Pagliacci
Cast
Reginald Smith Jr.
Tonio
Joshua Conyers
(Nov 11, 13, 15)
Tonio
Richard Trey Smagur
Canio
Talise Trevigne
Nedda
Joseph Lattanzi
Silvio
Megan Marino
Beppe
Creative
Rolando Salazar
Conductor
Tomer Zvulun
Stage Director
Julia Noulin-Merat
Set Designer
Joanna Schmink
Costume Designer
Ben Rawson
Lighting Designer
Composer: Ruggero Leoncavallo
Librettist: Ruggero Leoncavallo
Premiere Date: May 21, 1892, Teatro Dal Verme, Milan
The show must go on.
The circus performers in Pagliacci grapple with tragedy and question boldly whether they must perform despite heartbreak and ruin.
In The Atlanta Opera’s completely new fall production of Leoncavallo’s verismo classic, audiences enter a dystopian world where artists question their ability to perform, distance separates loved ones, and a play-within-a-play exposes a great betrayal.
Does art imitate life? Or does life imitate art?
Performed in Italian with English supertitles
![Banner_PerformancePagePag2Eyes_2021 Banner_PerformancePagePag2Eyes_2021](https://www.atlantaopera.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Banner_PerformancePagePag2Eyes_2021.jpg)
part pf the 2020-21 Molly Blank Big Tent Series
support provided by Gramma Fisher Foundation – Howard Hunter
Cast
Reginald Smith Jr.
Tonio
Richard Trey Smagur
Canio
Talise Trevigne
Nedda
Joseph Lattanzi
Silvio
Megan Marino
Beppe
Creative
Rolando Salazar
Conductor
Tomer Zvulun
Stage Director
Julia Noulin-Merat
Set Designer
Joanna Schmink
Costume Designer
Ben Rawson
Lighting Designer
Composer: Ruggero Leoncavallo
Librettist: Ruggero Leoncavallo
Premiere Date: May 21, 1892, Teatro Dal Verme, Milan
The show must go on.
The circus performers in Pagliacci grapple with tragedy and question boldly whether they must perform despite heartbreak and ruin.
In The Atlanta Opera’s completely new fall production of Leoncavallo’s verismo classic, audiences enter a dystopian world where artists question their ability to perform, distance separates loved ones, and a play-within-a-play exposes a great betrayal.
Does art imitate life? Or does life imitate art?
Performed in Italian with English supertitles
Get the Feeling
Costume sketches by Joanna Schmink
Synopsis
Prologue
Before the performance begins, Tonio addresses the audience directly: Look beyond the costumes and makeup — the drama you are about to experience is a tale of truth, both in the ecstasy of love and the brutality of rage.
Characters & Cast
Tonio
The fool
Taddeo – Colombina’s servant
![Image_TAOCompany_RSmithJr](https://www.atlantaopera.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Image_TAOCompany_RSmithJr.jpg)
Reginald Smith Jr.
A “passionate performer” (New York Times) with an “electric and “thrillingly dramatic” voice that is “one of the most exciting baritone sounds to come along in years” (Opera News).
Tonio
(Nov 11, 13, & 15)
The fool
Taddeo – Colombina’s servant
![Image_StudioPlayer20_JConyers](https://www.atlantaopera.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Image_StudioPlayer20_JConyers.jpg)
Joshua Conyers
He is quickly being championed for his captivating performances as he continues to be recognized as one the promising young dramatic voices of today.
Canio
Troup leader
Pagliaccio – Colombina’s husband
![Image_TAOCompany_TSmagur](https://www.atlantaopera.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Image_TAOCompany_TSmagur.jpg)
Richard Trey Smagur
Noted for his “attractive lyric tenor” and “vivid presence” and a winner of the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Nedda
Cano’s wife, in love with Silvio
Colombina – Pagliaccio’s wife, in love with Arlecchino
![Image_TAOCompany_TTrevigne](https://www.atlantaopera.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Image_TAOCompany_TTrevigne.jpg)
Silvio
Nedda’s lover
![Headshot_JLattanzi](https://www.atlantaopera.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Headshot_JLattanzi.jpg)
Joseph Lattanzi
“… confident, handsome presence, and a resonant baritone suggesting wells of feeling that the character might prefer to leave untapped.” [Opera News]
Beppe
Actor
Arlecchino – Colombina’s lover
![Image_TAOCompany_MMarino](https://www.atlantaopera.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Image_TAOCompany_MMarino.jpg)
Megan Marino
She is a genre-adventurous, “gifted actress with a strong, appealing voice graced by a rich lower register” [Opera News].
Top Things to Know
What to Expect
Your safety is our top priority
This outdoor experience was designed in consultation with leading experts in the fields of epidemiology, public health, workplace/industrial hygiene, and infectious diseases.
