JEAN-CLAUDE BERUTTI
stage director

RECENT AND UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS

- Gounod's Faust, at Opéra de Tours and Opéra Royal de Versailles (2026);

- Co-direction in Hans Krása's Brundibár, at the Opéra Comique de Paris (2026);

- Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège (2025);

- Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, at the Theater Trier (2025);

- Puccini's Tosca, at Opéra Grand Avignon (2024) and Theater Trier (2023);

- Bizet's Carmen and Verdi's Falstaff, at the Theater Trier (2024);

- Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, at the Theater Trier (2023);

- Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier, at Opéra Grand Avignon (2023) and Theater Trier (2022).

BIOGRAPHY

Since his debut as stage director, Jean-Claude Berutti always stages both theater and opera. He signed a hundred productions in several theatres in Europe such as G. Charpentier’s Louise (conducted by Sylvain Cambreling at La Monnaie De Munt and Oper Frankfurt), Gounod’s Faust (conducted by Emmanuel Krivine, at the Opéra national de Lyon), Schumann’s Manfred (conducted by Philippe Herreweghe, also in Lyon, at La Monnaie and Opéra national du Rhin), Verdi’s La Traviata, Puccini’s La Bohème and J. Strauss II’s Wiener Blut (Opéra National de Lorraine), Verdi’s Ernani (Lithuanian National Opera & Ballet), Bettina, inspired by Goldoni (Théâtre National de Strasbourg, Théâtre National de Belgique and Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg), Edouard Bourdet’s Les Temps Difficiles (Comédie-Française) and Gilles Granouillet’s L’Envolée (Zagreb City Theatre, Comédie de Saint-Étienne and Théâtre de Liège), among others.

Recently, Berutti has staged world premieres of German translations of Benoit Soliès’ La Machine de Turing, at the Theater im Zimmer (Hamburg), and Peter Turrini’s Sept Secondes d’Éternité, at the Miniteater (Ljubljana).

After being the Artistic Director of Théâtre du Peuple de Bussang (1997-2002) and Comédie de Saint-Étienne (2002-2011), he became the Operndirektor of Theater Trier until 2023, where he staged successively Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro, Verdi’s Don Carlo, R. Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier (in co-production with Opéra Grand Avignon), Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande and Verdi’s Falstaff.

In the 2023/24 season, Berutti signed opera productions, mostly at the Theater Trier: Pelléas et Mélisande, Falstaff and Carmen. At the Opéra Grand Avignon, he staged Tosca, in co-production with Trier. Highlights of Berutti’s 2024/25 season include Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège, conducted by Giampaolo Bisanti and with sets by Rudy Sabounghi, and a new production of Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, at the Theater Trier.

Among his next engagements, Jean-Claude Berutti will stage Gounod’s Faust at Opéra de Tours and Opéra Royal de Versailles. At the Opéra Comique de Paris, he will be co-director with Muriel Mayette-Holtz in Hans Krása's Brundibár.

REVIEWS

"But these soloists and the orchestra only touched us in this way thanks to the way Jean-Claude Berutti placed them in a production that was also very readable! He imagined that what we are going to share are Tristan's memories (...). His stage design (...) really 'staged' the terrible story, gave it an unusual immediacy in its inventive modesty. It never complicates perception or interferes with it, it always facilitates it (...). Yes, treated in this way, this 'Tristan und Isolde' is an exalted and exhilarating tragedy!"
Stéphane Gilbard - Crescendo Magazine

"The idea of setting the action in the early years of the 20th century is successfully realized thanks to Jeanny Kratochwil's elegant costumes. The projections in the background are captivatingly beautiful: the sea in the first act, and a garden in the second, which pivots in a way that supports the action and hypnotizes the spectator with its poetic power. And what a good idea to have filmed the fountain mentioned in the libretto, which allows us to respect the composer's wishes without having to endure the 'gurgling' of traditional productions. The singers are well directed, and the story unfolds before our eyes with clarity."
Dominique Joucken - Forum Opéra

“Jean-Claude Berutti's staging is characterized by an attention to detail that is directly linked to each of the composer's wishes. The stage directions are respected, and the chosen setting projects us neither into interstellar space nor into a period evoking some historical or fantasized dictatorship. We are plunged into the time period desired by Puccini and into specific spaces: those of the libretto. Ease of use? Realism and clarity of purpose allow us to focus on the plot itself, transporting us to Sant'Andrea della Valle, then to the Palazzo Farnese, and finally to Castel Sant'Angelo—all thanks to video projections captured on site by Julien Soulié. The locations come alive, the colors change, and the effects are sparse, with no attempt at stylization. A way of remaking, in the theater, the film shot in the very locations of the drama? A personal and respectful vision, giving real coherence to the performance, offering some strong images for a beautiful show that makes opera popular.”
Marc Dumont - Première Loge

JEAN-CLAUDE BERUTTI stage director

JEAN-CLAUDE BERUTTI
stage director