The Met in 3D : Lepage

Met Opera season kicks off with Lepage's Rheingold

Canadian director Robert Lepage, who wowed New York opera-lovers with his Das Rheingold last fall, is bringing a new technical innovation to the Metropolitan Opera stage: 3D.

His production of Siegfried for the Met's upcoming 2012-13 season will feature 3D projections that will enhance the setting around some of the world's top opera singers.

Opera patrons will not have to wear special glasses. Instead, Montreal firm Réalisations, which has worked with Lepage's Ex Machina production company, has developed a new technology that allows projected 3D images on-stage to be seen without special eyewear.

For instance, an opera singer might move inside a projection of a castle, which would appear three-dimensional to the audience. As the singer moves, the set around him or her would shift in what appears to be 3D.

Réalisations has previously created effects for Cirque du Soleil and other theatre groups.