Opera Company of Philadelphiaand The School District of Philadelphia Present

Charles Gounod’s

Romeo�&�JulietFinal Dress Rehearsal: Wednesday, February 9, 2011, Academy of Music, Philadelphia, 2:00 PM

Opera

Best Practices in Arts Education is sponsored by Pennsylvania Alliance for Arts Education,Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

A Family Guide to

Pennsylvania’s standards in education call for students to show what they know and are ableto do. Children need to share what they have discovered or learned. Thus, the title of our program isSounds of Learning™. It reflects our belief that children must be actively engaged in sharing ideas.

The Sounds of Learning™ workbook and teacher guide will integrate with the local core literacy curriculum in many ways. Just as opera is a uniquely integrated art, combining orchestra, voice, literature, drama, and dance, Sounds of Learning™ is an interdisciplinary program. The goal of the ActiveLearning sections is to have your children engaged in the process of self-teaching. They will be able toshow how they have gained insights into their learning by drawing, writing, and discussing the issuesmost relevant to them. In this way, students demonstrate what they can do with what they know.

We believe the family is the most important foundation to learning. Let your kitchen tablebecome a classroom where your children can build their knowledge of opera and the humanities. As youjoin in the teaching and learning process with your children, watch their eyes sparkle. Opera is a communal celebration, so too should be your children’s education.

In reading the libretto, we suggest that you and your family members take turns reading particular roles. Dr. Ellen Winner of Harvard’s Project Zero found that: “drama helps to buildverbal skills that transfer to new materials;” helps students in “reading readiness and achievement;” and“oral and written language development.” (Journal of Aesthetic Education, v34, #3/4, Fall/Winter, 2000.)

In preparing for the opera, we suggest you purchase one of EMI’s excellent audio or videorecordings of this opera. We are grateful to EMI for offering us their libretti for use in our program.Together, we hope to build future audiences for, and performers of, the arts.

Goals and Objectives of Sounds of Learning™• Improve literacy rates by using the opera’s libretto to teach courses across the curriculum• Understand the plot, characters, and their motivations• Learn something about the composer and others involved in writing the opera• Know something of the historic and social context of the story• Know some key musical elements, recognize certain melodies, differentiate between voices• Understand the role music plays by expressing emotions and heightening the dramatic experience

• Understand the various elements of producing opera and the functions of those involvede.g. conductor, director, set designer, technical crew, etc.

• Develop the ability to make judgments about the opera, production, and performance• Relate incidents in the opera to those of the present day

ContentsTa

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Check out our website for additional content! Here you’ll find more informationon the opera, its themes, lessons, and links to even more fascinating material.See page 5 for more details.

Opera 101: Getting Ready for the Opera2 Opera Company of Philadelphia3 Philadelphia’s Academy of Music4 Opera Etiquette 1015 Opera - Online!6 A Brief History of Western Opera

Relating Opera to History: The Culture Connection8 Determined to Succeed: Charles François Gounod9 What in the World? Personal and Historic Events during Gounod’s Life

10 Bard of Stratford: William Shakespeare11 History of Romeo and Juliet12 Gounod Puts Romeo and Juliet on the Opera Stage

Libretto and Production Information13 Romeo and Juliet : Plot Synopsis14 A Romeo and Juliet for Today’s Audiences16 Who is Romeo?17 Who is Juliet?

Lessons35 Create Your own R&J36 What Happens Next?/Alternate Endings37 Conflicts and Loves in Romeo and Juliet

Glossary 41

2 Opera Company of Philadelphia

Soprano Ermonela Jaho and tenor Roger Honeywell in JunKaneko’s stylized production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.Photo: Kelly & Massa Photography

Opera has played a vital part in Philadelphia’shistory. The first opera in Philadelphia that we knowof was Midas in 1769. Ever since then opera hasbeen so popular in Philadelphia that there have beenseveral opera companies in the city at the same time!In fact, the Opera Company of Philadelphia was createdwhen the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company andthe Philadelphia Lyric Opera Company joined in1975. Since then, the Opera Company of Philadelphiahas honored the city’s operatic traditions.

Each season the Opera Company presents five different operas with singers from allover the world. Three of the operas are given in thebeautiful, large-scale Academy of Music. With justunder 2,900 seats, the Academy is the OperaCompany’s home for grand opera. Two smaller, moreintimate operas are staged in the Perelman Theater.With about 600 seats, the Perelman, in the KimmelCenter for the Performing Arts, is perfect for chamberand modern operas.

Today, the Opera Company’s mission, or corepurpose, has three parts to it:

1: Deliver outstanding productions of classic operas,often giving them in creative and cutting-edge ways,and create exciting new operas that people inPhiladelphia’s socially and culturally varied area willlike.

We do this by hiring the best stage designers.Sets might be in the Company’s Production Center inthe Tacony area of Philadelphia. Sometimes the

Opera Company partners with another company tobuild new sets and costumes, or rents a productionfrom another company.

The Opera Company supports creating newAmerican operas, too. In recent seasons four newoperas have been seen at OCP: Margaret Garner byRichard Danielpour, Cyrano by David DiChiera,Ainadamar by Argentinian composer OsvaldoGolijov, Tea: A Mirror of Soul by Chinese composerTan Dun, which premiered in February 2010.

2: Find the best young, up-and-coming singers andgive them the chance to sing with some of the bestsingers in the world

We find the brightest young singers in ourown backyard at two of the best opera schools in theworld - The Curtis Institute of Music and the Academyof Vocal Arts. Singers from both schools have sungright along side stars like Denyce Graves and NathanGunn.

3: Create informative student and adult programs thatwill introduce opera to newcomers and that both long-time and new opera fans will enjoy.

Each season over 5,000 students from theDelaware Valley attend the opera through the Soundsof Learning™ program. The Company also hosts community recitals and lectures, technology-basedinternet events, and more.

For over 30 years the Opera Company ofPhiladelphia has brought audiences outstandingproduction quality, artistry and educational opportunities. A strong blend of traditional and innovative programming will continue to ensure theexcitement of opera in Philadelphia.

ACTIVE LEARNING

1. Find out more about the Opera Company of Philadelphia at our website: www.operaphila.org

2. Want to learn more about the great history of opera in Philadelphia? Visit www.frankhamilton.org

3

Philadelphia’s

Academy of Music

The Academy ofMusic’s restored chandelier.

Photo by Michael Bolton

You will attend the opera at Philadelphia’sAcademy of Music, the country’s oldest grand operahouse still used for its original purpose - performingopera! It is a very grand opera house with a hugechandelier and four levels. Its design was based onthe famous La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy.

Finding the money to build an opera house inPhiladelphia was difficult, but enough money wasraised by 1854. On October 13th a plot of land wasbought on the corner of Broad and Locust Streets tobuild the opera house.

