A recording of Le Nozze di Figaro with Stefaan Degand and Evan van der Gucht, among others, is shown on Sint-Jansplein. — © Annemie Augustijns
Opera Ballet Flanders sold more tickets than ever for its opera productions in 2023. With classics such as Madama Butterfly, Romeo and Juliet and Salome can also make a big difference in the new season.
With 152,000 visitors, Opera Ballet Flanders (OBV) is calling 2023 a record year. “All opera performances were almost sold out,” says Jan Vandenhouwe, artistic director of OBV. “The turnout for ballet remained stable.” There have been auditions for both the orchestra and the ballet company in recent months. “1,500 dancers took their chance for seven available places at the Ballet.”The average visitor at OBV is 55 years old, but at the same time 12.5% of tickets were sold to young people under 27. Almost half of the spectators bought a ticket for the first time.
For the 2024-2025 season, OBV has no shortage of well-known titles, roughly speaking Madama Butterfly, Salome, Romeo and Juliet, Normaor Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s dance classic Rain. The season ends with Wozzeck by Alban Berg, directed by theater celebrity Johan Simons. The more adventurous titles jump Barzakh of director Thomas Bellinck. “Operas are often bathed in a criminal environment. Prisoners receive beautiful choir parts and beautiful arias, while the reality is often different. In this production, Bellinck involved people in detention in the detention centers of Antwerp and Ghent who are awaiting trial. In workshops they write the text for a performance that critically examines the prison system.”
A recording of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, the most popular performance of the past season, will be shown for free on the big screen on Sint-Jansplein on August 31. Stefaan Degand and Eva van der Gucht, who played in it, introduce the performance.
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