跟自己說(shuō)：“拜托，我想?yún)⑴c歌劇?！蔽业挠迷~可能不夠精準(zhǔn)，因?yàn)槲业谝环莨ぷ魇欠试韯。╯oap opera）——美國(guó)哥倫比亞廣播公司電視臺(tái)（CBS）的長(zhǎng)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(xiàn)給了影視行業(yè)。這一次有機(jī)會(huì)再次參與電影制作，感覺(jué)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(shí)，我立即找來(lái)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(tuán)（LoftOpera）推出過(guò)一個(gè)風(fēng)格時(shí)髦的當(dāng)代版《波希米亞人》。過(guò)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(kāi)機(jī)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(shí)期都關(guān)門(mén)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(xiàng)目組織起來(lái)的？

在疫情期間進(jìn)行拍攝工作很困難。我們經(jīng)常需要接受核酸檢測(cè)，大部分時(shí)間都得保持社交距離。整個(gè)拍攝團(tuán)隊(duì)共35人，他們來(lái)自美國(guó)的東西南北，對(duì)于戴口罩的準(zhǔn)則都不同。我們?cè)镜挠?jì)劃中安排了兩對(duì)夫婦扮演劇中兩對(duì)戀人?？墒牵粚?duì)夫婦因在韓國(guó)隔離回不來(lái)；而原先答應(yīng)扮演穆塞塔的演員因?yàn)榱硪患腋鑴≡旱暮霞s條文所限，也無(wú)法參加。我們最后請(qǐng)來(lái)了常碧洲與向子文擔(dān)綱咪咪與魯?shù)婪?，他們倆都是旅居美國(guó)的中國(guó)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(lái)很猶豫是否要邀請(qǐng)她，但她是2014年萊妮在閣樓歌劇團(tuán)時(shí)執(zhí)導(dǎo)的《波希米亞人》中的穆塞塔，她也樂(lè)意參與我們這個(gè)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(chǎng)地開(kāi)口唱歌，這樣大家也可以挨近一點(diǎn)。

“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(shí)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(guó)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(shí)大眾面對(duì)的疑惑。魯?shù)婪蚺c咪咪分手的一場(chǎng)是在凌晨3點(diǎn)拍攝的，地點(diǎn)是康尼島（Coney Island），因?yàn)闆](méi)有任何地方可比這個(gè)空空如也的休閑娛樂(lè)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(chǎng)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?tīng)I(yíng)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(diǎn)魔幻現(xiàn)實(shí)主義（電腦三維動(dòng)畫(huà)特效）——紐約是一個(gè)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(zhǎng)的。你的背景如何呢？

我在加拿大蒙特利爾出生，巴黎長(zhǎng)大，也曾在布魯塞爾住過(guò)一年。大多數(shù)這樣搬來(lái)搬去的人，他們的父母可能是政府派遣駐國(guó)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?cè)诜▏?guó)南部有一套房子，就在阿維尼翁附近，所以我看過(guò)很多舞臺(tái)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(shí)，原計(jì)劃是念醫(yī)科，卻在劇場(chǎng)里當(dāng)上了實(shí)習(xí)生。經(jīng)過(guò)一段“冒充者綜合征”的日子，我終于決定轉(zhuǎn)系改念舞臺(tái)設(shè)計(jì)。后來(lái)我到了美國(guó)，在波士頓大學(xué)拿到兩個(gè)碩士學(xué)位：一個(gè)專攻制作設(shè)計(jì)（production design），另一個(gè)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(jué)藝術(shù)。歌劇就如同是藝術(shù)行業(yè)的奧運(yùn)會(huì)，歌唱家差不多就相當(dāng)于運(yùn)動(dòng)員。歌劇具有的戲劇性強(qiáng)度很不一樣，令我神往。事實(shí)上，這就是吸引我來(lái)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(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)，重要的是找一個(gè)有實(shí)力的歌劇課程的好音樂(lè)學(xué)校。波士頓大學(xué)的歌劇中心非常強(qiáng)大，讓我有機(jī)會(huì)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(guó)近年來(lái)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(chǎng)地制作的波士頓抒情歌劇院（Boston Lyric Opera）邀請(qǐng)我跟他們合作。突然間，我為觀眾創(chuàng)造出一個(gè)視角，主導(dǎo)了他們的整個(gè)歌劇體驗(yàn)。這也是我后來(lái)跟只委約新作品的游擊隊(duì)歌劇團(tuán)（Guerilla Opera）合作的關(guān)鍵。從宏觀角度來(lái)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(guó)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(gè)游樂(lè)場(chǎng)的馬戲帳篷里演《丑角》，藝術(shù)上的距離其實(shí)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(tuán)隊(duì)一分子的角色不同了。角色過(guò)渡順利嗎？