In the fall of 1854 fifteen architects entered acompetition to see who would design the Academy.On February 12, 1855, Gustav Rungé and Napoleon leBrun won the contest, which included a $400 prize.Within four months the ground-breaking took place.The project was so important that President FranklinPierce, along with the governor and mayor, laid thecornerstone on July 26, 1855.

The Academy opened on January 26, 1857with a Grand Ball and Promenade Concert. The firstopera presented in the brand new opera house wasGiuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore on February 25, 1857.Two of many operatic highlights throughout the theater’s history include the American premiere ofCharles Gounod’s opera Faust on November 18, 1863and a performance of Giacomo Puccini’s MadamaButterfly on February 14, 1907 with the composer in attendance.

Numerous presidents have visited theAcademy, including Ulysses S. Grant, TheodoreRoosevelt, and Richard Nixon. Prince Charles ofWales visited the Academy in 2007. Thousands ofworld-famous performers have appeared on its stage,such as Peter Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff,George Gershwin, Igor Stravinsky, Arturo Toscanini,Marian Anderson, Maria Callas, and LucianoPavarotti.

The Academy was made a Registered NationalHistoric Landmark in 1963. Since then, a fewchanges have been made to the structure. The“Twenty-First Century Project”, begun in 1996,replaced the stage floor, rigging system, and restoredthe historic ceiling. During 2008 the famous chandelier was rebuilt to how it looked in 1857. Allof these renovations have helped the Academyremain as grand as ever. We hope you find it grandas well!

Academy Facts› The auditorium seats 2,897; 14 columns support the Academy’s tiers; and the auditorium is encased within a threefoot thick solid brick wall.

› The Academy Chandelier is 25 feet high, 50 feet in circumference, almost 17 feet in diameter, and 3,500 poundsin weight. It has 23,000 crystals on it, which, if laid out, couldreach from Broad Street to Rittenhouse Square and back.

› The red and gold pattern on the Academy’s stage curtain simulates that of a pineapple, a Victorian-era symbolfor “welcome.”

› The first-ever indoor football game was held on theAcademy’s Parquet level on March 7, 1889 betweenUniversity of Pennsylvania and Riverton Club of Princeton. Athalftime, tug-of-war matches were held as entertainment.

› 1,600 people attended the first ever motion picture screening on February 5, 1870. The audience saw a coupledancing, a gymnastics routine and more during the silent film.

› Air conditioning was installed in the theatre 1959.

› There was no elevator for the general public in the Academy until 1990!

For more information on the Academy of Music, go to thelibrary and take out Within These Walls, by John FrancisMarion or go online to www.academyofmusic.org.

Opera Etiquette 1014

There’s nothing quite as exciting as attending theopera in a professional theater like the Academy of Music.You will attend the final dress rehearsal of CharlesGounod’s opera Romeo and Juliet. Here’s what you’ll needto know about attending the opera!

Unlike actors on television or in the movies, performers onstage are very aware of the audience. Theywant to share their love of performing with you.Everything you do in the audience affects what happens on stage. You can show them how much youappreciate their work and the opportunity to come to therehearsal by being as quiet as possible. So, please refrainfrom talking out of respect for the cast, musicians, theentire production team, and everyone in the theater, andgive the artists and the production your full attention!

ACTIVE LEARNING The picture on this page shows several patrons and famousopera characters on their way to attend an opera at the theater. Now picture yourself in their shoes. On a separate piece ofpaper, write a few words on what you think the trip to theopera will be like. You may want to mention going to theAcademy of Music or attending the opera. What will you wear?How will you and your classmates act? At what time will youmeet your classmates? How many classmates will attend? Willyou have a special dinner before the opera? If so, where? Willthe opera be exciting and entertaining? Share your thoughtshere and compare your stories with your classmates.

Here’s a list of DOs and DON’Ts so that everyone in the theater can enjoy the opera:

Please Do...• Applaud after the arias; you can shout “Bravo!” for the men and “Brava!” for the women.

• Enter and exit the theater in an orderly fashion.

• Please use the bathrooms before the rehearsal begins or at intermission.

• Turn off your cell phones and all electronic devices.

• Enjoy the rehearsal. You’ve worked too hard preparing for the rehearsal not to!

Don’t Forget...• No food, gum and beverages are allowed inside the theater.

• Photographs or video footage may not be taken duringthe performance.

• No talking or whispering during the performance.

• No shoving, jumping, running, or spitting in the theater.

• Please obey the theater ushers and staff.

• Keep all objects to yourself. If you throw something, you might hurt someone and cause a disruption in performance.It is grounds for removal from the auditorium.

• MAKE YOUR SCHOOL PROUD!

5OPERA – Online!

See rehearsal photos on our website athttp://www.operaphila.org/production/behind-scenes. Logon and see our Behind the Scenes area to see how aproduction develops from the first day of rehearsal toopening night!

Also, you can download extra copies of theSounds of Learning™ guide and past guides from thispage as well. All of this content is provided for free!

If you’re online, check out our myspace and facebook pages, too. Just search for Opera Company ofPhiladelphia!

You might study music in your schools or privately. Where do you go if you want to learnmore about Romeo and Juliet, opera singers, opera-related topics and experience opera more frequently? Visit OCP’s website at:

operaphila.org/community/sol-prod2.shtml

Here you can find more information about Romeo andJuliet and all the operas presented by the OperaCompany at absolutely no cost!

Opera Right in Your Email Inbox!

Another great way to learn more is to sign up for the freeweekly Sounds of Learning™ email list. Email your name,school and age to education@operaphila.org and eachweek we’ll send you an opera video “clip of the week”with famous opera singers singing great arias and ensembles all throughout the summer. Some will be funny,some will be thrilling, some will be dramatic, and all of it willbe exciting! Also included in the email will be the websiteof the week. We’ll feature links to singers’ websites, musiclinks, other great music and opera websites. You can build awhole library of video clips to go back to again and again!Share the clips and links with your family and friends.

Don’t forget to check out our Sounds of Learning™blog at http://operaphillysol.blogspot.com. The blog willallow you to discuss the opera with students throughoutthe tri-state area! Log onto the blog and share yourthoughts and views about the opera, the music, the set,the singers, the Academy of Music, coming to center cityPhiladelphia, the email list “clip of the week” andmore! Other students participating in Sounds ofLearning™ from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, andDelaware want to hear what you have to say! Post yourcomments by going to: http://operaphillysol.blogspot.com.

A Brief History of

Western Opera6

Theatrical performances that use music, song and danceto tell a story can be found in many cultures. Opera isjust one example of music drama.

A tense scene from Act II of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. (l-r: bass Richard Bernstein, baritone Simone Alberghini and sopranosChristine Brandes and Mary Dunleavy.)

These early operas were performed in the courts of Italiannoblemen, but soon opera becamepopular with the general public.Europe at the time had a growing middle class witha taste for spectacular entertainment.

