Summary
Musical theatre in 3 acts
Sarah Laulan – Mezzo-soprano
Christophe Poncet de Solages – Tenor
Jérôme Beaufils – Actor
Amélie Chambinaud – Marimba and musical arrangements
Anne-Claude Goustiaux – Writing, stage direction and set design
Sarah Habib – Costumes
Emmanuel Boyer – Lighting design
Ages 8 and up
Running time: 45 minutes
4 performers on stage, 1 or 2 technicians depending on the venue
Created in 2026, premiered at the Forum de Berre
Une Petite Carmen sets out to make opera accessible and alive for young audiences. By adapting this timeless masterpiece, the show roots Carmen’s story in themes and questions close to children’s hearts, while preserving the richness of the original work.
The format is compact and easy to tour, designed to reach venues that rarely host opera. The resolutely original orchestration is entrusted to the marimba, whose warm, percussive sound replaces the traditional orchestra. The staging is eco-friendly, and the team puts women in the spotlight: artistic direction, staging and costumes are all in women’s hands, with a gender-balanced cast.
The adaptation
“Carmen? For children? […] After the scale of the #MeToo movement, can we still tell Carmen as a tragically ordinary news story? […] Let’s play for and with the children and, together, free Carmen from her fatal destiny!” – Anne-Claude Goustiaux
The costumes
On a very simple black base, a single bold garment per character says what the characters cannot: Carmen’s punk, rebellious look, Escamillo’s red biker jacket inspired by bullfighters’ jackets, Don José’s canary-yellow bomber, dazzling in its conformity.
The performers
Sarah Laulan – Prizewinner at the Queen Elisabeth and Geneva competitions, she sings at the Capitole de Toulouse, the Opéra royal de Wallonie, La Monnaie and the Philharmonie de Paris, and creates her own shows for young audiences.
Christophe Poncet de Solages – A tenor with a very wide repertoire, from Baroque to contemporary, he has sung Tamino (The Magic Flute), the Chevalier de la Force (Dialogues des Carmélites) and Alfredo (La traviata).
Amélie Chambinaud – A percussionist who graduated from the CNSMD de Lyon, she performs contemporary music as well as chanson and cabaret.
A production by Intim’Opéra, co-produced with the Forum de Berre
