John Fulljames

Director

John is Associate Director of Opera at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and former artistic director of The Opera Group.

2015
Mahagonny	Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
2014
La Clémence de Titus (revival)	Opera National de Lorraine, Nancy Design: Conor Murphy
2013
Street Scene	Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
American Lulu	The Opera Group, Bregenzer Festspiele, Scottish Opera and The Young Vic
Firework Makers Daughter	The Opera Group, Opera North, ROH2 and Watford Palace Theatre
Street Scene	Le Chatelet, Paris
La Donna del Lago	Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
La Clemenza di Tito	Opera North Design: Conor Murphy
'But the supreme merit of John Fulljames's new production for Opera North, and of the dramatic performances given by his cast of six excellent singers, is to bring out the tense , heart -rending personal drama at the heart of the work.'....'Fulljames's staging and the committed performances of the three principles sustain the intensity of the drama.' The Independent, Anthony Arblaster
'For Opera North, Holten's RO deputy, John Fulljames, has staged a smart, slick updating of Mozart's royalist propaganda piece, La Clemenza di Tito, in eye-catching, minimalist sets and catwalk costumes by Conor Murphy, and wonderful kaleidoscopic, trompe-l'oeil video projections by Finn Ross.' Sunday Times, Hugh Canning
2012
Babur in London	The Opera Group; Anvil Arts, Basingstoke and Opera North
Where the Wild Things Are	Theater Bremen
Maestro Series	BBC
Von Heute auf Morgen (Schoenberg) Sancta Susanna (Hindemith) played as part of Il Trittico with David Pountney	Opera de Lyon Design: Johan Engels
'John Fulljames is the real discovery of this journey after Lyon: the Assistant Director of the London Covent Garden Opera emerges with "Von Heute auf Morgen" as an excellent theatre craftsman.' Die Presse
2011
Street Scene	Young Vic
From the House of the Dead	Opera North
'From the House of the Dead is an uplifting and profoundly moving masterpiece' Hugh Canning, Sunday Times
'John Fulljames's new production doesn't sentimentalise or glamorise Janecek's intentionally tough final masterpiece' The Telegraph, Rupert Christiansen
Seven Angels By Luke Bedford Libretto Glyn Maxwell	The Opera Group with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group World Premiere
2010
Das Portrait	Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern
The Lion's Face by Elena Langer	The Opera Group Design: Alex Lowde
The Portrait By Mieczyslaw Weinberg	Bregenz Festival
The Adventues of Mr Broucek	Co-Production Opera North & Scottish Opera Design: Alex Lowde Lighting Design: Lucy Carter
'Janacek's The Adventures of Mr Broucek is given a witty and perceptive updating in John Fulljames's Opera North and Scottish Opera co-production. The year is 1968, when Russia sent tortoises into space and tanks into Prague.' Anna Picard, Independent on Sunday 'Fulljames can't disguise the opera's fitful humour, nor can the conductor , Martin Andre, gloss over the score's occasional longeur, but they make the strongest possible case for Broucek's revival.' Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times
The Knight's Crew By Composer Julian Philips	Glyndebourne Education, World Premiere Featured in three 1 hour television programmes for BBC2 with Gareth Malone, Chorus Master
2009
The Enchanted Pig by Jonathan Dove	The Opera Group, Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House
Under the Greenwood Tree by Harrison Birtwistle	The Opera Group
Into the Little Hill by George Benjamin	The Opera Group
The Adventures of Mr. Broucek	Co-Production Opera North & Scottish Opera Design: Alex Lowde Lighting Design: Lucy Carter
2008
Gianni Schicci/Florentine Tragedy	Greek National Opera
Varjak Paw Music by Julian Philips	The Opera Group
Street Scene by Kurt Weill	Buxton Festival, The Young Vic and The Opera Group
Evening Standard, The Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical 2008 goes to Street Scene, The Opera Group, Directed by John Fulljames
'But it's hard to fault The Opera Group's terrific staging, energetically directed by John Fulljames...' Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph
'But still his production grips, as it gives full throttle to the passion, sorrow and humour in the piece....Fulljames and his cast draw out its surging theatricality.' Sarah Hemming, Financial Times
Paradise Moscow	Royal Academy of Music
Romeo et Juliette	Opera North
Best Opera Award 2008 at the TMA Awards goes to Opera North for their Shakespeare Season 2008; 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' 'Romeo et Juliette' and ' Macbeth' Designed by Johan Engels; 'Romeo et Juliette' Directed by John Fulljames
Sneguroshka	Wexford Festival Opera
2007
Mavra & Gianni Schicci	Greek National Opera
Nabucco	Opera Holland Park