As opera’s popularity grew, so did the complexity of operas and the level of spectacle.Many opera houses had elaborate machinery thatcould be used to create special effects such as flyingactors and crumbling buildings. There was muchdebate about whether an excess of visual elements inopera detracted from the quality of the music anddrama. Some people even worried that too muchcomedy in opera could lead to immorality among thepublic!

During the period from about 1600 to 1750,the Baroque period in music, Italian opera spreadacross Europe. In fact the Italian style of opera wasso popular that even though other countries andregions often had their own traditions of musicaldrama, the Italian form was usually preferred.George Frederick Handel was a German-born composer who lived and worked in England, but hisoperas, such as Julius Caesar (1724), were written inthe Italian language and used an Italian style of

Throughout its 400-year history opera hasbeen shaped by the times in which it was createdand tells us much about those who participated inthe art form as writers, composers, performers, and audience members.

The first works to be called operas were created in Italy at the end of the sixteenth century.They were inspired by a group of intellectuals knownas the Florentine Camerata who, like many thinkersof their time in the late Renaissance, admired the culture of the ancient Greeks. They proposed theinvention of a new type of musical theater that wouldimitate Greek drama’s use of music.

The result was a series of operas based onGreek myths, starting with Dafne by Jacopo Peri in1598. The most famous work of this early period isClaudio Monteverdi’s Orfeo (1607), based on the mythof Orpheus. These early operas had all the basic elements that we associate with opera today, includingsongs, instrumental accompaniments, dance, costumes,and scenery.

Claudio Monteverdi1567-1643

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Wolfgang AmadeusMozart1756-1791

Bass Kevin Glavin gets a close shave from baritone RobertoDeCandia in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.

music. The only nation to develop a national tradition to rival the Italian was France, where operasoften included ballets inserted into the story. Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau are themost famous French Baroque opera composers.

By the eighteenth century Europe was changing. The growing middle class was more influential than ever, and people were starting to talkabout new forms of government and organization insociety. Soon the American and French Revolutions(1776 and 1789) would seek to establish the firstmodern democracies.

Music was changing, too. Composers abandonedthe Baroque era’s complicated musical style andbegan to write simpler music with more expressivemelodies. Opera composers could write melodiesthat allowed characters to express their thoughts andfeelings more believably. One of the first operas touse this new style was Christoph Willibald Gluck’sOrfeo ed Euridice (1762).

With the new democratic sentiments cameinterest in operas about common people in familiarsettings, rather than stories from ancient mythology.A good example is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (1786), in which a servant outsmarts a count. Several of Mozart’s operas remainamong the most popular today. They include Figaro,Don Giovanni (1788), Così fan tutte (1790), and TheMagic Flute (1791).

In the nineteenth century operas continued togrow more diverse in their subject matter, forms, and national styles. The Italian tradition continued in the bel canto movement. Operas written in thisstyle, which means “beautiful singing”, included ariaswith intricate ornamentation, or combinations of fastnotes, in the melodies. The most famous bel cantocomposers are Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizettiand Gioacchino Rossini, whose The Barber of Seville(1816) is one of the most beloved comic operas.

Later in the century the Romantic Movement ledmany composers to take an interest their nationalidentities. As a result, operas in languages other thanItalian became more common, and new works oftenreflected pride in a country’s people, history andfolklore. Among the operas that show the growth ofnational traditions are Carl Maria von Weber’s DerFreischütz (Germany, 1821), Mikhail Glinka’s Ruslanand Lyudmilla (Russia, 1842) and Georges Bizet’sCarmen (France, 1875). In Italy Giuseppe Verdicomposed in a bold, direct style, and his operas,such as Nabucco (1842) and Macbeth (1847), oftenincluded elements of nationalism. In GermanyRichard Wagner took the Romantic style to theextreme in an ambitious series of operas known collectively as The Ring of the Nibelung (1876) based onNorse mythology.

In the twentieth century opera became evenmore diversified and experimental, to the point thatit sometimes became difficult to distinguish it fromother forms of musical theater. Some composerssuch as Giacomo Puccini (La bohème, 1896), ClaudeDebussy (Pelléas et Mélisande, 1902), Richard Strauss(Salome, 1905), and Benjamin Britten (Peter Grimes,1945) continued to write operas that were similar inmany ways to those of the nineteenth century.Others, horrified by the destructive effects of WorldWar I (1914-1919) and other aspects of modern life,created works with radically experimental and dissonant music. These operas often explored topicsthat were either disturbing (Wozzeck by Alban Berg,1925) or absurdist (The Rake’s Progress by IgorStravinsky, 1951). American opera also came into itsown in this century, beginning with George Gershwin’sPorgy and Bess (1935) which incorporated jazz andblues styles of music. In the latter part of the centurya repetitive and hypnotic style known as minimalismwas exemplified in Phillip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach(1976), a piece that would hardly be recognized as anopera by earlier standards. The late twentieth century even saw a return to some of the traits ofRomantic opera in works such as John Corigliano’sThe Ghosts of Versailles (1991).

Today, opera is a living art form in which bothnew works and those by composers of the past continue to be performed. It remains to be seen whatthe future of opera will be, but if history is any indication, it will be shaped by the creativity oflibrettists, composers, and other artists respondingthe changing times in which they live.

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Romeo and Juliet composer Charles FrançoisGounod was born in Paris on June 17, 1818. During hislifetime, he became the leading figure in French music andcomposed twelve operas. The popularity of his operaFaust (1859) brought him public renown, but, by the timeof his death in 1893, he was considered a composer of limited scope. Only two of his operas are performed today,while his other works are largely ignored.

Gounod’s father, Francois Louis, was a painter,and his mother Victoire was a pianist. Gounod’s fatherdied when he was five, and his mother taught drawing andpiano in order to support the family. In 1829 he enteredthe Lycee St. Louis School and his beautiful voice earnedhim the position of choir soloist. While his mother wantedhim to study law, he decided at age 16 to devote his life tomusic. After studying with outstanding musicians, he wasawarded the prestigious Prix de Rome prize in 1839 whichgave him the chance to study in Rome and Germany.

During this period, Gounod wrote many religiouspieces and became director of music at the MissionsEtrangères church in Paris. In 1847 he enrolled in the St.Sulpice seminary, but the following year he left, settinghis sights instead on the world of opera. Although he had noformal background in opera, his friendship with the famousmezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot led to a commission tocompose a two-act opera for the Paris Opera. Gounodcomposed Sapho, an opera in three acts, during the summer of 1850. It premiered in Paris on April 16, 1851,and was a failure despite critical praise of the music.

In 1852 Gounod married the esteemed pianistAnna Zimmerman. He continued to try his hand at operawith only modest success.

Gounod became part of a project to write an operabased on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s tragic playFaust. While there were a few delays with the project,work resumed in April 1858, and the opera premiered onMarch 19, 1859 with modest success. Reviewers thoughtthe music was too elevated and overly serious. Gradually,the French public adapted its ears to Gounod’s style, andFaust soon became popular.

