Photo gallery: Animal Farm in rehearsal

Dutch National Opera’s ambitious new adaptation of Animal Farm is part of their Opera Forward Festival, and runs from 3rd to 16th March in Amsterdam.

This photo gallery takes an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the production in progress – with stage designs by Paolo Fantin, costume designs by Klaus Bruns, and a day in the life of rehearsals with the cast and chorus. Click on the images to open a larger version in the carousel.

Our interview with stage director Damiano Michieletto, composer Alexander Raskatov, and librettist Ian Burton, is available to read here.

Set design by Paolo Fantin for Animal Farm opening scenes

Set design for rebellion scene

Set design for the farm’s butchery

Set design for ending scenes

Costume designs by Klaus Bruns for Napoleon and Old Major

Costume designs for Snowball and Squealer

Costume designs for Mollie and Muriel

Costume designs for Benjamin and Boxer

Costume designs for Clover and Minimus

Animal Farm cast rehearses inside battery cages

Children’s chorus rehearses

The main cast mingles with the children’s chorus

The children’s chorus cradles smaller prop animals

Gennady Bezzubenkov (Old Major) rehearses together with the chorus

Gennady Bezzubenkov (Old Major)

Director Damiano Michieletto works with the chorus

Damiano Michieletto (stage director), Thomas Wilhelm (choreography), Bassem Akiki (musical director)

Germán Olvera (Boxer) together with chorus and meat grinder

Misha Kiria (Napoleon) faces the meat grinder

Chorus rehearsing in battery cages

Cast and chorus rehearsing in cages

Damiano Michieletto (stage direction)

Cast rehearses, headed up by Germán Olvera (Boxer)

Maya Gour as Muriel

Damiano Michiletto rehearses with the chorus

Meat for the grinder

Bassem Akiki (musical director) with Alexander Raskatov (composer) in the background

Alexander Raskatov (composer)

Thomas Wilhelm (choregraphy) in rehearsal

Chorus headed up by Michael Gniffke (Snowball) and Misha Kiria (Napoleon)

Taking a break

Looking on

Masked and in cages

Holly Flack (Mollie) together with Thomas Wilhelm and Damiano Michieletto

Looking on from within the chorus

Damiano Michieletto rehearses with Gennady Bezzubenkov and chorus

Bassem Akiki (musical director)

Gennady Bezzubenkov (Old Major) rehearses together with the chorus

Gennady Bezzubenkov (Old Major) with the meat grinder

Germán Olvera (Boxer) with the meat grinder

Inside the cage

Breaking free of the cage

Chorus in their masks

Karl Laquit (Benjamin) together with cast

Production team looks on

Cast and chorus

James Kryshak (Squealer) and chorus

The entire company rehearses

Cast and chorus rehearses

Rushing to and fro

Misha Kiria (Napoleon) leads the chorus

Bassem Akiki (musical director) and Alexander Raskatov (composer)

Debriefing at the end of rehearsals