The Atlanta Opera will continue to monitor government policy changes, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, government mandates, and public health notices and make changes as necessary or appropriate to ensure the safety of patrons, artists, and staff.
Social Distancing
Tickets are sold as “pods” that can accommodate up to four people in one party. All pods will be safely distanced from each other under the Big Tent.
Stanchions, signage, and barriers will be used throughout the venue to ennsure social distancing is maintained for all audience members.
Shortened Performances
In order to limit exposure, all performances are only 60-70 minutes in length.
Face Coverings
Everyone will be required to wear a face covering at all times, both inside and outside the tent for the duration of the performance(s). Click here for mask safety recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Health Screenings
Patrons will be required to take a Health Screening Questionnaire either before arriving or on site. Temperature checks will also be conducted prior to entry.
Reduced Contact
Ticket scanning, temperature checks, and safety screenings will be contactless and staff will be equipped with masks, face shields, and gloves to keep you safe.
Enhanced Cleaning
Hand washing and sanitizing stations will be dispersed throughout the outdoor venue and personal hand sanitizers will be available at each pod. Seats, tables, bathrooms, and every check-in stations will be fully sanitized prior to and following each performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re here to help
We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions that will help you navigate through this new experience. If you don’t see an answer to your question, please contact us at info@atlantaopera.org and we’ll be happy to assist you!
Location
The Big Tent at Oglethorpe University
All performances will be presented in large, ventilated, open-sided tent. The tent is located on Anderson Field at Oglethorpe University’s Hermance Stadium.
Composer
Ruggiero Leoncavallo (1857-1919)
Italian composer Ruggero Leoncavallo was born in Naples on April 23, 1857. Though it was not performed publicly until some time later, Leoncavallo completed his first opera Chatterton in 1876, before his twentieth birthday. Not long after, Leoncavallo fell on hard times and became a café pianist and sometime teacher in Paris, London, and Egypt. The famous baritone Victor Maurel introduced him to Ricordi, the leading music publisher in Milan, beginning a tumultuous relationship. Heavily influenced by Wagner, Leoncavallo conceived of a three-part Italian answer to the Ring cycle.
![Image_RLeoncavallo Image_RLeoncavallo](https://www.atlantaopera.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Image_RLeoncavallo.jpg)
Conductor
Rolando Salazar
Rolando Salazar is the assistant conductor, assistant chorus master, and the music administrator for the Atlanta Opera. He has served as assistant conductor and pianist at The Bellingham Festival of Music, as assistant conductor at La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy, and as coach/conductor for the Harrower Opera Workshop. He serves as artistic director and conductor of the Georgia Piedmont Youth Orchestra while maintaining a guest-conducting schedule, most recently in performances with the Georgia State University Orchestra, Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra, Georgia State University Opera, and the Ozark Family Opera. Mr. Salazar also keeps an active coaching and collaborative piano schedule in Atlanta, preparing numerous singers for engagements with major orchestras and opera houses worldwide. A student of Michael Palmer, he is a graduate of Georgia State University with a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting and an Artist Diploma in Orchestra and Opera.
![Image_RSalazar Image_RSalazar](https://www.atlantaopera.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Image_RSalazar-500x500.jpg)
Director
Tomer Zvulun
General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera since 2013, Israeli born Tomer Zvulun is also one of leading stage director of his generation, earning consistent praise for his creative vision and innovative interpretations. His work has been presented by prestigious opera houses in Europe, South and Central America, Israel and the US, including The Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas, San Diego, Boston, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Montreal, Buenos Aires, Israeli Opera, and the festivals of Wexford, Glimmerglass and Wolf Trap, as well as leading educational institutes and universities such as The Juilliard School, Indiana University, and Boston University.
Tomer spent seven seasons on the directing staff of the Metropolitan Opera where he directed revivals of Carmen and Tosca and was involved with more than a dozen new productions. He is a frequent guest director in companies such as Seattle Opera (Semele, La Bohème, Eugene Onegin, Lucia di Lammermoor), Dallas Opera (Die Fledermaus, La Bohème), Houston (Flying Dutchman, Rigoletto), Wexford Festival (Silent Night, Dinner at Eight), Cincinnati Opera (Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Flying Dutchman), Wolf Trap (Falstaff, Don Giovanni), Israeli Opera (Dead Man Walking, Giulio Cesare) among others. His European premiere of Silent Night at the Wexford Festival received two Irish Times Awards and traveled from Ireland to Washington National Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival and the opera companies of Atlanta, Austin and Salt Lake City.
![Headshot_ZvulunTomer Headshot_ZvulunTomer](https://www.atlantaopera.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Headshot_ZvulunTomer-800x800.jpg)