Set Designer

“I was already warned that I would have to fear for my life,” Carmen declares—foreseeing her own doom—in the finale of Bizet’s “opera of all operas” (as Nietzsche once called it). A few minutes later, she is dead, stabbed by the man who was still her lover only moments before, the soldier Don José. The team behind Killing Carmen—Nils Strunk, Lukas Schrenk, and Gabriel Cazes—asked themselves from which perspective this opera, after its many adaptations (including pop-cultural ones) throughout the 20th century, could be retold once again. These three exceptional artists, who for years have devoted themselves to daring and high-energy reinterpretations of the classics, continue the opera’s story: What happened after Carmen’s murder? What void did she leave behind?

Killing Carmen

Volksoper Wien

The godfather of the Beat Generation, William S. Burroughs, rock legend Tom Waits, and director Robert Wilson created "The Black Rider" in Hamburg in 1990: a dreamlike play about the price of escapism. Seemingly opposing worlds blend within it: the associative, often drug-induced lyrics of William S. Burroughs, driven by sound and rhythm, the raw, dissociative sound of Tom Waits, and a well-known German folk tale.

EPSG:4326

The Black Rider The Casting of the Magic Bullets

Theater Lübeck

Güllen is bankrupt. No tax revenue and empty coffers, even though the country's economy is booming: Güllen is to be seized! The long-awaited rescue is approaching in the person of Claire Zachanassian, née Klara Wäscher, who was impregnated and abandoned by Alfred Ill at a young age, lost the paternity suit due to false witness statements, disgraced and driven from the city in poverty, lost her child, forced into prostitution, married and inherited from a wealthy oil baron, and is now a billionaire! Now it's time: With the hope of welcoming a generous benefactor in the former Güllen resident, Claire Zachanassian is being treated to a big welcome. And indeed, she is willing to donate a billion to the city, but under one condition – Alfred Ill must die! Naturally, this caused great outrage among all Güllen residents, who immediately and consistently rejected the immoral offer in the name of humanity. But strangely, little by little, an increased propensity to consume is evident throughout the city, loans are being granted generously, a new town hall is being built, and even the church is buying new bells. And Alfred Ill feels that the people of Güllen are behaving increasingly strangely toward him...

Set Designer

Anne Buffetrille

Events

Upcoming events

Feb 14 - Mar 22, 2026

The Black Rider The Casting of the Magic Bullets · Theater Lübeck

May 7 - Jun 6, 2026

The Visit of the Old Lady · Theater Lübeck

Past events

Oct 1, 2025

Killing Carmen · Volksoper Wien

About

Anne Buffetrille hasn't added a bio