Laine Rettmer, Director

She is currently the resident stage director for the New York based company LoftOpera, a position she’s held for two consecutive seasons. Rettmer’s most recent production of Lucrezia Borgia played a sold out run and the New York Times said of it, “Ms. Rettmer evokes a world in which sex, power and violence have always been indistinguishable. […] a scintillating, frenzied…wholly convincing performance of “Lucrezia Borgia.” Her Barbiere di Siviglialast November was called, “funny, dark-edge smart… Ms. Rettmer offered fresh takes on the story… the production calls for a resounding “cheers”, by the New York Times and made their top ten funniest classical productions of 2014. Her 2014 spring production of La Boheme was called, “Triumphant… a performance that is as true and moving as any I can remember in 40 years of opera-going,” by the New York Observer. This fall she also directed Joyce Di Donato’s newest album release concert which was live-streamed from a metal working shop in Brooklyn, replete with live welding. And this past December she had the first work-in-progress showing at BRIC Gallery in Brooklyn of her piece which combines Bellini’s version of Romeo and Juliet with songs from the album, 69 Love Songs, by the Magnetic Fields. Previous opera associate and assistant director credits include, Powder Her Face, which opened New York City Opera’s last season at BAM and Evan Ziporyn’s opera, A House in Bali, which premiered at Berkley Rep and toured to Boston and BAM. She has collaborated with the theater and opera director, Jay Scheib, for the past seven years on thirteen productions, upcoming an Electraand new Jocasta for the Athen’s festival this July.