opera

Beverly Blankenship’s opera productions are a sensual, cathartic experience.

Singers perform at their very best and the action flows in harmony with the music.

Conventions are questioned or thrown overboard with glee.

Audiences follow willingly into new terrain when lured by laughter and tears.

Opera companies Blankenship works for:
Austria: Volksoper Wien, Landestheater Linz, Festival Reinsberg
Germany: Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, Staatstheater Saarbrücken, Staatstheater Nürnberg, Theater Dortmund, Theater Bielefeld, Städtische Bühnen Osnabrück

Don Giovanni

Mozart, Theater Dortmund;
Landestheater Linz;
Städtische Bühnen Osnabrück;
Festival Reinsberg.

“Black sex appeal...Beverly Blankenships’s production received ovations...her precise drawing of the emotions of the characters makes this production a highlight...” (Westfälischer Anzeiger, Dortmund)
“...this intelligent production...which dares to judge...We see a driven sex maniac without scruples – despising women, his erotic powers deadly...ovations...” ( WAZ, Dortmund)
“...general approval for this multifacetted, beautiful and amusing evening, which does not need experiments and yet is highly relevant...” (WR, Dortmund)

La Cenerentola

Rossini, Landestheater Linz; Städtische Bühnen Osnabrück.

“...Blankenship’s production, told with so much humour, irony, brilliant ideas and many layered hints, is pure joy...” (Standard, Vienna)
“...we are surprised, amused and swept off our feet...” (Linzer Rundschau, Linz)
“...One has to have seen and experienced this avalanche of comic ideas...” (Neue Kronenzeitung, Linz)

Der junge Lord

Henze, Landestheater Linz.

“Impressive...Blankenship shows in drastic scenes how quickly fear of strangers can turn into hatred. The director is analytic and sensual in her approach, never neglecting the conciliatory means of humour, irony and parody...” (Salzburger Nachrichten, Salzburg)
“...What started as a comedy ends as a disturbing tragedy, humans destroyed, animals tortured...a compliment to the director...”
(OÖ Nachrichten, Linz)
“...a big success with the audience. The unusually difficult piece was presented beautifully...the direction of the crowd scenes was of high virtuousity...” (Neues Volksblatt, Linz)

The Love Of The Three Oranges

Prokofiev, Landestheater Linz; Staatstheater Nürnberg.

“Grand success... a turbulent mixture of commedia dell’arte, fairy tale, psychlogical family drama and real theatre world...lyrical moments, sad moody tales join burlesque, drastically funny situations...” (APA)
“...a rare theatre event: a thoroughly enjoyable evening...” (Presse, Vienna)
“...we do not want to reveal too much, how madly daring comedy is mixed with musical expectation... a firework of ideas...” (OÖ Nachrichten, Linz)
“A triumph for the director: Blankenship performs magic: a wonderfully entertaining universal theatre, which does not take itself seriously...” (Kronenzeitung, Linz)

The Tales Of Hoffmann

Offenbach, Staatstheater Nürnberg.

“...Blankenship’s concept is thought through and believable – the basis for a lively, emotionally captivating and multi facetted evening. The enthusiastic ensemble is on her side...Lonely poet, imagination on fire...this interpretation guarantees a great evening at the opera...” (Nürnberger Zeitung, Nürnberg)
“...Blankenship shows Hoffmann’s alcoholdrenched tales as an explosive mix of imagination and the fantastical, ecstasy and renunciation...” (Nürnberger Nachrichten, Nürnberg)
“...Wonderful evening at the opera...it all sounds heavy, but is executed with the lightest hand imaginable, as Blankenship understands the art of not crashing during the balancing act between irony and tragedy...” (Der Fränkische Tag, Nürnberg)

Der Rosenkavalier

Strauss, Landestheater Linz; Theater Dortmund

“...a rare gem... Blankenship’s work with the performers is terrific. Down to the smallest part she has found psychological depth and clarity...” (OÖ Nachrichten, Linz)
“A touching ROSENKAVALIER...only seemingly about the conventions. One has to find the moral lows and comic highs, as now in Dortmund...worth travellin a long distance for...” (WAZ, Dortmund)
“...a feast for eyes and ears...” (NW, Bielefeld)

Un ballo in maschera

Verdi, Theater Bielefeld

“Opera goers here don’t easily jump out of their seats to applaud artists. When they do, then they have experienced something special. Verdi’s BALLO IN MASCHERA, directed by Beverly Blankenship, is such a special event: powerful, original, full of strong images... ‘I believe in cathartic theatre’ says Blankenship, and that is what the ensemble has created: a moving and provocative BALLO IN MASCHERA.” (Neue Westfälische, Bielefeld)
“Blankenship’s production begins spookily and beautiful, and in the end delivers what the beginning promised: a magical tale, tragic and wavering between dream and reality...” (West-Falen Blatt, Bielefeld)

The tale of Tsar Zaltan

Rimsky-Korsakov, Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, Munich

“...an evening full of wide spaces, dreamy interludes and atmospheric moments...Beverly Blankenship can set exact dramatic accents, for instance when three fighters in front of a red Background evoke communist threat. Nevertheless there is a certain ease and lightness about it all. Images form and disappear again…” (tz)
“The enthusiasm for this magical entertaining family show was unaninmous.” (Abendzeitung)
“Blankenship enriched her detailed direction, at times using amazingly simple scenic solutions, with poetic images, thereby not only creating a dramaturgical backbone but also providing the eye with simple, yet spectacular effects.” (Opernglas)

Land of Smiles

Franz Lehar, Volksoper Wien

“Beverly Blankenship´s production is very convincing: she characterizes both worlds with great detail ….impressionistic, colorful..” (Kronenzeitung)

“Blankenship chooses beautiful, atmospheric images (the stage by Heinz Hauser is great) and finely thought through ideas…” (Kurier)

Der Freischütz

Carl Maria von Weber, Theater Hagen;
Theater am Gärtnerplatz, München,

Two productions at two seperate theatres connected by a common theme! The production at the Theater am Gärtnerplatz, Munich, concentrates on Agathe, the production at Theater Hagen has Caspar as its leading hero. Both productions draw their impetus from the dark relationship between Agathe and Caspar, as well as the trauma of the surviors of a war.

“Beverly Blankenship leads her singers gently, in strong, memorable images through this very German opera.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

“An exciting yet threatening parable on the merciless connection between weapons and violence” (Westfalenpost)

Parcival (Der durch das Tal geht)

Music: Pierre Oser
Libretto:Tankred Dorst und Ursula Ehler
World-premiere at Opera Hanoi
Producer: Goethe-Institut Hanoi

A German-Vietnamese co-production