







HÄNSEL UND GRETEL - OPERA
In December of 2018, the Bochumer Symphoniker held their first scenic performance in the Anneliese Brost Musik Forum in Bochum: The Hänsel und Gretel opera, composed by Engelbert Humperdinck.
Under the direction of Yannick Verweij and Lotte de Beer came forth an opera that told this classic story through a combination of puppetry, illustrations, live video and drawings made by local children. Poverty in the Ruhr Area and the wondrous imagination of children were among its core themes.
For the live video, I made cut-out illustrations and miniature sets that, through cameras, were projected on a big screen behind the orchestra. Together with Vita Coenen we used both my work and the drawings of children to visualize their imagination.
CONDUCTOR
Steven Sloane
ORCHESTRA
Bochumer Symphoniker
DIRECTOR
Yannick Verweij
SCENOGRAPHY
Dorike van Genderen
CONCEPT AND END DIRECTOR
Lotte de Beer
ILLUSTRATIONS AND LIVE VIDEO
Ralph Zabel
PUPPET CREATOR AND COSTUME DESIGN
Pluck Venema
PUPPETEERS:
Pluck Venema and Noufri Bachdim of Studio Figur
ASSISTENT PUPPETEER AND LIVE VIDEO
Vita Coenen
CAST
Thomas Oliemans - Peter Besenbinder
Katrin Kapplusch - Gertrud
Stephanie Lauricella - Hänsel
Alexandra Flood - Gretel
Peter Marsh - Die Knusperhexe
Sophia Burgos - Sandmännchen/Taumännchen
Opern-Kinderchor der Chorakademie Dortmund,
Kuchenkinder - Vivien Zarah Bryl, Paul Malan und Marie Albrecht,
Kinderfiguranten - second grade pupils of Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Schule
PHOTOGRAPHY
Sabine Hahnefeld, Yannick Verweij, Vita Coenen and Ralph Zabel




