Agathe Mélinand et Laurent Pelly/Pel-Mel Groupe

Laurent Pelly

French opera and theatre director, Laurent Pelly is sought after by the world’s most prestigious houses. With a natural affinity for Italian and French repertoire, his creative curiosity has in recent years led him towards other composers, including Russian and Czech. He brings theatrical insight to his work with singers and his concepts often contain surreal invention and a dark sense of humour. A master of detail, he designs the costumes for all his productions, as well as occasionally the sets.

Well-known at opera houses such as Opéra national de Paris, Opéra de Lyon, Royal Opera House, Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Teatro Real, La Monnaie/de Munt and Glyndebourne, he is just as adept in and passionate about theatre. He was Co-Director of Théâtre national de Toulouse Midi- Pyrénées (2008–2018) where creations included Ionesco’s La cantatrice chauve, Aristophane’s Les oiseaux, Goldoni’s L’oiseau vert and Hugo’s Mangeront-ils? as well as Shakespeare’s Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In 2021 he brings his sense of comic fantasy to the first French theatrical production of Mary Chase’s Harvey.

As a renowned Offenbach specialist, Laurent Pelly has directed many award-winning titles, including Barbebleue, La vie parisienne, La belle Hélène, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein, Orphée aux Enfers and Les contes d’Hoffmann. His production of Le roi carotte for Opéra de Lyon won Best Rediscovered Work at the 2016 International Opera Awards. His 2020/21 season includes Le voyage dans la lune (Opéra Comique), La Cenerentola (Geneva, Valencia), Falstaff (La Monnaie, Opéra national de Bordeaux, Nikikai Opera Foundation Tokyo), Il nozze di Figaro (Santa Fe) and the French-language premiere of Mary Chase’s Harvey (MC2 : Grenoble and on tour, including Lyon and Versailles).

Agathe Mélinand

Agathe Mélinand enjoys a career as director, dramaturg and librettist in opera and theatre. She was Co-Director with Laurent Pelly of Théâtre national de Toulouse 2008-2018; Deputy Artistic Director and Director of Communication of the Centre Dramatique National des Alpes in Grenoble 1997-2007 and Co-Director (also with Laurent Pelly) of theatre company Le Pélican 1989–1994.

Theatre highlights include translations of Carlo Goldoni’s Le menteur, Carlo Gozzi’s L’Oiseau vert – also seen at the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin in Paris in 2018 – and Aristophane’s Les Oiseaux. Also the translation, adaptation, writing and realisation of works such as Monsieur le 6, Tennessee Williams – Short Stories, Histoire de Babar le Petit Elephant, Erik Satie – Mémoires d’un Amnésique and an adaptation of Marcel Proust – Enfance et Adolescence de Jean Santeuil. Her most recent work – Le Petit Livre d’Anna Magdalena Bach – inspired by the film Chronique d’Anna Magdalena Bach (Jean-Marie Straub Straub and Danièle Huillet) and based around the Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach premiered at MC2 : Grenoble in January 2020. Projects in 2020-21 include a new translation and the French premiere of Harvey by Mary Chase at MC2 : Grenoble in 2021, directed by Laurent Pelly.

Opera highlights include new dialogue versions of Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict,Chabrier’s L’étoile (The Star) and Donizetti’s La fille du régiment. An Offenbach specialist, she has created, together with her long-time collaborator Laurent Pelly, new versions of a dozen or so titles including most recently, Le Roi Carotte (King Carrot) for the Opéra de Lyon, winner of the Best Rediscovered Work category at the 2016 International Opera Awards. Projects in 2017-2018 included a new dialogue adaptation of Strauss’ Gypsy Baron, directed by Christian Räth at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

Manager : Colin Pitrat and Iris Cottu
+33 (0)1 43 38 23 71 / production@lesindependances.com