Gounod hoped to continue this success, but hisnext three operas were failures. Despite this, Gounod wasstill highly regarded by the French public. In 1865, despitethe increasing severity of a nervous disorder, he turned toan opera based on Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.This new opera premiered during the Paris UniversalExposition of 1867 and was Gounod’s greatest immediatesuccess.

In 1869, Faust received its first performance at theParis Opera following the addition of a required large-scale ballet. The opera’s new success began its long spanas an international favorite.

Gounod, worried about the political currents thenshaking European civilization, moved his family toEngland in 1870. There he developed a friendship withGeorgina Weldon, an English soprano, which threatenedhis marriage and his work. During this troubled time heworked on his opera Polyeucte, which when finally performed in 1878 was yet another failure. Critics suggested he give up composing operas.

Gounod made one last attempt to rescue Sapho, buta new production in 1884 failed to achieve success. In theremaining years of his life, he never again attempted areturn to the stage. He died on October 18, 1893, his reputation secure but limited.

ACTIVE LEARNING1. Find out more about Gounod by joining our weekly emaillist by writing to education@operaphila.org, or by visiting theRomeo and Juliet page on the Opera Company website. Seepage 5 for more details.

2. Some of Gounod’s music has become so popular thateveryone knows it. Perhaps you’ve heard his setting of theAve Maria or The Funeral March for a Marionette? Do asearch for either of these titles on YouTube or iTunes and seewhat you find!

Determined to Succeed:

Charles François Gounod

Romeo and Julietcomposer CharlesFrancois Gounod

(1818-1893)

9

What in the World?Personal and Historic Events during Gounod’s Life

Below is a list of important historical events. The items in boldface type happened to Gounod and items with an asterisk (*) have local significance. All other items are historic or cultural events. What it might have been like to be alive during the time period. How would your life

be different or the same? How did the inventions of the time affect daily life?

Gounod was born in Paris on June 17.Gounod’s father died, causing his mother to have to work to support the family.The cornerstone for first United States mint was laid at Chestnut and Juniper Streets in Philadelphia.

Gounod entered the Lycee St. Louis and became the choir’s soloist.“Mary Had a Little Lamb” was first published by Sarah Josepha Hale in the anthology "Poems for Our Children."

Gounod became obsessed with composing after hearing Rossini’s Otello at the Théâtre-Italien.Gounod began to study with famous musicians Reicha, Halevy, and Le Sueur.Gounod won the Prix de Rome and studied abroad while writing religious works.Edgar Allan Poe’s poem "The Raven" was first published.

The first doughnut with a hole in it was created.

Gounod enrolled in St. Sulpice seminary.Gounod abandoned his religious vocation to focus on opera.California’s Gold Rush began.

Gounod composed Sapho for mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot.The first women's medical school, the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania, opened.

Gounod’s first opera Sapho premiered but was not a success.Gounod married famous pianist Anna Zimmerman.Philadelphia’s Academy of Music opened with a concert conducted by Tchaikovsky.

Faust premiered; it would prove to be Gounod’s most successful and enduring opera.American Civil War took place.

First United States paper money was issued in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1,000.

The 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery throughout the United States.

Charles Elmer Hires sold his first root beer in Philadelphia.

Gounod and his family moved to England after the Franco-Prussian War, while there his wife left him due to his close friendship with a female opera singer.

The first section of the famous boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J., opened to the public.

The Republican National Convention, the first major political party convention to include African Americans, was held in Philadelphia’s Academy of Music.

Gounod returned to France. The first United States zoo opened in Philadelphia.

A United States child labor law took 12 year olds out of work force.

Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call.

Gounod’s Cinq Mars premiered to negative reviews, with Gounod’s style called outdated.

The first department store opened in Philadelphia by John Wanamaker.

Gounod was told by critics to give up opera composition.In Alabama Tuskegee Institute was founded by former slave Booker T. Washington.

The first string of Christmas tree lights was created by Thomas Edison.

Gounood’s revised Sapho premiered but failed; Gounod stopped writing any major compositions.America's first roller coaster began operating at Coney Island, NYC. It hit a top speed of 6 mph.

Ellis Island, NYC, opened as a United States immigration depot.

Peanut Butter was invented as a vegetarian protein supplement for people with missing teeth.

Gounod died on October 18.

A forty-niner peers

into the silt of

California’s

American River

during the Gold

Rush.

1818

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A 1902 photo of immigrants entering theUnited States throughEllis Island.Photo: Library of Congress

10

William Shakespeare was born thethird of eight children to JohnShakespeare and Mary Arden in 1564.His father was a merchant and a fineleather glove maker. His mother was froma family of land owners. As William grew,his father became an alderman and laterthe mayor of their town, Stratford-upon-Avon. William attended the local grammarschool where he studied the comedies ofPlautus and Terence and the tragedies ofSeneca in Latin.

In 1582 William married AnneHathaway, who was about eight years hissenior. Together they had three children:Susanna, 1583, and the twins Judith and

Hamnet, 1585. While there was work for William inStratford-upon-Avon as an actor, the call of London, thecapital of his craft, led him to move to the city in 1588. By1594 he had established himself as both a playwright andactor and was invited to join the company The LordChamberlain’s Men.

This group of actors performed at The GlobeTheatre, located on the South Bank of the Thames Riverin Southwark. To attend their performances, theater goershad to take the ferry across the river or travel across theLondon Bridge. The Globe Theatre had a thatched roof andburned down in 1613 during a production of Shakespeare’sHenry VIII. The theater was rebuilt and reopened a yearlater. Later, under the patronage of King James I ofEngland, the group was given an indoor theater known asThe Blackfriars. The group was then named The King’sMen.

Shakespeare’s plays were very popular with thepeople of London. While it was not customary to paymuch to a playwright for his work, Shakespeare was givena share of the profits from the sale of tickets. As a shareholderof the company, he became wealthy. He also took pleasurein acting in his creations. It is believed that he acted theroles of Adam in As You Like It and the ghost of Hamlet’sfather. His knowledge of stagecraft and the demands ofacting gave him a great insight into the dynamics ofsuccessful drama.

Although he wrote thirty-eight plays, we have nomanuscripts in his handwriting because he did not considerthe writing of plays as literature. He would only publishthem to correct errors in other editions of his works thatwere printed without his permission. In his day, the

concept of copyright did not exist. Anyone could copy thework of another person and publish it for profit.Shakespeare authorized the publishing of only half of hiswork known as “quarto” editions. For the remainder of hisplays, we depend upon his friends and colleagues for“folio” editions which were published several years afterhis death.

