By Giacomo Puccini (composer) and Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica (librettists)
A N E ducator’s G uide To T osca HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE Opera offers a unique teaching opportunity—to explore the arts through many different disciplines—from literature and drama, to history and music. This guide has been designed to provide teachers with suggestions on how to integrate the music and historical background of Puccini’s Tosca into their existing curricula. For applicable National Standards, please contact the Washington National Opera’s Education and Community Programs Department at 202.448.3466 or at education@dc-opera.org.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE? The dress rehearsal of Tosca will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. Please plan to arrive early, as the Opera House doors open 30 minutes prior to the start of the performance. Latecomers will be seated only at suitable breaks in the music—often not until intermission. When you arrive at the Kennedy Center Opera House, please have your dress rehearsal passes ready. Seating at Washington National Opera’s dress rehearsals is open. Please check your ticket for the area of the Opera House in which you will sit. Ushers will be available to assist you. The estimated running time for this rehearsal of Tosca is two hours and 31 minutes, with two intermissions.
YOUR ROLE IN THE OPERA Opera is a collaborative art. It requires the work of many people, including the director, designer, singer-actors, orchestra, technicians, crew, and the audience. The audience is an important part of every performance. Your role is to suspend disbelief and imagine that the story enacted before you is really happening; to let the action and music surround you, and to become part of the show. To help your students feel comfortable with their role as operagoers, Washington National Opera has prepared some tips for performance etiquette. Please review “What Will You See?” and “What Do You Wear? And Other Stuff…” (in the Student Guide) with your students. By following these guidelines, everyone will have a positive experience!
L esson I deas DANCE-MOVEMENTPHYSICAL EDUCATION-THEATER While composing La Bohème, Puccini traveled to Florence to see the play La Tosca by the popular French playwright, Victorien Sardou. The title role of Tosca was performed by the celebrated actress, Sarah Bernhardt. Bernhardt’s interpretation of Tosca inspired Giacomo Puccini’s opera. For the première of Tosca (January 14, 1900, Rome), Puccini carefully selected opera singers who could act and use movement to reinforce and punctuate the action-packed plot. Puccini’s Tosca uncovered the very dark side of human nature. With Tosca, Puccini created an opera of heightened dramatic effect. Besides contracting singers who paid attention to dramatic nuances, Puccini hired his publisher’s son, Tito Ricordi, for the original production of Tosca. Ricordi was a stage director who took great care over production elements. He also rehearsed the performers intensely so they would understand the depth of their characters. Musicologist Saul Lilienstein has commented that there are key moments of well-executed pancontinued on page 2