Diorama Drama

As indicated by Bizet in the original composition, each of Carmen’s four acts takes place in a distinct, but not distant, locale: A public square in Sevilla, a tavern on the outskirts of the city, a mountain hideout, and the entrance to an amphitheater. Carrie Cracknell’s brand-new staging of Carmen, which debuts at the Met on New Year’s Eve, moves the action of Bizet’s work to an altogether different time and place—a modern-day border town amid a band of human traffickers.  

Drawing inspiration from this reimagining of Carmen, this activity asks students to construct a revolving diorama set model representing each of the opera’s four acts. Dioramas allow students to use their skill and imagination to create three-dimensional scenes, and this rotating pyramidal structure allows students to depict all four acts. The material nature of the project adds a tactile dimension to student learning and provides more accessibility for visually impaired students while also centering questions of adaptation, directorial choice, and design.  

STEP 1. REVIEW  

Begin by having students review the plot of Carmen, either individually or as a group. You can distribute copies of the included synopsis or the Met’s Illustrated Synopsis (metopera.org/carmen-illustrated).  

If you’re working with students in middle or high school, encourage them to examine how each setting functions in the opera. Act I, for example, takes place in a central location where people of different classes intermingle—factory workers go on break while nearby soldiers look on—whereas the events in Act II are set in a place removed from the social constraints of the previous scenes. Act III occurs in a covert and treacherous hideaway for illicit schemes, and the opera’s final act returns to the town where, in the shadow of a major sporting event, a murder takes place.  

After reviewing the synopsis, you might also prompt students to reflect further by asking these questions:  

• What do you notice about the set and/or setting of the opera? 
• How do you know when or where the opera takes place? What clues point you in that direction? 
• What is the role of set design in conveying the mood, plot, and vision of the production? 
• How important is set design, and how can those design choices be complemented by costumes, wigs, makeup, and lighting?  

STEP 2. ADAPT  

Using the included handout, have students devise an adaptation of Carmen in a setting of their choice. As they work individually or in small groups, students should pay special attention to the following:  

• Where is the action taking place (e.g., a high school, movie set, or alternate world)? 
• When is the action taking place (e.g., in contemporary times, in a historical period, in the distant future)? 
• Why does this setting make sense for the opera’s plot? 
• Who are the individual characters and what roles do they play in this new setting (e.g., Escamillo is a football player, Carmen is a cheerleader, Micaëla is a geek, etc.)? 
• What should the set design look like for each act (e.g., school hallway, football field, bowling alley)?  

Have students sketch their set designs, encouraging them to use all three dimen- sions and consider what goes in the foreground, middle ground, and background of each scene.  

STEP 3. BUILD  

Next, students can begin building their diorama pyramids. Using the included handout as a guide, fold a piece of square construction paper along both diagonals. Then, cut from one corner to the center of the paper and fold the two triangles adjacent to the cut onto each other, fastening them with glue or tape. Repeat this process three more times to create four separate dioramas, one for each act of Carmen. Students can now transfer their design ideas to each diorama, using whatever materials they choose—colored markers or pencils, pipe cleaners, string, popsicle sticks, straws, felt, clay, etc. Once all four dioramas are complete, glue or tape them together to form a pyramid.  

STEP 4. WRITE  

Distribute four index cards to each student or group. On these cards, students should describe each setting and why they chose it to represent the events in each act. The diorama pyramids can be displayed together on a table or, with the use of a string, hung at eye level. Invite students to do a gallery walk, seeing how their peers adapted Carmen to different times and places.