A.J. Weissbard
art, direction, and design, with light and space
BURN is a visionary dance-theatre project exploring the complexity of the human soul, conceived by the acclaimed American artist A.J. Weissbard. The production is a new staging by the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, created in co-production with Fondazione Musica per Roma and with the support of Orsolina28 Art Foundation. BURN is loosely inspired by Burn This by Lanford Wilson, an iconic work of contemporary American theatre, first staged in New York in 1987 with John Malkovich in the role of Pale. In this version, Malkovich returns to inhabit the narrative as a voice-over narrator.
“Seeking to connect a specific chapter of American history and culture with the present, BURN opens to the creative input of four distinct collaborators, who enrich the artistic process as both choreographers and dancers. This creative approach allows artistic freedom for each individual artist but at the same time requires negotiation and collective dialogue, often open to creative collisions, around themes such as the meaning of movement in shaping the identity of each character, the emotions each role evokes, the arc of compositional dynamic and intensity throughout the piece and its individual sections, and the overall structuring of the material.”
photos by MUSA / Fondazione Musica per Roma
photos by Fabrizio Sansoni / Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
BURN is a project born from my respect for the theater and all it holds. Bringing together artists from varied cultures, with distinct techniques, styles, and backgrounds, BURN celebrates our differences, and what we can create when we explore and build upon them. Inspired by a play, BURN rises from our past, evolves in our present, and looks to our future.
Project Credits
Conceived, Directed, Scenery and Light Design:
AJ Weissbard
Costumes:
Anna Biagotti
Music:
Michael Galasso
Musical Arrangement and Sound Design:
Peter Cerone
Choreography and Interpretation:
Ève-Marie Dalcourt as Anna
Jonah Bokaer as Burton
Damiano Ottavio Bigi as Larry
Brandon Lagaert as Pale
The Voice:
John Malkovich
with the Corpo di Ballo del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma
digital art by Fabio Massimo Iaquone
with the contribution of Tania Kalinina
premiering Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome, 2026
world premiere for the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma
in co-production with Fondazione Musica per Roma
with the support of Orsolina28 Art Foundation