身為總監(jiān)的優(yōu)勢(shì)，是因?yàn)槲也恢痪哂性簣F(tuán)行政的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，也不只負(fù)責(zé)選角。舞美設(shè)計(jì)的工作很實(shí)在很具體。我在業(yè)內(nèi)已經(jīng)建立聲譽(yù)，曾與創(chuàng)作新歌劇的同行合作，也在另類的表演場(chǎng)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(jìn)一個(gè)大倉(cāng)庫(kù)時(shí)，你會(huì)愿意擁抱新經(jīng)驗(yàn)，因?yàn)槟汶x開(kāi)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(shuō)：“因?yàn)橐咔椤覀儽仨毴∠莩觥髂暝僖?jiàn)！”在面試過(guò)程中，他們了解我對(duì)于探索歌劇意義的想法。我說(shuō)，“堅(jiān)持傳統(tǒng)的觀眾可以找到他們喜愛(ài)的制作，熱愛(ài)黑盒劇場(chǎng)的觀眾也可以找到稱心的演出。全部制作都會(huì)吸引觀眾——但不一定是同一個(gè)觀眾群?！彼麄儗?duì)此感到興奮，但很多其他的歌劇院就未必那么開(kāi)明。當(dāng)我說(shuō)我希望如期搬演《唐喬瓦尼》與《波希米亞人》時(shí)，他們問(wèn)我：“我們需要籌備什么，讓你的計(jì)劃可以實(shí)現(xiàn)？”

在疫情期間上任歌劇院總監(jiān)感覺(jué)如何？

近年來(lái)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(tuán)，樂(lè)隊(duì)規(guī)模也變小了。說(shuō)實(shí)話，很多傳統(tǒng)院團(tuán)接受不了90分鐘時(shí)長(zhǎng)。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(huì)罵我斗膽顛覆傳統(tǒng)。正如我的音樂(lè)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。可是因?yàn)橐咔?，沒(méi)有中場(chǎng)休息的90分鐘演出版本卻讓歌劇團(tuán)渡過(guò)難關(guān)。

你的確搬演了90分鐘版本的《唐喬瓦尼》！

這完全是對(duì)經(jīng)典作品的重新構(gòu)思。首先，演出地點(diǎn)是哥倫布科學(xué)工業(yè)博物館，場(chǎng)地的面積很大。由伊芙·薩默（Eve Summer）執(zhí)導(dǎo)的《唐喬瓦尼》一開(kāi)場(chǎng)就在地獄——為了對(duì)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(tái)代表地獄。隨后，就是解釋情節(jié)的來(lái)龍去脈。我早已為了保護(hù)歌唱家而設(shè)計(jì)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(dú)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?yàn)槲巳傻男掠^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(huì)成為美國(guó)四分之三的勞動(dòng)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(dòng)，參與體驗(yàn)。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(shí)長(zhǎng)（跟電影版刪減的段落大同小異），但用上新的英語(yǔ)唱詞。由丹尼斯·懷特黑德·達(dá)林（Dennis Whitehead Darling）導(dǎo)演的演出舞臺(tái)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(shí)，《波希米亞人》的選角只做了一半。因?yàn)樾鹿谝咔?，我們也無(wú)法舉行試聽(tīng)會(huì)。于是我打了個(gè)電話給常碧洲，說(shuō)，“現(xiàn)在開(kāi)始學(xué)唱英語(yǔ)唱詞吧！”（大笑）我們還聘請(qǐng)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(chǎng)地是早年改裝為藝術(shù)家工作室與畫(huà)廊的老倉(cāng)庫(kù)。這個(gè)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(huà)與雕塑在周邊，讓一切更有動(dòng)力。每一次聽(tīng)到人家說(shuō)歌劇屬于“老”藝術(shù)時(shí)，我總覺(jué)得啼笑皆非。相比油畫(huà)與雕塑，歌劇還很年輕?？上覀兺纪鼌s這一點(diǎn)。我們把歌劇擺進(jìn)一個(gè)盒子，然后說(shuō)：“歌劇在這個(gè)時(shí)空活著，它屬于博物館陳列品。”

哥倫布歌劇院未來(lái)有什么計(jì)劃？

明年是哥倫布歌劇院成立40周年。今年12月，我們會(huì)推出《托斯卡》新制作，這個(gè)劇目是歌劇院40年前成立時(shí)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(gè)5月，我們將舉辦“歌劇40天”，在哥倫布市內(nèi)多個(gè)地點(diǎn)舉行不同活動(dòng)，壓軸制作沉浸式的《茶花女》。觀眾將有機(jī)會(huì)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(tái)與電影作品都會(huì)刻意強(qiáng)調(diào)無(wú)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(jī)會(huì)站在臺(tái)上，很是重要。雖然這會(huì)聽(tīng)起來(lái)好像有點(diǎn)離題，但我最喜歡的電視節(jié)目之一是《實(shí)習(xí)醫(yī)生格蕾》（Greys Anatomy）。編劇珊達(dá)·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(gè)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(gè)晚上，兩位指揮拉我到一邊認(rèn)真地說(shuō)：“你知道你做了什么？在一個(gè)與亞洲毫無(wú)關(guān)系的歌劇里，你聘用了兩個(gè)亞裔女主角！在這里史無(wú)前例！”我說(shuō)：“好吧，歡迎你來(lái)到未來(lái)世界。”

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.”