"The force of that opening chorus, and the physical power of the stage blockings, made for an arresting start to director John Fulljames high-octane production" Edward Seckerson, The Independent "John Fulljames's audacious staging of Nabucco, also designed by Yannis Thavoris and Giuseppe di Iorio, is unlikely to please those who thought Richard Jones's Macbeth flippant. The overture's graveyard of battered suitcases is familiar enough. But just when you think you're in Lodz, along comes the Babylon Circus Troupe , with a bunch of vicious, combat-ready clowns, and Nabucco (David Wakeman) dressed in a lion suit, on a push-along scooter. Much as many assimilated European Jews dismissed Hitler's torchlit rallies as cheap showmanship, one's first impulse is to laugh. But absurdist as Fulljames's imagery is, the sight of these clowns bullying the terrified Hebrew slaves into a cage is more unsettling than the Holocaust imagery that has been cheapened inprevious productions of this and other works." Anna Picard, The Sunday Independent
The Shops	The Opera Group Bregenz Festival And then on UK Tour.
Le Nozze di Figaro	Guildhall School of Music & Drama Designer: Conor Murphy
The Enchanted Pig	The Young Vic. The Opera Group. On tour. Composed by Jonathan Dove, Written by Alasdair Middleton
'John Fulljames' excellent production has mischievous humour and visual beauty... you have a show whose sense of fun, range and imaginative coherence puts the RSC's new 'Merry Wives - The Musical' to shame.' Paul Taylor, The Independent.
2006
Tobias and the Angel Jonathan Dove & David Lan	The Young Vic Opening show of the newly refurbished theatre
'One of the best evenings I've had in a theatre...I was captivated... It was a paradigm of everything a sharp, intelligent, imaginative, heartfelt and (that rare thing) competent community arts venture ought to be.' Michael White, Opera Now
Blond Eckbert New Chamber version	The Opera Group - opening in the LinburyTheatre, Royal Opera House and then on tour
'...the piece sparkles with a magical, luminous charm.' Tom Service, The Guardian, 16 June 2006
Gentle Giant	Royal Opera House Education Composer Stephen McNeff
The Nose Shostakovich	The Opera Group Opening at The Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House and then on tour
Enchanted Pig Jonathan Dove & Alistair Middleton	The Young Vic World Premiere
2005
Hansel and Gretel	Opera North, semi-staged
'..witty and contemporary direction... ingenious...' The Independent, 28 December 05
Saul	Opera North, semi-staged
Susannah	Wexford Festival Opera Set & Costume Designer: Conor Murphy
Winner of the Irish Times Theatre Awards Best Opera Production 2006
The Birds after Aristophanes	The Opera Group, accompanied by vocal ensemble I Fagiolini, City of London Festival and Cheltenham Festival Music by Ed Hughes
Showcase	National Opera Studio, Queen Elizabeth Hall Designer: Conor Murphy
Essential Scottish Opera	Dundee Rep and then on tour
2004
Tobias and the Angel by Jonathan Dove	English Touring Opera and The Young Vic On tour during refurbishment of Young Vic Theatre
Trojan Trilogy by Edward Rushton	The Opera Group, Royal Opera House and Cheltenham Festival World Premiere
Winner of 'The Best Opera' Award at the British Composer Awards.
Bake for One Hour By David Knotts	English National Opera - World Premiere
The Little Magic Flute	Opera North
Ariadne auf Naxos Revival of Production by Christof Loy	Royal Opera House
Trouble in Tahiti Mahagonny Songspiel	The Opera Group, Buxton Festival
2003
Candide	The Opera Group, Buxton Festival
Girl of Sand Elena Langer	Almeida Opera - World Premiere
Orfeo	The Opera Group
The Little Magic Flute After Mozart - script and edition of new reduction	Opera North
2002
Die Walküre Revival of Moshe Leise and Patrice Caurier production	Seville
Götterdämmerung Revival of Moshe Leise and Patrice Caurier production	Bilbao
Der Kaiser von Atlantis	Opera Theatre Company, Dublin
Winner of 'Best Opera Production' at the Irish Theatre Awards.
The Young Man with the Carnation By Edward Rushton	Almeida Opera and Buxton Festival - World Premiere
2001
The Threepenny Opera	The Opera Group - UK Tour
Bluebeard's Castle	The Opera Group
Siegfried, Revival of Moshe Leise and Patrice Caurier production	Bilbao
2000
The Nose Shostakovich	Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, Buxton Festival, The Opera Group
Die Walküre, Revival of Moshe Leise and Patrice Caurier production	Bilbao
Parthenogenesis James MacMillan	Britten Sinfonia - World Premiere
1999
The Martyrdom of Saint Magnus Peter Maxwell Davies	The Opera Group - UK Tour
Boys and Girls Come Out to Play Robin Holloway	The Opera Group, Sadlers Wells - World Premiere
Erwin und Elmire Goethe	Goethe Centenary Festival
1998
Die Feuersbrunst	Cambridge Haydn Festival
1997
Triptych Alexander Goehr	The Opera Group
The Bear	Edinburgh Festival
L'Elisir d'Amore	Cambridge Arts Theatre
Agent - Loesje Sanders

last update : 4 June, 2013