James Bonas

James Bonas is a traditional storyteller for the modern era, combining imagination and intellect with a curiosity for technology and new forms, whether directing classical or contemporary theatre, opera, or dance. His most recent work in opera includes the French premiere of Abrahamsen’s Snow Queen for Opéra national du Rhin – winner of the French Critics Best Scenic Elements/Scenography award 2022 - and Jonathan Dove’s Flight for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In Spring 2023 he makes his German debut with Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos at Theater Magdeburg.

Bonas also works internationally in dance and collaborates regularly with choreographers including Helen Pickett and Sophie Laplane. With Helen Pickett he created an award-winning narrative ballet - The Crucible - for Scottish Ballet, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival 2019, with further runs at Sadler’s Wells London, the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC and Nashville, Tennessee. With Sophie Laplane he created the celebrated short film Dive, also for Scottish Ballet, which has been featured in dance film festivals worldwide, including the 2021 Venice Biennale.

An advocate for multi-disciplinary performance, Bonas collaborated with Damon Albarn on the creation of Le Vol du Boli, an exploration of the complex and often brutal relations between Europe and West Africa, at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Appearing regularly at the BBC Proms, in 2022 he collaborates with Anthony Roth-Costanzo and ENO on Glass Handel at the Printworks in London.