RIAM Opera and IADT present enchanting double bill at the Samuel Beckett Theatre

Photography by Ros Kavanagh.

The Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), in collaboration with Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), presented a vivid and heart-warming double bill, Xavier Montsalvatge’s El gato con botas and Maurice Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, at the Samuel Beckett Theatre this month.

The production design is realised on an impressive scale through IADT’s BA [Hons] Design for Film student teams working across costume, sets, and hair and make-up, creating a fully imagined world for both operas, from character-led silhouettes and period-inflected colour palettes to playful transformations and theatrical detail.

Costume and scenic elements support the quick shifts in tone between mischievous fairytale and the child’s dreamlike universe, while hair and make-up help animate the storytelling, giving distinct identities to objects, animals, and human characters alike. The result is a genuinely collaborative, student-led production, with RIAM students performing singing roles on stage and playing in the orchestra, and IADT students driving the visual and technical realisation behind the scenes.

This collaboration offers IADT students a unique opportunity to apply their learning in a professional context, showcasing the depth of talent and innovation within the institute. Students from the BA [Hons] Design for Film programme at IADT bring their expertise in design and visual storytelling to life, crafting costumes, sets, and hair and make-up that transform the stage into two distinct worlds. Their work demonstrates not only technical skill but also imaginative interpretation, ensuring that every detail, from the whimsical elegance of Montsalvatge’s fairytale to the surreal magic of Ravel’s dreamscape, enhances the audience experience.

Featuring 26 roles across the two operas, the production showcases a broad pool of vocal talent, from sparkling character parts to more lyrical, emotionally charged writing. Montsalvatge’s El gato con botas (1947) is a mischievous retelling of Puss in Boots, full of trickery, ambition, and theatrical flair, while Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges (1925), created with writer Colette, turns everyday objects and garden creatures into a magical chorus of consequences and compassion.

Directed by Sinéad O’Neill, with David Adams conducting El gato con botas and Andrew Synnott conducting L’enfant et les sortilèges, the production is sung in Spanish and French with English surtitles, welcoming both seasoned opera-goers and first-time audiences.

This RIAM Opera production is a flagship example of the newly formalised strategic partnership between RIAM and IADT, strengthened through a Memorandum of Understanding signed this month. The agreement provides a framework for expanded collaboration in creative education, interdisciplinary practice, and research, building on the institutions’ long-established opera relationship, with shared work spanning areas such as stage and set design, costume, make-up, media production, and visual storytelling.

Performance details

• RIAM Opera: El gato con botas and L’enfant et les sortilèges

• Dates: 13, 14, 16 and 17 January 2026

• Venue: Samuel Beckett Theatre

• Book tickets: RIAM Opera

About RIAM

The Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) is Ireland’s premier conservatoire, dedicated to excellence in music performance, composition, pedagogy, and research, nurturing the next generation of musicians and creative practitioners.

About IADT

Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) is Ireland’s campus for the Creative Industries, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across art, design, media, film, and enterprise.