Shakespeare’s poetry is also very highly regarded.His sonnets are regarded as a very high form of poetry andhis work in this area earned him the epithet, “mellifluous andhoney-tongued Shakespeare” in 1598. His classical epics,Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece are considered two of the finest pieces of writing in theEnglish language. With his success, he returned toStratford-upon-Avon and purchased one of the finesthomes in town, New Place. Across the garden from hishome, he had another home built for his daughter Susannaand her husband Dr. Hall. Whenever the plague wouldstrike and the theaters were closed, he would return hometo wait out the cycle of the disease. After writing TheTempest in 1610, he left London and retired to his countryhome. Six years later, the venerable “Bard of Stratford”died and was given a hero’s funeral.

So great were his plays that the field of opera hashundreds of scores written to them. Berlioz wrote hisBéatrice et Bénédict based upon Much Ado about Nothing.Ralph Vaughn Williams’ opera, Sir John in Love, wasbased upon The Merry Wives of Windsor. Verdi’s Otelloand Macbeth were based upon Shakespeare’s plays of thesame name and his Falstaff was based upon both KingHenry IV and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Shakespeare’sRomeo and Juliet has twenty-five operas based upon it,The Tempest has forty-seven and A Midsummer Night’sDream has forty-eight operas based upon it. Few authorscan claim to have affected the culture of the world morethan William Shakespeare, the “Bard of Stratford.”

Bard of Stratford

William Shakespeare

The witches wreak havoc in The Opera Company ofPhiladelphia’s 2003 production of Verdi’s Macbeth.

Portrait ofWilliam

Shakespeare,Bard of

Stratford.

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Romantics all over the world may be disappointed to find out that the famous “starcross’dlovers” never actually existed.

The origin of the basic Romeo and Juliet storystretches back to the time of the ancient Romans.The first story to use “lovers from rival families” asits theme was that of Pyramus and Thisbe, as firsttold by Ovid. In it two young lovers are kept apart bytheir feuding families, and have to communicatewith each other through a hole in the wall separatingtheir houses. Eventually, they plan to run awaytogether, but, through a mix up with a lion, Pyramusthinks Thisbe has died and stabs himself. Upon findingher lover dying, Thisbe stabs herself, too.

If this sounds familiar, it is Romeo and Juliet’splot in its essential form. In fact, Shakespeare madefun of the Pyramus and Thisbe story in his play AMidsummer Night’s Dream (1594-1596), written afterRomeo and Juliet (1591-1595), by having some foolishrustics put on the play and make a mess of it. Manypeople think that, by extension, Shakespeare wasmaking fun of his own Romeo and Juliet at the sametime by pointing out the tale’s absurdities.

Another famous source for Romeo and Juliet wasDante’s Divine Comedy (1321). The two lovers aren’tmentioned, but Dante introduces the warring Capuletand Montague families who are fighting over land.

The first story that is truly similar to Romeo andJuliet (1476) by Massucio Salernitano as the 33rdnovel of his Il Novellino series. If not inspired byPyramus and Thisbe and with the lovers now namedMariotto and Gianozza, Salernitano’s story introducedmany elements found in later versions of the story.In this story originates the character of the friar, thesecret marriage, the potion, the undelivered message,the exile of one of the lovers due to the death of animportant citizen. However, in the end of this version, Mariotto, taken by the authorities, isbeheaded and Gianozza dies of a broken heart.

The first person to weave these strands togetherinto the more familiar version of Romeo and Juliet wasLuigi da Porto in 1530. He was the first one to givethe lovers their familiar names and to make themchildren of the warring Montague and Capulet

families. He also rewrote their deaths in the style ofPyramus and Thisbe. Finally, he created characterswho were similar to Mercutio, Tybalt, and Paris.

Later versions of this tale were all adaptations of da Porto’s story. Matteo Bandelloadapted it in 1554, introducingcharacters similar to the Nurse andBenvolio. Pierre Boaistuau thenadapted Bandello’s version into anawkward French translation. ThisFrench version was adapted byArthur Brooke into English as TheTragical History of Romeus and Juliet,Shakespeare’s direct source for hisplay. Brooke’s version is reportedlyterrible, full of bland poetry andmoralizing (for example, in theintroduction, Brooke justifies thelovers’ deaths because of their"unhonest desire, neglecting theauthority and advice of parents andfriends; conferring their principalcounsels with drunken gossips andsuperstitious friars...")

Despite subtle differences in plotting, Brooke’sstory closely resembles the Romeo and Juliet we knowtoday, just missing all of Shakespeare’s poetry, brilliant structuring, and deep characterization.

While Romeo and Juliet’s story continues toevolve today (as seen, most notably, in LeonardBernstein’s musical West Side Story), the essence of thestory is as old as history itself.

ACTIVE LEARNING1. Aren’t familiar with Pryamus and Thisbe? Check out a performance by The Beatles at http://tinyurl.com/5ba3xz.

2. Want to learn more about Pyramus and Thisbe? Visithttp://tinyurl.com/26on3qv.

3. Compare and contrast elements of Romeo and Juliet withthose from West Side Story. Which elements are differentand which are the same?

The History of

Romeo and Juliet

Ford MadoxBrown’s famous1870 painting ofRomeo andJuliet’s balconyscene. Thispainting can beseen in theDelawareMuseum of Art.

We may think of Romeo and Juliet as being the eternal couple: two teenaged loversfrom Verona who made history by taking their lives rather than living apart from eachother, thus uniting their feuding families.

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Gounod puts Romeo and Juliet

On the Opera StageGounod had always been interested in the

story of Romeo and Juliet, ever since he heard HectorBerlioz’s Roméo et Juliette symphony as a boy. Afterthe success of Faust, and the failure of a few following operas, Gounod decided to take retreat inthe country to cure his rheumatism and write Roméoet Juliette.

His libretto was written by the team of JulesBarbier and Michel Carré, who had worked withGounod before. Barbier and Carré specialized in adaptingpreviously written works into librettos, maintaining asmuch of the original work as they could.

Their job with Romeo and Juliet was no different. In adapting it into a libretto theyattempted to keep as much of the languageintact as possible, simply carrying overmetaphors and whole lines from

Shakespeare’s original.

In addition, they kept the story very similar(unlike other Romeo and Juliet librettos, like the onefor Vincenzo Bellini’s I Capuleti e I Montecchi).However, they trimmed most of the extra plot linesand characters, focusing exclusively on the tragiclove story between Romeo and Juliet and making

characters like Friar Laurence and Mercutio simplerthan they had been in the play. This suited Gounodvery well, who was mostly interested in writingduets for the two lovers. To this end, much of theopera is taken up by four major love duets (themadrigal at Capulet’s ball, the balcony scene,Romeo’s night visit to Juliet, and the death scene).

Gounod wrote out the score in the townSaint Raphael in the spring of 1865. In addition totaking care of his rheumatism, he hoped the countrywould inspire him while working on the opera.Gounod thought that the area, filled with ancientruins, was just like the plains around Rome, butmore beautiful. The perfect place to write his operaset in Italy. He would take long walks early in themorning by the sea. Then, when he had settleddown beneath some trees with his score in front ofhim, he would begin to work. Gounod found himselfin a fever of inspiration, and the music came quickly and surely. In fact, at the end of a month, hehad completed most of the opera. He himself said ofthe work: “The first act ends brilliantly; the secondis tender and dreamy, the third bold and animatedwith the duels and Romeo sentenced to exile: thefourth is dramatic, the fifth tragic.”

