As part of a large-scale education project, 15 primary and secondary school classes engage with Cornelia Funke’s famous young adult novel over the course of a school year. In “Herr der Diebe,” the abandoned cinema “Stella” in the lagoon city of Venice becomes the hideout of a gang of children. In a similar way, the new venue in Oerlikon serves as the starting point for the development of a new participatory youth opera. Multifaceted characters, such as the private detective Victor Getz with his numerous disguise accessories, provide inspiration for exploring music theater in a playful and active way. A magical carousel invites participants to travel through different centuries and discover music from various eras. The ideas developed by the students through this engagement are intended to feed into the conception of a newly commissioned chamber opera, which will receive its world premiere in 2027.
«Herr der Diebe»
