Freeman, David (1952– )

Australian stage director. He founded the Opera Factory in Sydney in 1973, in Zurich in 1976 (with 20 Swiss productions) and in London in 1981. He staged the first performance of Birtwistle's Yan Tan Tethera (1986) and Calisto, Punch and Judy, The Knot Garden, and Reimann's Ghost Sonata. He directed Mozart's Da Ponte operas for the bicentenary. For the English National Opera Ensemble he has directed the local first performance of Glass's Akhnaten (1985) and the premiere of Birtwistle's The Mask of Orpheus; he also staged The Return of Ulysses in 1989. He directed Prokofiev's The Fiery Angel at St Petersburg, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, and at the New York Metropolitan Opera House in 1992. His work is noted for its strong sense of theatre; human relationships are shown as paramount.