By Suzanne Vanstone, Senior Communications Manager, Editorial

The story of Salome has always been a shocking one. Be it the biblical account, Oscar Wilde’s play, or Richard Strauss’s opera, the subject matter is erotic and brutal. The young girl Salome, to the horror of her stepfather Herod, demands the head of John the Baptist in return for performing the Dance of the Seven Veils. Acclaimed film director Atom Egoyan first mounted Salome for the COC in 1996, and subsequently in 2002, and brings his searing production back this spring. Joining him for this remount is shadow designer and performer Clea Minaker, whose work with shadow and light will further unveil the abuse and violence at the opera’s core.

An artist’s work is influenced by so many factors and Egoyan discusses his thoughts about when he first directed this work. “I see this production as originally part of a trio of projects I had where I was dealing with the notion of abuse. In Exotica (1994), Salome (1996), and The Sweet Hereafter (1997), young women had been traumatized by a history of abuse. Each of the characters – Christina in Exotica, Salome and Nicole in The Sweet Hereafter – react differently, but it is clearly an abusive situation. I don’t understand how you can’t address that in the production – it’s there.

The Canadian Opera Company's popular Inside Opera video series is back with a behind-the-scenes look at Richard Strauss's Salome. You can also explore our spring production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor with these three videos: Creating Lucia Part One, Creating Lucia Part Two and William Zeitler and the Glass Armonica.

In Salome, Playing with Shadows, shadow puppet designer and performer Clea Minaker discusses how her work fits in with the look of Atom Egoyan's production of Salome. Catch a glimpse of the process behind the shadows effects, and learn about how they enhance the dark mood and nature of this sinister story