However, Gounod’s pace took its toll. Whenthe weather turned and rain set in, an exhaustedGounod was struck by nervous illness. His wife anddoctor had to come rescue him, but he was able tostart work on Roméo et Juliette within the month.

He did not deliver the score to his publisheruntil the next year. Arguments broke out over thelead role (Gounod did not want a handsome youngcelebrity by the name of Victor Capoul to get the partof Romeo) and over the nature of the performance(should some of the opera be spoken or shouldeverything be sung). When everything had beenresolved, the date of the premiere was set for April1867, during the Exposition Universelle, an enormous sort of World’s Fair set in Paris. Gounodwas worried, since the date of the opening was thesame as the date of a very important ball. However,his publisher convinced him that this was a goodthing: people would see the opera, and then immediately go to the ball and talk about how greatit was. As a matter of fact, this is exactly what happened, and Roméo et Juliette proved to beGounod’s only immediate big hit.

Soprano Adelina Patti andtenor Giovanni Mario inAct 2 of Gounod's Roméo

et Juliette in the firstLondon production at theRoyal Opera House, Covent

Garden, which was firstpresented on 1867

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Romeo and Juliet

Plot SynopsisPROLOGUEMen and women of Verona, in the style of a Greek chorus,tell of the rivalry between two warring fashion houses:Capulet and Montague. The chorus summarizes thetragedy that is about to unfold.

ACT IGuests gather at a ball in the Capulet house and anticipatethe unveiling of the new spring collection. Waiting for thearrival of his cousin Juliet, who is the face of the House ofCapulet, Tybalt tells her suitor Paris of her beauty. As theeditor of the leading fashion magazine, Paris is a perfectmatch for Juliet. Capulet enters and introduces his daughterJuliet to the crowd before inviting them to see the collection.Fashion rival Romeo Montague sneaks into the party withhis friends Mercutio and Benvolio to spy on their competi-tors. Romeo tells them of his dream which fills him withforeboding, but Mercutio dismisses it, saying it is the workof the fairy Mab, queen of dreams and illusions. His songturns into a walk-off contest for the stuck-up models.

Romeo suddenly sees Juliet and is instantly drawn to her.His friends drag him away as Juliet tells her personal trainer Gertrude that she has no desire to marry; she vowsto break free from this glitter and glamour world in orderto be able to live her own life. When Romeo finallyapproaches Juliet, they both instantly recognize that theyare destined for each other. As Tybalt returns, the twolovers realize their identities – she, the face of the Houseof Capulet and he, the son of the Montague fashion house.Romeo runs out. Tybalt wishes to fight the Montague faction but Capulet stops him, saying that the party shouldcontinue.

ACT IILater that night, Romeo sneaks back into the Capulet gardens, sneaking his way through security alarms as hisfriends taunt him from below. He muses on his feelings forJuliet. He says “Love...its intensity has disturbed my verybeing!” Juliet appears on the balcony above him and,when he finally reveals himself, the two declare their lovefor each other. Between interruptions from the servantsand Gertrude, the lovers agree to marry the next day.

ACT IIIAt daybreak, Romeo rushes to his spiritual guru Laurenceto tell him of his love for Juliet. She soon arrives and thetwo beg Laurence to marry them. Convinced of their loveand hoping that the union will end the rivalry between thetwo families, Laurence unites the pair. Outside the Capulet

house, Romeo’s assistant Stephano provokes a fight withseveral of the Capulets. Mercutio and Benvolio arrive, followed shortly by Tybalt and Paris. Tybalt and Mercutiofight. As Romeo tries to keep the peace he urges Tybalt toforget about the families’ rivalry. Tybalt ignores him andfatally wounds Mercutio. Romeo avenges the death of hisfriend. He attacks Tybalt and kills him. The Duke arriveswith paparazzi in tow. Both families call for justice, andthe Duke banishes Romeo from Verona.

ACT IVAt daybreak in Juliet’s room, Juliet has forgiven Romeo forkilling her cousin. They sing of their love for each other,but Romeo pulls away from their embrace when he hearsthe morning lark. ('Nuit d’hyménée, ô douce nuitd’amour') Juliet refuses to believe that it is morning, butthe two say their goodbyes as Romeo flees into exile.Capulet arrives and tells his daughter that she will marryParis later that day. Depressed and alone with Laurence,Juliet tells him that she would rather die than marry Paris.Laurence suggests a way out for her. He gives her a sleepingpotion that will make her appear dead, and when sheawakes Romeo will be at her side. Juliet agrees and summons all her courage to drink the potion. ('Amour,ranime mon courage') When Capulet arrives with family,guests, and photographers to lead her to the wedding, shecollapses and all assume she is dead.

ACT VJuliet lies in Capulet’s mirroredtomb. Not having receivedLaurence’s note about the planand hearing the news of Juliet’spassing, Romeo arrives.Mourning the loss of his wife, hegazes down at her and is amazedthat Death has not robbed her ofher beauty. Determined to joinhis wife in Eternity, he drinks avial of poison. Barely has the vialfallen from his hand when Julietbegins to wake from her deepslumber. The two sing once moreof their love. As Romeo begins tosuccumb to the poison, Julietpulls out Romeo’s weapon andmortally injures herself. The twoask God for His forgiveness asthey die in each others’ arms.

Soprano AilynPérez as Julietand tenorStephenCostello asRomeo.Photo: Adam Leigh-Manuell

14

Romeo and Juliet remains one of the most easily recognized stories. The idea of young loversseparated by society has been relevant to audiencesthroughout history. However, these days, whenteenagers often simply go off and do what they want,the story can seem confusing to some.

Their death almost makes the story seemmelodramatic or exaggerated. Thus the thinkingbehind the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s newproduction of Gounod’s opera, masterminded byItalian director Manfred Schweigkofler. He decided toset Romeo and Juliet in the present day in the heatedand very competitive world of fashion. The House ofMonatgue and House of Capulet become two warring fashion houses. Now, Romeo and Juliet’sstruggle can be seen in the context of our modernsociety’s obsession with beauty and conformity.Schweigkofler defines it as “the failure of a one-to-one, sincere, intimate relationship within a numerous, pretentious, limelight-seeking community,” or moresuccinctly, “idealism proves to be no match for materialism.”

Idealism can be understood as a belief in principles or ideas, like love or honor, while materialism is a commitment to worldly, immediatethings like money or clothes. Romeo and Juliet’s loveis idealistic, while the concerns of their families andsociety at large are materialistic. Oftentimes, peopleare told it is more important to be successful than tofind true love. Act II, famous for its beautiful love

A Romeo and Juliet for

Today’s Audiences

Why don’t Romeo and Juliet just run off together? Whyare they so concerned with making their parents happy?

