Cameron Menzies: La Boheme in Belfast

Australian director, writer and designer, Cameron Menzies, flew into Belfast from Australia in the midst of the pandemic to start his new tenure as Artistic Director and relaunch Northern Ireland Opera.

Puccini's La Boheme is one of the most famous operas ever written, and tells the story of a group of Bohemians who are all desperately trying to find their way in life and love, alongside the difficulties a life of poverty and illness throws at them.

This is the opera that Cameron Menzies has chosen to make his debut. It will be staged in the iconic and derelict Carlisle Memorial Church in Belfast in an area of the city which was once the flashpoint for much of the Troubles. Due to Covid, he has flipped this most classic of operas and is presenting it in a way it has never been seen before.

The set will be built from scratch, and there will only be a few short weeks between first entering the church to the live performances in September.

Join Marie-Louise Muir as she discovers what it takes to stage an opera in less than six weeks, and talks to the other creative voices involved, including the conductor, Rebecca Lang and the production manager, Pádraig Ó Duinnín.

Presented by Marie-Louise Muir
Produced by Marie-Louise Muir and Rebecca Armstrong
Executive Produced by Rebecca Armstrong for the BBC World Service