Directing

Cherubino in Chair
Cherubino in Chair

David Ronis’s integrative approach to teaching operatic performance skills strongly informs the productions he directs. It distinguishes him as a director who not only fashions and motivates stage action, but one who elicits compelling performances by focusing on the human relationships on stage. Through this approach, artists achieve authentic, fresh, resonant interpretations of character and situation. Dramatic circumstances are lived out simply and truthfully and the emotional values of each moment are rendered rich and full. He discourages the use of stock, “operatic” gestures and focuses on performers’ personalization and moment-to-moment work. David also deeply values the connections between staging, the score, and the performer’s physical and emotional life. Consequently, his productions seek to express and explore those relationships.

Your counsel all is urg'd in vain
Your counsel all is urg

When working on a production, David begins with the score and libretto, collaborating with designers to create dramatic imagery that evokes the essential ideas implicit in each work. Whether keeping with traditional settings or finding cultural resonance by way of transposing time or place, his source of inspiration is always the musico-dramatic score.

Much of David’s directorial work has involved productions with limited budgets. He finds the inherent challenges of such projects to be particularly inspiring in terms of sheer creativity. Achieving a high level of artistry is not always the direct result of spending large sums on a project. On the contrary, in many cases, the work that he has valued the most has been accomplished with minimal resources.

Whether working within limited means or on a generous budget, David is available for guest directing engagements at colleges, universities, and with professional companies, as his schedule permits.

Contact David Ronis for more information.