The new opera Voyage d’Automne at Opéra National du Capitole, in Toulouse France is written by composer Bruno Mantovani with libretto by Dorian Astor, based on true events.

In 1941, a group of five known French writers is invited by the Nazi officials to travel through Germany and participate in international writers’ forum, enticing them to support and collaborate with Nazi ideology and propaganda via their art, and bias public opinion in occupied France.

Directed by Marie Lambert-Le Bihan, the piece circulates around themes of moral rectitude in times of war, creativity under constraint, and the corruption of the mind and body by an authoritarian regime.

Opening at late November 2024.

THE PLACE OF CHOICE

Roman Novitzky, the Stuttgart Ballet's newly appointed Artist in Residence, is creating his first major work for the opera house stage on behalf of ballet director Tamas Detrich.

For the fourth time, Yaron Abulafia will collaborate with Roman and design the Scenography and the Lighting.

First collaboration between Yaron Abulafia and Andrew McNicol with the National Ballet of Portugal.
The program consists of pieces by William Forsythe, George Balanchine and Andrew McNicol (creation). 

World premiere: March 14th, 2024,
São Carlos Opera House, Lisbon, Portugal

Yaron Abulafia was one of the keynote speakers at the 5th SCENA JUTRA (‘Stage of Tomorrow’) conference, a high profile 2-day industry symposium taking place at the Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera in Warsaw, Poland, organised by the Stage of Tomorrow Foundation (March 29th - 30th, 2023).

First collaboration between contemporary Flamenco master Andrés Marín and Yaron Abulafia. We are extremely happy to be opening the International Festival of Danza Italica at the amphitheatre in Seville on June 22th and 23th, followed by performance in Teatros del Canal in Madrid from October 12 to 16, 2021.

Dr. Yaron Abulafia has been invited by KOSMOS THEATRE to lead their fourth annual laboratory of experimental visual theater, Kosmos LAB.

The english-language workshop is intended for Lithuanian theatre professionals. Lighting designers, set designers, directors, artists-researchers, playwrights, choreographers, stage technicians, etc. who want to get to know the art of light, its possibilities and secrets more deeply. 

This July, Yaron will be designing two new pieces in collaboration with choreographers Norge Cedeño Raffo and Raúl Reinoso, for Acosta Danza in Havana Cuba. The world premiere will take place at Gran Teatro de la Habana, followed by international-tour to Sadler’s Wells (London) and other venues in the UK, Madrid and Paris.

By invitation of the Department of Performing Arts - Professor Charlie Åström, Stockholm University of the Arts organises on March 18^th a three-hours meeting with the students to discuss themes from the book The Art of Light on Stage with Dr. Yaron Abulafia.

ESAD Seville organised a four-days online conference on performance design, with a wonderful lineup of speakers among them opera director Rafael R. Villalobos, scenographer and professor Emanuele Sinisi, performance designer and lecturer Dr. Yaron Abulafia, costume designer Marta Jiménez and scenographer Sebastià Brosa.

The conference took place between February 22 – 25, 2021.

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This ballet should have premiered in the spring of 2020. Then the pandemic happened and threw a huge spanner in the works. The recurring process of the rise and fall of an entire society is a highly topical issue at present.

GLORIA is created under extraordinary circumstances: conceptually at a distance and choreographically as a collective. It’s a further opportunity for ballet director Richard Wherlock to work with Andrea Marcon’s La Cetra Baroque Orchestra and the La Cetra Vocal Ensemble. Sorrow any joy flow through the bodies of the dancers. They tirelessly and relentlessly rebuild their ruined world... Pergolesi’s ‘Stabat Mater’ and Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’ provide the musical backdrop.

AAI ADADI (The Spanish Association of Lighting Designers) organised a special online event on July 19th, with Yaron Abulafia's masterclass 'Luz, Dramaturgia, Imaginación' (Light, Dramaturgy, Imagination) for Spanish and Latin-American public, with simultaneous translation to Spanish.

The event was hosted by AAI ADADI Vice-President Nicolas Fischtel

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OISTAT International/Lighting Design Sub-Commission, in partnership with Wisconsin University Green Bay, Theatre & Dance Department, invited Dr. Yaron Abulafia to deliver his presentation: THE INVISIBLE PERFORMER, as part of the series Designers on Design.

