David Freeman
Director
| Most recent engagements for Australian director David Freeman include Madama Butterfly and Carmen Royal Albert Hall in London, a staged version of Handel’s Messiah Royal Danish Opera and Oper Frankfurt, Die Zauberflöte and Heggie’s Dead Man Walking Theater Schwerin, and L’Olimpiade, La Verita in Cimento and L’Incoronazione di Dario Garsington Opera. Additional engagements include Gaddafi ENO, Wozzeck La Monnaie, Cyrano et Roxanne (world premiere) with text by Jean-Claude Carriere and music by Stavros Xaharkos as a French-Greek co-production Athens and Compiegne and Carmen at the O2 Arena in London. He also directed the Bollywood musical Zangoora: The Gypsy Prince in India.
Mr. Freeman directed Prokofiev’s The Fiery Angel at the Kirov (now Mariinsky) Opera St. Petersburg, conducted by Valery Gergiev. This production was also seen at the Royal Opera Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera, Bunko Kaiken Theatre, Tokyo and the San Francisco Opera. In Russia, it won the best production and best director awards and was also televised by BBC and released as a commercial video. In the USA he also directed the American premiere of Glass’ Akhnaten at Houston Grand Opera and New York. David founded the Opera Factory in London in 1981, under the auspices of ENO. It was the resident company at the South Bank Centre from 1986, when the 900 seat Queen Elizabeth Hall was adapted as a theatre specifically for the company, until 1995. He directed 22 productions for OFL, eight of which have been televised. The company gave its last performance in 1998, And the Snake Sheds Its Skin, with text by David Freeman and music by Senegalese pop composer Habib Faye. Recognising his film and TV experience, he has served on Film Music Festival juries in Cannes and Lyons. He has directed many plays, including both parts of Goethe’s Faust with actor Simon Callow, his own dramatisation of Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur at the Lyric Theatre, Winter’s Tale at The Shakespeare Globe Theatre and The Entertainer with actor David Threlfall at the Derby Playhouse. |