Le petit livre d'Anna Magdalena Bach MC : 2 Grenoble (detail) View full image

Agathe Mélinand

Dramaturg, Librettist
© Polo Garat

Agathe Mélinand has not completely rewritten the text; rather reshaped and cut some of the longer sections, thus proving that without any need for any "dusting off" of the texts, the spectators still laugh at the original texts when the burlesque, the hero-comedy and the absurd are handled with so much skill.

Stéphane Lelièvre, Olyrix, Barbe bleue, Opéra de Lyon

Agathe Mélinand enjoys a career as director, dramaturg and librettist in opera and theatre. She also writes regularly for Le Monde Diplomatique and other publications.

In the opera house Agathe has produced new dialogues and adaptations of numerous libretti. Projects in 2023 include an adaption of Le Chauve Souris in the original french for Opéra de Lille with director Laurent Pelly. Other recent work includes Lakmé for Opéra Comique, La Périchole for the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, an adaptation of Offenbach’s Le voyage dans la Lune for Opéra Comique (a co-production with Greek National Opera and the Volksoper Vienna) and additional texts (derived from Goethe’s Faust) for Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust for the Glyndebourne Festival, directed by Richard Jones. An Offenbach specialist, her adaptation of Le roi Carotte was the winner of the Best Discovered Work category at the International Opera Awards.

Her most recent work in the theatre includes 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 and the french-language premiere of her new translation of Harvey by Mary Chase at TNP-Villurbaine (Lyon), directed by Laurent Pelly. 2023-24 sees the premiere of their latest theatrical venture – Goldoni’s L’Impresario de Smyrne, translated and adapted by Agathe.

La Périchole, Théâtre des Champs Elysées 2022

Le petit livre d'Anna Magdalena Bach, MC : 2 Grenoble 2020 / Théâtre de Caen 2023

Offenbach: Le Voyage dans la lune, Opéra Comique, 2021

Offenbach: Barbe bleue, Opéra de Lyon, 2019

Offenbach: Le Roi Carotte, Opéra de Lille, 2018

Marcel Proust / Agathe Mélinand: Enfance et adolescence de Jean Santeuil, Théâtre national de Toulouse, 2017

Aristophane: Les Oiseaux, Théâtre national de Toulouse, 2017

Berlioz: Béatrice et Bénédict, Glyndebourne, 2016

Offenbach: Le Roi Carotte, Opéra de Lyon, 2015

Poulenc: Histoire de Babar, Théâtre national de Toulouse, 2014

Chabrier: L'étoile, Dutch National Opera, 2014

Satie: Mémoires d’un amnésique, Théâtre national de Toulouse, 2013

Tennessee Williams - Short Stories, Théâtre national de Toulouse, 2012

3 publicity photos