OPERA EXTREME

Every year Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre organises ‘Opera Extreme’, which lasts from first thing in the morning until last thing at night. The doors of the theatre are opened on every aspect of theatre life – visitors can observe rehearsals, workshops and master classes. Theatre specialists, musicians and coaches will lead classes on theatre make-up, the basics of conducting the orchestra, acting and singing skills. During the ‘Opera Extreme’ master classes participants of all ages will have the chance to learn the pointe technique, learn the basics of playing a musical instrument, sing opera karaoke, have a glimpse into many of the secret rooms of the theatre, and experience the atmosphere of the theatre from behind the scenes.

Traditionally the main event of ‘Opera Extreme’ is a premiere of a single-act musical production. Previous years have seen performances of music with strong literary links – Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt based on the dramatic poem of the same name by Henrik Ibsen, Georgii Sviridov’s The Snowstorm after the story by Alexander Pushkin, and also the symphonic story Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev and the symphonic suite The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens have also been included in the repertoire of the theatre.

The ‘Extreme’ day in the Opera Theatre ends with a gala concert with newly recruited artists from the participants of the day joining professional musicians and singers from the theatre. The climax of the evening is the theatrical ball in the style of the grand salons of the 19th century.