WAITING PLACES
SATYAGRAHA
Opera
Direction & Choreography
Bobbi Jene Smith & Or Schraiber
Musical Direction
Ingo Metzmacher
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Music
Philip Glass
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Singers
Anthony Roth Costanzo, Ilanah Lobel-Torres, Davóne Tines, Adriana Bignagni Lesca, Olivia Boen, Deepa Johnny, Amin Ahangaran, Nicky Spence, Nicolas Cavallier & the Paris Opera Chorus
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Dancers
Alexander Bozinoff, Lorrin Brubaker, Jeremy Coachman, Jonathan Fredrickson, Marion Gautier de Charnacé, Awa Joannais, Héloïse Jocqueviel, Payton Johnson, Rachel McNamee, Mermoz Melchior, Adrien Ouaki, Ido Toledano
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Assistant Choreographer
Doug Letheren
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Scenography
Christian Friedländer
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Light Designer
John Torres​
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Costume Design
Wojciech Dziedzic
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Dramaturgy
Jacob Bird
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Commissioned by the Paris Opera (AD Alexander Neef)
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Premiered April 2026, at the Palais Garnier, Paris, France
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Duration
3.5 hours
Images by Yonathan Kellerman
Video by Tommy Pascal
PRESS
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“A thunderous entry into the Paris Opera repertoire.”
— Le Monde
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“What an emotion!… Opera has the power to do good. And to re-enchant the world.”
— Le Figaro
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“The historical figures fade, yet the political message remains timeless; the struggle against violence through endurance and resistance.”
— Dìapason​
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“One senses the infinite breath of history and humanity emanating from the work.”
— Bachtrack
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“The theatre becomes choreography — an embodied illustration of nonviolence.”
— ClassiqueNews
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“A long-awaited conquest… crowned with undeniable success.”
— La Terrasse
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“A very successful staging and choreography.”
— Transfuge​
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“The precision and beauty of the movement transcend storytelling… A political and timeless language of bodies.”
— Classykeo
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“Choreography of great beauty, performed with deeply committed expressivity.”
— Première Loge
“A moment of grace and strangeness—deeply needed in our time.”
— Artistik Rezo
“Non-violence lies in the way bodies move in relation to one another.”
— Olytix