Tryon Festival Theatre, February 22 - 25, 2018
Filippo Ciabatti, conductor
Nathan Gunn, director
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
“If you choose not to come to me and restore me with your love and sex, I will die before your eyes.” It sounds incredible, but it is the truth of Don Juan. We get a glimpse of the most important 24 hours of his life in this treasured opera by Mozart, Don Giovanni. Don Giovanni’s addiction grows, and rather than using seduction, he employs power and charm to take what he wants. This arrogance leads him into a destructive spiral of rape and murder . . . or so we are told.
Don Giovanni was written at a time of social upheaval, when the status quo was being challenged. This was seen in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, which foreshadows the overthrow of the nobility and feudal rule. Throughout Don Giovanni, we hear of the protagonist’s sexual conquests and licentiousness from Leporello (his disgruntled servant), but we never witness it. Could this be just another step towards revolution? Could 2,065 women in 20 years and five countries be an exaggeration designed to destroy the credibility of Leporello’s master and be the catalyst for revolt? The internationally acclaimed baritone and School of Music faculty member Nathan Gunn will be making his directorial debut and will be joined by Filippo Ciabatti, beloved Florentine conductor, to bring this dramma giocoso to life. Press Coverage
The News Gazette: Lyric Theatre's 'Don Giovanni' the 'right time' for Gunn's directorial debut. Illinois Public Radio Interview: Nathan Gunn directs, sings Lyric Theatre's 'Don Giovanni' Nathan Gunn: Nathan Gunn makes his directorial debut with Don Giovanni The News Gazette Review: John Frayne review |
Cast:
DON GIOVANNI - Nathan Gunn^ Euigun Lee# Kevin Lucas (Cover) DONNA ANNA - Anna Kristine Phillips† Yunji Shim* DONNA ELVIRA - Gabrielle LaBare* Kimberly Ann Ouellette† Jessica Rose Ragsdale (Cover) LEPORELLO - Jonathan Michael Cortez† Dean Perry Moore, II* Grant Stephen Pierce Ebert (Cover) ZERLINA - Laura Schachner† Loucine Brigitte Topouzian* Maggie Wolfe (Cover) MASETTO - Kevin Lucas† Xiaoyi Zha* DON OTTAVIO - Ryan Bryce Johnson* Andrew Turner† Corey James Barlow (Cover) COMMENDATORE - Philip Phillips DONNA ELVIRA’S WOMAN - Caitlin Elizabeth Hennessy CHORUS - Corey James Barlow, Colleen Bruton, Grant Stephen Pierce Ebert, Elizabeth Gartman, Olivia Candace Gronenthal, Caitlin Elizabeth Hennessy, Scott Christian Knier, Nic Koch, Wes Litten, Jessica Rose Ragsdale, Geoffrey Schmelzer, Maggie Wolfe, PARTY MUSICIANS - Terence Lo, Kayla Schoeny, Alyssa Tong Production Team: CONDUCTOR - Filippo Ciabatti DIRECTOR - Nathan Gunn CHORUS MASTER/ ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR - Fernando Malvar-Ruiz CONTINUO - Alex Munger ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - Sarah Wigley FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER - Zev Steinberg SCENIC DESIGNER - José Manuel Díaz-Soto COSTUME DESIGNER - Nicole Zausmer LIGHTING DESIGNER - Eric Van Tassell SOUND DESIGNER - Matt Powell MEDIA DESIGNER - Anja Hose PROPERTIES MASTER - Kyra Lyon HAIR/MAKEUP COORDINATOR - Samantha C. Jones MUSIC ADMINISTRATOR - Michael Tilley COACHING STAFF/ACCOMPANISTS - Jaime Cohen, Jeeson Eun, Alphonsus Kiu, Cadis Ying-Jie Lee, Alex Munger STAGE MANAGER - Cathy Fazio TECHNICAL DIRECTOR - Dylan Kind ASSISTANT DIRECTOR/SUPERTITLES - Nole F. Jones |