For four days in March, Bogotá’s historic Teatro Colón will be unrecognizable. Instead of its usual plush seating and gilded balconies, the grand theater will be filled with sand, transforming into an artificial beach for Sun & Sea, the groundbreaking opera-performance that won the prestigious Golden Lion at the 2019 Venice Biennale. This acclaimed Lithuanian production, which seamlessly blends contemporary opera with climate commentary, will open the second edition of the NO Convencional Festival, organized by cultural agency Nova et Vetera.
From March 21 to 24, audiences will witness an immersive experience unlike any other. Unlike traditional operas, where singers take center stage, Sun & Sea unfolds in an unusual setting: a beach scene viewed from above. More than 30 performers – locals from Bogotá as well as members of the National Choir of Colombia – will lounge on towels, walk across the sand, and sing about climate change, the perils of mass tourism, and the quiet anxieties of modern life. Meanwhile, the audience, standing on balconies overlooking the stage, will observe this slice of humanity from a detached yet intimate perspective.
An Opera for the Anthropocene
Created by Lithuanian artists Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė (director), Vaiva Grainytė (librettist), and Lina Lapelytė (composer), Sun & Sea gained international recognition for its innovative approach to opera. The piece presents a stark contrast between its idyllic seaside imagery and the unsettling themes within its lyrics. Through a series of interwoven solos and choral numbers, characters sing about the seemingly trivial moments of a beach holiday – applying sunscreen, watching the waves, feeling the warmth of the sun – while subtly revealing deeper existential concerns. Their words hint at rising temperatures, coral reef destruction, and the slow but relentless consequences of climate change.
By staging the performance at 2,800 meters above sea level in a cold Andean setting, Sun & Sea takes on an even more surreal dimension. The artificial beach at Teatro Colón becomes a stage for reflecting on human disconnection from nature – an issue especially relevant in large urban settings like Bogotá, where environmental concerns such as deforestation in the Amazon or the impact of mass tourism on fragile ecosystems are often mired by the political debate.
Unlike traditional opera, Sun & Sea does not rely on grand, dramatic arias. Instead, the music, described by composer Lina Lapelytė as “a hybrid between pop and opera,” is accessible and deeply immersive. The melodies flow organically, blending with an electroacoustic score that enhances the dreamlike atmosphere of the performance.
“Sun & Sea is not a conventional opera with long arias or solemn lyrical singing. Instead, it offers a fresh, accessible approach where voices naturally intertwine with a pre-recorded electroacoustic score. The music flows organically with the scene, creating an immersive and enveloping experience that invites audiences to lose themselves in the performance’s visual and sonic landscape,” explains Santiago Gardeázabal, director of the NO Convencional Festival.
The Bogotá production includes translations of the original Lithuanian lyrics into English, with a Spanish libretto available for audiences. This multilingual approach ensures that the opera’s poetic and minimalist score, sends an urgent message to a wider public, resonating with local themes of environmental responsibility and cultural identity.
A Beach in the Heart of Bogotá
Beyond its environmental message, Sun & Sea also serves as a commentary on contemporary leisure culture. The artificial beach – an illusion of paradise within the ornate confines of Teatro Colón – forces viewers to reconsider the nature of tourism and its environmental footprint. The performance highlights the paradox of modern travel: a world in which escaping to picturesque beaches often comes at the cost of ecological catastrophe.
Adding to the interactive nature of the piece, representatives from Colombia’s arts and cultural scene will be invited to join the beach setting, blending fiction and reality as they engage with the space. This participatory element encourages audiences to reflect on their own role within the environmental crisis – not as passive observers, but as active participants in shaping the future.
Teatro Colón as an Experimental Stage
Teatro Colón embraces its role as a space for creative immersion with this opera-performance. Founded in 1892 and renowned for its classical repertoire, the theater has increasingly opened its doors to experimental performances that challenge the boundaries of traditional art forms. This latest transformation – turning its stage into a beach – marks a bold moment in its history, aligning with the growing global trend of site-specific and immersive theater.
As Bogotá continues to establish itself as a cultural hub in Latin America, Sun & Sea serves as a testament to the city’s evolving artistic landscape. It invites audiences to experience opera in an entirely new way – one that is as thought-provoking as it is visually striking.
Ticket Information
Sun & Sea will be staged at Teatro Colón, Centro Nacional de las Artes (Calle 10 No. 5-60, Bogotá) from March 21 to 24, 2025. Tickets are priced at COP$149,000 with discounts available. They can be purchased through online agents TuBoleta