The event was hosted by Prof. Diinesh Yadav on June 17th 2020

On April 30th 2020, Yaron delivered an online presentation to the members and guests of The Society of Israeli Theatre Designers and The Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts.

The event was hosted by Prof. Dana Tzarfati

DIRECT CURRENT, the Kennedy Center's two-week celebration of contemporary culture, returns for a third season. With special emphasis on female creators, works new to the District of Columbia, and interdisciplinary creations, the 2020 spring immersion showcases some of the most provocative, original, and pioneering voices in the arts today. DIRECT CURRENT takes place March 8–21 at the Kennedy Center—including the indoor and outdoor spaces of the REACH—and around the city.

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A new ballet by Richard Wherlock

Ballet Theatre Basel

Music by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi and Antonio Vivaldi.

This ballet evening represents a veritable baroque highlight in which Richard Wherlock will collaborate again with Andrea Marcon’s La Cetra Baroque Orches­tra and the La Cetra Vocal Ensemble.

World premiere at Theater Basel – main stage, May 8th, 2020.

Samsara, inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, traces the steps we take, both forward and backward, in search of our higher selves.

Drawing on thinking and imagery at the heart of Buddhist philosophy, it explores some of the 81 obstacles and 6 states of mind that can hold us back.

Epic mythological storytelling merges with personal experience and anecdote from two globally opposite perspectives, in a highly visual landscape.

On September 19^th 2019, Shenzhen Opera & Dance Theatre Company held its first press conference at the Yun Song Concert Hall at the top of One Shenzhen Bay Tower, where the new company introduced its first production DREAM PURSUERS. The production will have its world premiere at the Grand Theatre Shenzhen on November 21^st, followed by a national tour. The creative team, company leaders and government officers introduced different aspects related to the show.
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Lighting design has come a long way in Singapore and Taiwan and the demand for excellence in lighting for performances has significantly grown in terms of originality. Robe Asia Pacific, with the support of School of the Arts (SOTA) Singapore and Taiwan National University of Arts, has initiated in each country one-week program of presentations by Dr. Yaron Abulafia and the Lighting Engineer Mr. Steve Eastham.
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Shanghai Theatre Academy was the 2019 host of the Young Designers Training and Education Program – the most prestigious training program in the field of stage design in China.

This annual intensive course is offered for exceptional talents in the field of Performance and Theatre Design in China, and consists of a serie of masterclasses by world specialists.

Dr. Abulafia and the Chinese master of stage design, professor Xinglin Liu from The Central Academy of Drama in Beijing were the guest speakers on May 28^th, 2019.

The National Academy of Chinese Theatre arts, Head of Stage Design Professor Ma Lu and Professor Cao Lin, Chairman of China Institute of Stage Design invited Dr. Abulafia to deliver 3 days seminar to the students of the Stage Design department.

The seminar took place in Beijing during May 21 – 23, 2019.

IES Mexico Section organizes the most important conference about lighting technology and design in Mexico. Yaron Abulafia has been invited to present some of his lighting designs at the Annual Lighting Seminar. This year the XXI Lighting Seminar will take place in Mexico-City on April 3rd-4th, 2019. Click here for more info.

Dr. Yaron Abulafia has been appointed as PQ Jury member for the Prague Quadrennial 2019. He will join as one of 11 international jury members including: Kate Bailey, Jim Clayburgh, Tim Foster, Dorita Hannah, Robert Kaplowitz, Sodja Lotker, Sofia Pantouvaki, Omar Rajeh, Monica Raya and Liu Xinglin.

https://www.pq.cz/international-jury/

Beijing Dance Academy invited Dr. Abulafia for the second time, to lead a workshop for emerging students of lighting design and choreography. In a fully equipped studio, the lighting designers developed individual concepts for short scenes to be mutually directed with choreography students. The lighting designers were the initiators of the scenes and each group was mentored by Dr. Abulafia for several days, culminating with a presentation of 6 projects at the end of the workshop.

The new title of PQ Ambassador will be offered each edition of PQ to the members of the jury and to those whose work and contributions to the global performance design community embody the ideals of excellence, advocacy, and collaboration on the international level. PQ Ambassadors are people, who have been valuable assets in developing PQ into a vibrant network and their knowledge and expertise will continue to be a resource for PQ teams in the future.

https://www.pq.cz/about/pq-ambassador-program/