Orphée | L'Amour | Eurydice

In this version of the myth, Orpheus and Eurydice are not separated by death, but by a fate that strikes many present-day relationships: the lovers have lost each other along the way. They don’t communicate directly anymore, only via text messages with L’Amour, the personification of love, who in turn is at a loss how to properly fulfil his role as a mediator. 

Three experiences

Using theatre and VR technology, the makers of this production let the audience experience the story from three different perspectives: Orpheus’, Eurydice’s and L’Amour’s, captured in three short performances, which can be experienced separately. Gluck’s music is transformed by Dutch-Polish composer Zbigniew Wolny into an intimate and colourful arrangement for tenor, guitar and electronics.

Orphée experience (live theatre + VR) + L'Amour (VR):

In the Orphée Experience, the audiences follows the story from Orphée's perspective. Sometimes you even literally follow in his footsteps... You enter the installation through the Orphée entrance and are assigned a seat. There, the singer/guitarist Orphée introduces himself. In the second act, you enter a balcony and are fitted with VR glasses. You follow Orphée's perspective in the virtual world by walking and making hand movements. After the VR experience you walk on to the third act where Orphée comes to a conclusion in his feelings about their broken relationship.

Eurydice experience (live theatre + headphones) + L'Amour (VR):

In the Eurydice experience, the audience follows the story from the perspective of Eurydice. You enter the installation through the Eurydice entrance, and when seated you are given headphones. Dancer Eurydice introduces herself. In the second act, you enter the House. Surrounded by the Chorus of Souls, you see and hear live how Orpheus, Eurydice and Amour tell their story, each in their own way. Then you walk through to the third act where Eurydice comes to a conclusion in her feelings about their relationship.

The Amour experience is included in both the ticket for the Orphée experience and the ticket for the Eurydice experience: and can be attended, as you prefer, either directly before or directly after the Eurydice experience. If you wish to visit Amour prior to the Orphée or Eurydice experience, please ensure that you arrive 35 minutes before the start time of Orphée or Eurydice.

Robin Coops

With his interdisciplinary approach, Dutch director Robin Coops (1988) is a rising contemporary opera-maker. His work is an original amalgam of music, theatre, film, technology and digital culture. For Orphée | L’Amour | Eurydice, he drew inspiration from his personal experiences with love and a broken relationship. He joins forces with Avinash Changa, who has developed new techniques especially for this performance in order to provide the VR users in the audience with a maximally immersive experience.