Portfolio
The Rosenbergs An Opera
Boston Playwrights' Theatre
"This was an incredibly powerful representation of the human experience." – The Boston Musical Intelligencer
"The Rosenbergs is small in scope but large in ambition; it is an accomplished and moving work that demands attention." – The Arts Fuse
Music: Joachim Holbek
Libretto: Rhea Leman
Directed by Dmitry Troyanovsky
Musical Direction by Cristi Catt
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
In Penal Colony
Boston Lyric Opera
"This newest production will be counted as another in [BLO’s] column of successes.” – Boston Globe
“Captivating … very well presented, very well sung.” – WGBH
“Unforgettable … a true triumph in the company’s history.” – South Shore Critic
Music: Philip Glass
Libretto: Rudolph Wurlitzer, Based on Franz Kafka
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
La Boheme
Boston Lyric Opera
"One has to applaud Boston Lyric Opera for the boldness of its new production....New setting works intuitively." - The Boston Globe
"Boston Lyric Opera Breathes New Life Into ‘La Bohème’." - WBUR
"An impressive evocation of dramatic time and place." - Boston Classical Review
Conductor: David Angus
Director: Rosetta Cucchi
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
Opheliamachine
City Garage Theatre, Los Angeles
"Difficult comedy of ideas and ideologies honestly stimulates with its perceptiveness. ...fiercely meditative mirror." - The Hollywood Reporter
"An uncompromising vision. … fiercely confrontational new play." - Los Angeles Times
"Relentlessly provocative and challenging." - LA Weekly
Director: Frederique Michel
Designer: Charles A. Duncombe
Playwright: Magda Romanska
The Love Potion
Boston Lyric Opera
"The haunting BLO staging . – The Wall Street Journal
"Boston Lyric Opera’s unbearably moving production" – The New York Times
"BLO serves up a poignant, captivating performance of Frank Martin rarity" – Boston Classical Review
Conductor: David Angus
Director: David Schweizer
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
La Traviata
Boston Lyric Opera
“Heartfelt, touching…” – Boston Classical Review
“BLO truly delivered.” – The South Shore Critic
“Much beauty and pathos in the accomplished performances.” – The Boston Musical Intelligencer
"An honest, intimate Traviata." - The Boston Globe
"It brought a spirited ovation from an
appreciative house." - The Edge
Conductor: Arthur Fagen
Director: Chas Rader-Shieber
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
Katya Kabanova
Opera North /Boston Lyric Opera
"A consistent, spare and stark vision of Janacek’s opera." - Boston Classical Review
"Boston Lyric Opera continues its string of vital, provocative productions... gorgeous and intelligent production." - Musical Intelligencer
"A musical experience that will be long remembered." - South Shore Critic
Conductor: David Angus
Director: Tim Albery
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
Don Giovanni
Boston Lyric Opera
"Flagrantly delectable.." - South Shore Critic
"Don Giovanni lite delights theater crowd." - Boston Musical Intelligencer
"A powerful theatrical statement about betrayal and its consequences." - Boston Theatre Wing
Hits "right to the heart of today's important social issues." - The Schiller Institute
Conductor: David Angus
Director: Emma Griffin
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
I Puritani
Boston Lyric Opera
"It’s a visually striking production. The set, costumes, and color choices were a marvel." – The Metrowest Daily News
"A vibrant and exciting production of Vincenzo Bellini’s last work,' I Puritani.' Overall, the opera is an outstanding success." – The Boston Musical Intelligencer
"A dark, powerful I Puritani" – The Boston Globe
Conductor: David Angus
Director: Crystal Manich
Dramatur: Magda Romanska
Rigoletto
Boston Lyric Opera
"Verdi’s aggressively tuneful crowd-pleaser is here returned to something closer to its original setting in and around the Ducal Court of 16th-century Mantua." – The Boston Globe
"The most remarkable aspect of the production is the way the elements all worked together like a finely tuned engine." – The Boston Musical Intelligencer
Conductor: Christopher Franklin
Director: Tomer Zvulvun
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
Lizzie Borden
Boston Lyric Opera
"The tale of Lizzie Borden is already pretty operatic, even before hitting the stage. It was the summer of 1892 when she was charged and later acquitted in the brutal axe murders of her father and stepmother in their Fall River home. Now Boston Lyric Opera is taking a new whack at the story, and WGBH arts editor Jared Bowen attended the opening." – WGBH News
Based on a Scenario by Richard Plant
Realized by Todd Bashore and John Conklin
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
The Magic Flute
Boston Lyric Opera
"This is a thoughtfully reimagined Magic Flute that, well staged and exquisitely sung and acted, probes the serious subtext of Mozart’s singspiel." – The Boston Globe
"The BLO’s The Magic Flute is a momentous artistic manifestation with a strong appeal. You’ll relish the freshness of this interpretation." – The MIT Tech Online
Conductor: David Angus
Director: Leon Major
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
Cafe Variations
Arts Emerson / Siti Company
"A superb and entertaining investigation into and celebration of love... Like watching a complicated romp at the café." – Boston Area Small Press and Poetry Scene
"There is a constant sense of longing in the air, but there is also an undercurrent of violence. The final tableau will break your heart." – The Boston Globe
Written by Charles Mee
Director: Anne Bogart
Music and Lyrics: George and Ira Gershwin
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
Marat/Sade
Emerson Stage
"....wicked and alluring. Filled with haunting chants, striking attire and a sinister environment, the play leaves the audience with a strangely sickening feeling in the pit of their stomachs, although it is not a displeasing feeling, but one of dark pleasure. In the spirit of the Marquis, sometimes a little perversion is a good thing." - The Berkeley Beacon
"The events on stage acquire metaphysical and extra-temporal dimensions."- Lik Magazine
Written by Peter Weiss
Director: Magda Romanska
Desdemona
Yale Cabaret
Guy de Maupassant said that woman “ molds and shapes herself to the image of the society in which she lives.” This play is a brilliant exploration of tensions and paradoxes that arise regardless of whether a woman, indeed, “molds” herself to the world or resists the world that tries to mold her. Vogel gives voice to Desdemona in a twisted, complex way that forces us to question the nature of desire both male and female.
Written by Paula Vogel
Set Designer: Leiko Fuseya
Director: Magda Romanska
Iphegenia at Aulis
Yale Repertory Theatre
"A huge jet turbofan, taller than a man, stands against a background of schematic blueprints, including white outlines of transport planes. The scenery sets up a modern context for Rebecca Bayla Taichman's penetrating and compelling production of Euripides' Iphigeneia at Aulis. This painful drama of a father's sacrifice on the eve of war feels timeless yet current. - Hartford Courant
Director: Rebecca Taichman
Set Design: Christine Jones
Costume Design: Constance Hoffman
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
A Raising in the Sun
Cornell University
Written by Lorraine Hansberry
Director: Reggie Life
Scene Designer: Kent Goetz
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska
The Male Animal
Cornell University
Written by Ted Nugent
Set Designer: Dan Crawford
Costume Designer: Jessica Davis and Nancy Lie
Director: Magda Romanska
The Blue Room
Cornell University
Written by David Hare
Set Designer: Lynn Musgrove
Costume Designer: Jessica Davis
Director: Magda Romanska
The Three Sisters
Cornell University
Written by Anton Chekhov
Director: Bruce Levitt
Scene Designer: Andrew Mansfield
Costume Designer: Olga Maslova
Dramaturg/Assistant Director: Magda Romanska
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well
Cornell University
Director: Bruce Leavitt
Dramaturg: Magda Romanska