Nick Gisonde

Nick Gisonde is a New York City based director, fight choreographer, actor and writer. He returns to South Bend Lyric Opera, after directing Rigoletto in 2019. He directed the operas, La Traviata for Soo Opera, La Traviata for Bay View Music Festival, Die Zauberflöte for Bay View Music Festival and Così fan tutte for North Shore Music Festival and the plays, Macbeth for Endless River Arts and Pierre Corneille's El Cid, co-directed with Risa Renae Harman for The Pendragon Ensemble both in New York. He co-directed the SOARS opera scenes program from 2016-2019 with Sarah Stone, staging scenes from Carmen , Roméo e Juliette , Giulio Cesare , Don Giovanni , Hansel and Gretel, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Pasquale, Rigoletto, Die Zauberflöte, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Così fan tutte, E'lisir d'amore, Little Women and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Nick staged Shakespeare Cabaret , a series of songs based on Shakespeare's monologues written by Emmy Award winning composer Glen Roven, accompanied with scenes from the plays, featuring soprano Risa Renae Harman and pianist Casey Robards at Central Michigan University. He recently wrote the screenplay for a short action film The Battle Fierce Within that he will be directing and producing this year. He wrote a new translation, adapted and directed an online workshop production of Miss Julie for Endless River Arts in 2020-2021. Nick has coordinated fights and stunts for film, theater and opera for 30 years. He staged the fights for the Off Broadway play, Beautiful Thing directed by Gary Griffin at the Cherry Lane Theater. . He has collaborated several times with acclaimed opera director Crystal Manich on many productions as fight choreographer and stage violence consultant for Boston Lyric Opera, Tulsa Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Bay View Music Festival and Opera Omnia in New York City. He was the resident fight choreographer for Bay View Music Festival from 2001-2021. For Bay View, he choreographed Don Giovanni, Carmen, Falstaff, Così fan tutte, La Boheme, West Side Story, Kiss Me Kate, Fiddler on the Roof, Grease and Private Lives.

He was a cast member, fight captain and assistant to fight choreographer J. Steven White for the 1998 Tony Award Winner, A View from the Bridge , directed by Michael Mayer and starring Anthony LaPaglia and Allison Janney.

www.nickgisonde.com