Preliminary Houseof Capulet fashiondesign sketches byDrexel Universityand Moore Collegeof Art students.

poetry, takes place in the ultra modern Capulet penthouse, and theaudience is offered an immediatevisual example of material wealth.Playing by the rules yields success, and the production makes the audience see how amazinglooking this success is. That way, they can betterunderstand Romeo and Juliet’s struggle to escape thelure of money, fashion, and prestige.

Juliet herself is the top model of her family’slines, and, as Manfred says, “her face smiles at youfrom banner advertisements hanging all over the cityas well as from the pages of all the glossiest magazines.” She is not just a teenage girl, but shehas been made an image to be bought and sold. Hermarriage to Romeo is disastrous from a businessperspective (Paris, the preferred match for Juliet, isthe publisher of a leading fashion magazine).However, the marriage is also difficult even for thetwo lovers themselves. Juliet has become an advertising image, and it can be hard to see her as areal person. Manfred defines Romeo’s character asfilled with the “tension between physical desire andworship.” He loves her as a person, but worshipsher as an image. How can a mere man feel true lovefor one who has been elevated above human beingsby advertising? Juliet is defined as a “prisoner of thesystem who wants to break out.” She wants tobecome defined by her love, not her life as a model.Now Romeo and Juliet’s deaths make sense, becausetheir love seems impossible in a world so committed to advertising, conformity, and imageworship. It is worth noting that in this production,Juliet’s death is announced via press conference(“much like Michael Jackson,” Manfred notes).Though she and Romeo may have escaped thesepressures through death, in our lives they continueuninterrupted.

“The closing scene (tomb) is set in a room fullof mirrors in which the audience can recognizethemselves as a crowd of onlookers who are fascinated by human tragedies.” With that quoteManfred discusses how he involves the audience inthe drama, and how the lovers, even in their final,tender moments together, are denied any privacy.Manfred says, “R&J is also the story of a continuousinvasion of privacy,” another relatable feature of ourmodern world. With all the billboards, magazinesand press conferences, Romeo and Juliet are defined

Manfred SchweigkoflerDirector

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by their media presence, by their availability to others.Romeo’s exile is a “media execution,” and the abovementioned press conference is another example ofthe media intrusive presence in a story that is supposed to be about young lovers discovering theirfeelings in private. In the age of social networking,do relationships even exist if they haven’t been madepublic to all our friends for consideration and acceptance?

With a production set among dueling fashionhouses it is no wonder that the costumes play anespecially important role in this production. Costumedesigner Richard St. Clair wanted to create costumesthat could visually define and distinguish the twowarring factions, without falling into obvious “red-team/blue-team” color coding. Every costume in theperformance is “Italian in style,” and, ultimately,making the opera work requires bringing the legendary world of Italian fashion to life and using itto illuminate the characters.

The House of Capulet, whose fashion show isseen in the opera’s opening scene, embodies anextravagant, showy style which can be seen in manyItalian brands. Indeed, the members of this fashionhouse, throughout the opera, are the most forcefuland frequent representatives of the materialist consumer culture which intrudes on Romeo andJuliet’s love, and the house’s style, “over the topopulence,” provides a perfect visual representation ofthat. The human beings themselves are almost lostin their clothes. St. Clair describes it as “Versacecross-pollinated with Lacroix,” while the House ofMontague can be immediately distinguished fromtheir rivals by their simple, elegant style. St. Clairdescribes their fashions as inspired by Armani andbased on the “less is more” philosophy. Therefore, ascrowds shift and characters enter and exit, it shouldalways remain immediately obvious with whichhouse each person is aligned.

The central scene, from a costuming perspective, is the first one, at the Capulet ball leading up to the fashion show introducing theirSummer 2011 line. St. Clair was inspired by themovie An American in Paris, when thinking of how tocostume the scene. He decided to dress the ball in“black and white,” with each character wearingblack or white clothes, so that when the colorful outfits of the Summer line emerge on the runway, thecolors and the clothes pop for the audience with agreater exuberance. All the guests at the ball aredressed in either black or cream, with only Romeoand Juliet wearing white, allowing them to stand out.Juliet herself is wearing a special dress, the centerpiece of the Sumer Line, and one St. Clair

thinks cuts right to theheart of what the operais about. Studded withrhinestones and pale-gold sequins, it strikesSt. Clair as what ateenage girl would thinkof as “adult.” St. Clairsees Romeo and Julietas a “story about thegeneration gap,” whereteenagers try to act likegrown-ups, while stillbeing children inside.

To add authenticityto the production, theopera’s stars Ailyn Pérezand Stephen Costellomet with St. Clair andprominent fashion and commercial photographerAdam Leigh-Manuell this past summer to do a photoshoot for the production. The photos taken at that session can be seen throughout the book and onstage in the production.

For this production the Opera Company ofPhiladelphia has partnered with Philadelphia’s bestdesign schools: Drexel University’s AntoinetteWestphal College of Media Art & Design, MooreCollege of Art & Design and Philadelphia University.Creations by fashion students from these schools willmake up the Capulet Summer 2011 Collection. A runway presentation of the collection will be shownin the opera’s opening scene.

The world of fashion has a dubious reputationfor the diva attitude of its supermodels and the cut-throat nature of the rival fashion houses. DirectorManfred Schweigkofler hopes that bringing the storyof Romeo and Juliet into this headline grabbingarena, it will become more relevant for contemporaryaudiences.

ACTIVE LEARNING

1. Learn more about this production by visiting us online athttp://www.operaphila.org/10-11/behind-the-scenes.shtml.

2. Want to learn more about Philadelphia’s fashion industry,visit http://www.philadelphiafashionweek.org.

Preliminary costume for Julietduring the ball inAct I, scene 1.

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Romeo is a headstrong, passionate young man, who can

lets his emotions get in the way of making good decisions.

Just entering high school, he spends all his time listening

to his iPod. He’s rebellious and doesn’t like following all

the rules that come with being part of one of the world’s

biggest fashion houses. He would rather just hang out

and go to parties, like the big Capulet party for Juliet.

Romeo is loyal and good to his friends. He revenged

Mercutio’s death, even though he got banished for killing

Tybalt. He won’t let anybody else tell him how he should

live or how he should feel. He tends to dress in jeans and

t-shirts, which means he looks pretty out of place when

at a big Capulet fashion party.

Who is Romeo?

