INTRODUCTION

In his search for aesthetic and conceptual unity, Stefano Poda always combines direction, choreography, sets, costumes, and lightning: his personal seal is founded on a visionary, multi-level imprint balanced between ancient images and contemporary art. On stage he speaks his own language, immediately recognizable, erasing the barriers between different genres and disciplines, in order to create an all-embracing experience, a world of total art. His way of doing theatre is not a mere story-telling, but a plastic, holistic dimension, able to blend together design, architecture, sculpture, painting, music, and dramaturgy.

RECENT AND FUTURE ENGAGEMENTS

Most recent best-known works and future projects include:

  • the opening of the Centenary Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2023 with the new production of Verdi’s Aida, worldwide broadcast;
  • the new Tosca (2021) at Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow;
  • Dvořák’s Rusalka for the opening season of the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse (co-production with The Israeli Opera);
  • Alcina (2022 · broadcast on ARTE TV) and Norma (2023) at Opéra de Lausanne;
  • the inauguration of the 2023/24 Season of the Teatro Regio in Turin with Halevy’s Juive;
  • Rossini’s Eduardo e Cristina for the 2023 Pesaro Rossini Opera Festival;
  • Roméo et Juliette (2018, 2023) and Rheingold (2024) at NCPA of Beijing;
  • Offenbach’s Contes d’Hoffmann at The Tel Aviv Israeli Opera;
  • Otello at Hungarian State Opera of Budapest (2023);
  • Nabucco for the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires (2022) and for the reopening of the National Theatre of Korea (2021, 2023);
  • Enescu’s Oedipe at the George Enescu International Festival 2023.

BIOGRAPHY

Stefano Poda’s worldwide career numbers about one hundred productions.

Other notable productions in recent years include: Ariane et Barbe-Bleue at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse (2019 · broadcast on France TV); two different productions of Les Contes d’Hoffmann (coproduction Opéra de Lausanne/Israeli Opera/ROW, and at State Theatre am Gärtnerplatz in Munich); Ariodante (2016) and Lucia di Lammermoor (2017 · broadcast on ARTE TV) at Opéra de Lausanne; Boris Godunov (2017) and Andrea Chénier (2015) at Korea National Opera; Thaïs (2015), Fosca by Carlos Gomes and Titan (2016), a choreography on Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, at Theatro Municipal de São Paulo; L’Elisir d’Amore at Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourg (2016); Otello at Hungarian State Opera of Budapest (2015); Tristan und Isolde conducted by Zubin Mehta for the opening of the 77th edition of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival (2014); Il Trovatore at Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens Festival (2012, revival in 2017); Trittico by Puccini at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (2011); Leggenda by Alessandro Solbiati at Teatro Regio di Torino (2011 · DVD EMA Vinci Records); La Forza del Destino (2011) at Teatro Regio di Parma (DVD Unitel/C Major) and at the Festival Verdi in Parma (2014).

His iconic production of Gounod’s Faust at Teatro Regio Torino in 2015, a co-production of the Israeli Opera of Tel Aviv and the Lausanne Opera (DVD & Blu-Ray Unitel Classica/C Major) had been broadcast with great success in movie theatres across the world. This is true also for Puccini’s Turandot in 2018 (DVD C Major, streaming on Operavision) and Massenet’s Thaïs in 2008 (DVD & Blu-ray, RAI/Arthaus Musik) both staged at Teatro Regio Torino and conducted by Gianandrea Noseda.

AWARDS

Stefano Poda was awarded the prestigious “Prix Claude Rostand de la Critique Française” by the Professional Association of French Critics at the Opéra Comique in Paris, for Ariane et Barbe-Bleue at the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, best opera production in 2019.

He was invited as a special guest to the PQ Prague Quadrennial 2019, the 14th edition of the largest international festival of theatre and stage design. In 2018, the Fifth International Experts Forum of the Stage Arts in Beijing was dedicated to “Stefano Poda, Opera Design as total Art Work”, an international symposium at the Forbidden City. In 2019 he received the “Ombra della Sera” Lifetime Achievement Award for Performing Arts at the Roman Theatre of Volterra.

AUDIO & VIDEO

La Juive – Teatro Regio Torino 2023/2024

Tosca (behing the scenes) – Bolshoi Theatre 2021

Les Contes d’Hoffmann – Opéra de Lausanne 2019

Thaïs – Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, Teatro Regio Torino

Va, pensiero (Nabucco) – Korea National Opera 2021

Faust – Opéra Royal de Wallonie 2019

Boris Godunov – Korea National Opera Arts Avenue 2017

REVIEWS

Turandot Teatro Regio, Torino – 2018

“L’audacia del direttore, e quella ancor maggiore del regista Stefano Poda, è stata ampiamente ripagata dal pubblico della prima di Turandot. Un pubblico attentissimo e silente, per quanto si sentisse fremere l’emozione sin dall’apertura del sipario. La scenografia di Poda è un abile crogiuolo di richiami sia all’arte contemporanea — i calchi del retropalco a noi torinesi rammentano immediatamente il Portrait relief of Claude Pascal di Yves Klein della Gam — sia alla Grecia antica ma anche, inevitabilmente, alle invenzioni, sempre sull’onda di una Grecia minoica, sanguinaria e sacrificante, di Mariano Fortuny.”

– Barbara Notaro Dietrich, Corriere della Sera, Torino

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