Ai Weiwei Makes Directorial Debut with Puccini's Turandot at Rome Opera

After multiple pandemic-related postponements, Ai Weiwei's directorial debut of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot premieres at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma on March 22, 2022, with performances through March 31. The Chinese artist, globally known for his political activism and 81-day detention in 2011 on disputed tax evasion charges, oversees every aspect of the production—direction, sets, costumes, and video. This marks his first venture into theater direction, though he previously appeared as an extra in Franco Zeffirelli's Turandot for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Ai Weiwei describes his interpretation as reflecting contemporary cultural and political struggles, connecting today's world with Puccini's era a century ago. The production features three Ukrainian artists: soprano Oksana Dyka, baritone Andrii Ganchuk, and conductor Oksana Lyniv, who emphasizes Puccini's message that love ultimately prevails. The artist notes that the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have influenced his rethinking of the opera, framing the story's characters—the icy princess Turandot as power and the suitor Calaf as a political refugee—in modern terms.