Renaud Doucet

Stage director (guest)

Renaud studied music/flute, acting and dance at the Paris Opera school, Paris conservatory and the Centre internationale de Danse Rosella Hightower where he received his baccalauréat with mention in 1986 and then his French State teacher diploma in 1992. He was the youngest Ballet Master in a National company (Ballet National de Nancy et de Lorraine).
After a career as principal dancer starting in 1986 in Classical and modern companies (Ballet du Nord, Ballet National de Marseille Roland Petit, Karole Armitage Dance Cie in New York) Renaud specialises in Baroque music and dance.
In parallel he develops an acting career for cinema, TV & publicity.
Since the start Renaud is interested in the Art administration and in 1991 he creates the dance company Athanor 12 which was performing in Villepinte, France.
In 1993 he moves to Montreal, Canada at the invitation ofl’École Supérieure de Danse du Québec/Grands Ballets Canadiens.
After being introduced to the opera world in Bilbao, Spain, as a baroque choreographer & baroque gesture specialist coaching singers like Alfredo Kraus, Jaime Aragall, Raina Kabaivanska or Mirella Freni, Renaud decides to dedicate his career to opera, an art form that combines all the different diciplines that he previously performed separtely (Music, Theatre, Dance).
After a 2 years aprenticeship at l’atelier lyrique de l’opéra de Montréal he is hired as assistant director at l’opéra de Montréal.
He creates his first staging in April 2000, l’Incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi, also the first production of the now celebrated conductor Yannick Nezet Seguin Together they also collaborated on Pelléas et Mélisandeand Turandot.
From that moment on Renaud Doucet is recognized as a very promissing young director and is hired in the United States and Canada
In October 2000 he joins forces with the set & costume designer André Barbe. Their first production as a creative team is Si j’étais roiby Adolphe Adam at the Wexford Festival Opera featuring Joseph Calleja as Zéphoris.
Together they create the producing company BARBE & DOUCET INC and brought to the stage more than 30 new opera productions in North America and Europe. Their budget management and preparation are highly appreciated in the opera companies.
Renaud is considered an expert in co-production development.
Their work as a team gained international recognition with, among others, their new productions ofCendrillonby Massenet at l’Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourg, l’Opéra de Marseille (France), New York City Opera (USA), Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe (Germany) and l’Opéra de Montréal (Canada),the Viennese premiere of The Sound of Music, Turandot, Rusalka at the Vienna Volksoper (Austria), Die Feenby Wagner to open the bicentenial celebrations “Wagnerjahr 2013” for Oper Leipzig in coproduction with Bayreuther Festspiele, Samson & Dalilaat the Royal Opera in Stockholm, La Cenerentolaat the Hamburgische Staatsoper, Don PasqualeandManonat Scottish Opera, the entire 2009-10 season of Florida Grand Opera in Miami with Lucia di Lammermoor, Pagliacci, Suor Angelica, Il Barbiere di Siviglia &Carmen, Benvenuto Celliniand Iphigénie en Aulideat l’Opéra National du Rhin, Pénélope by Fauré,Si j’étais roiby Adam and Thérèse/La Navarraiseby Massenet at the Wexford Festival Opera, Les Contes d’Hoffmann at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Colorado & Florida Grand Opera, Turandotat Seattle Opera and Minnesota Opera, Il Matrimonio Segretoby Cimarosa at the Innsbrucker festwochen der alten musik & Oper Köln, Les Contes d’Hoffmann at Oper Bonn & the Vienna Volksoper, Arabellaat Oper Köln, Turandot at Cincinnati Opera & Opera Philadelphia, La Bohème at Scottish Opera & Theatre St Gallen and La Belle Hélèneat the Hamburgische Staatsoper, with Jennifer Larmore in the title role. The production was filmed by ARTE, presented on the German & French TVs as well as the RAI 5 in Italy and is available in DVD.
Most recently they created Il Bravoby Mercadante in Wexford (which received the 2019 Irish Theatre Award for best Opera production), La Grande Duchesse de Gerolsteinat Oper Köln for the bicentenial celebrations of Offenbach in his native city and Die Zauberflöteat the Glyndebourne Festival.
Since the start Renaud is sharing his experience with younger generations to help them succeed in the demanding careers of the operaworld. He is regularly invited as a teacher, for masterclasses and as jury member.