Tenor Stephen Costello

as Romeo. Photo: Adam Leigh-Manuell

What do you thing Romeo and Juliet’s decision to marry?__________________________________________________________

Would you get married at the age of 14? ___________________________________________________________________

Do you think that emotions and feelings are more important than reason and rules? Why or why not? _____________________

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How are you similar to Romeo? How are you different? _________________________________________________________

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Why do you think Romeo dresses the way he does? How much time does he spend getting ready in the morning? ______________

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What do you think is on Romeo’s iPod? ______________________________________________________________________

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Do you think Romeo is popular in high school? Why or why not? __________________________________________________

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How many girls do you think Romeo had a crush on before he met Juliet? __________________________________________

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What kind of stuff do you think Romeo keeps in his room? __________________________________________________

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Romeo’s getting close to the age when he can get his driver’s license. What kind of car do you think he would drive? __________

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17Who is Juliet?

Juliet is an intelligent young woman, who has strong

emotions. She wants to be free and independent, but she

also wants to make everybody happy. Therefore, she is

torn when her parents order her to marry the fashion

magazine publisher Paris, even though she doesn’t love

him. She feels tons of pressure being the public face of

her fashion house and is nervous, now that she’s

fourteen, that she’ll have to be in the public eye a lot

more. She is calm, reasonable, and always thinks about

the consequences of her actions, but sometimes she will

take risks anyway if she feels strongly enough, like

faking her death or jeopardizing her career by refusing to

marry Paris.

Soprano AilynPérez as JulietPhoto: Adam Leigh-Manuell

Why does Juliet feel that she has to make everyone else happy, but not herself? ______________________________________

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Name a situation where you took a risk, even though there could have been a bad consequence? _________________________

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Do you ever think the rules are too restrictive for you? If so, how do you deal with those feelings? _________________________

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How are you similar to Juliet? How are you different? ___________________________________________________________

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Do you think Juliet likes getting all these free new clothes? Or does she feel too much pressure because of them? ____________

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What do you think is on Juliet’s iPod? ________________________________________________________________________

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With so much time spent modeling and posing for photo shoots, how do you think Juliet’s social life is? ____________________

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Imagine a day in Juliet’s life. What would she do? Who would she see? How much time would she spend in school, modeling, with

her friends? ___________________________________________________________________________________________

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What do you think Juliet wears in her spare time? When she’s relaxing? _____________________________________________

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Nothing succeeds like success, as they say. From antiquity to Shakespeare and more recent times, theatrical productions use classic stories to inspire new works. Recently the Broadway musical Rent was hugely successful and was based on the HenriMurger novel Scènes de la vie de bohème and on Giacomo Puccini’s ever-popular opera La bohème.

Your challenge is to update Rome and Juliet into a modern time and place – even in a different genre. Will you create a newmusical? A theatrical play? An opera? A radio drama? Here’s your chance to flex your creative muscle and come up with a newadaptation of this centuries-old story! Fill in the information below to create your masterpiece!

Title: _________________________________________________________________________________

Genre: _______________________________________________________________________________

Characters and their descriptions: __________________________________________________________________________

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Setting: _______________________________________________________________________________________________

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Plot: _________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Costumes: ____________________________________________________________________________________________

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Why did you decide on this treatment? ______________________________________________________________________

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Create Your Own R&J

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Using the space below, write what you think will happen next to the characters in Romeo & Juliet. Alternatively, youcould write a new ending for the libretto based on what you would have liked to have seen to the characters.

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What Happens Next?/Alternate Endings

37Conflicts and Loves in Romeo and Juliet

Draw a picture of Juliet in the middle circle. In the outer circles, draw a picture of those individuals with whom she has a directrelationship. Then in the boxes pointing toward the middle circle, write how that individual feels about the central character. Inthe boxes pointing to the outer circles, write how Juliet feels about that individual.

38 Glossaryaggressor [uh-gres-er] n. a person, group, or nation that attacks first or initiates hostilities; an assailant or invaderallay [uh-ley] v. to put (fear, doubt, suspicion, anger, etc.) to rest; calm; quietapprobation [ap-ruh-bey-shuhn] n. approval; commendationardent [ahr-dnt] adj. having, expressive of, or characterized by intense feeling; passionate; ferventazure [azh-er] adj. of or having a light, purplish shade of blue, like that of a clear and unclouded skybeset [bih-set] v. to surround; hem inbewilder [bih-wil-der] v. to confuse or puzzle completely; perplexbrood [brood] n. a breed, species, group, or kindcelestial [suh-les-chuhl] adj. pertaining to the spiritual or invisible heaven; heavenly; divinechide [chahyd] v. to express disapproval of; scold; reproachconceit [kuhn-seet] n. a fancy; whim; fanciful notionconfidant [kon-fi-dant] n. a close friend or associate to whom secrets are confided or with whom private matters and problems are discussedconsecrate [kon-si-kreyt] v. to make (something) an object of honor or veneration; hallowconsolation [kon-suh-ley-shuhn] n. comfort; solacecoo [koo] v. to utter or imitate the soft, murmuring sound characteristic of dovescoquette [koh-ket] n. a woman who flirts lightheartedly with men to win their admiration and affection; flirtcourtier [kawr-tee-er] n. a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personagecudgel [kuhj-uhl] n. a short, thick stick used as a weapon; clubdeign [deyn] v. to think fit or in accordance with one's dignity; condescenddispel [dih-spel] v. to cause to vanish; alleviatedistemperature [dis-tem-per-uh-cher] n. a distempered or disordered condition; disturbance of health, mind, or temperefface [ih-feys] v. to wipe out; do away with; expungeelate [ih-leyt] v. to make very happy or proudfain [feyn] adv. gladly; willinglyfertile [fur-tahyl] adj. producing an abundancefickle [fik-uhl] adj. likely to change, esp. due to caprice, irresolution, or instability; casually changeablefirmament [fur-muh-muhnt] n. the vault of heaven; skyfleeting [flee-ting] adj. passing swiftly; vanishing quickly; transient; transitoryfrivolous [friv-uh-luhs] adj. characterized by lack of seriousness or senseinfatuation [in-fach-oo-ey-shuhn] n. foolish or all-absorbing passionintoxicating [in-tok-si-key-ting] adj. exhilarating; excitingjape [jeyp] n. a joke; jest; quipknave [neyv] n. an unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest personlimpid [lim-pid] adj. clear, transparent, or pellucid, as water, crystal, or airmiser [mahy-zer] n. a stingy, avaricious personpallor [pal-er] n. unusual or extreme paleness, as from fear, ill health, or death; wannesspenance [pen-uhns] n. a punishment undergone in token of penitence for sinplight [plahyt] n. a condition, state, or situation, esp. an unfavorable or unfortunate oneportent [pawr-tent] n. an indication or omen of something about to happen, esp. something momentousprecedence [pri-seed-ns] n. the order to be observed in ceremonies by persons of different ranks, as by diplomatic protocolpresentiment [pri-zen-tuh-muhnt] n. a feeling that something is about to happen, esp. something evil; forebodingpretext [pree-tekst] n. something that is put forward to conceal a true purpose or object; an ostensible reason; excuseprofane [pruh-feyn] v. to treat (anything sacred) with irreverence or contempt; violate the sanctity ofreel [reel] v. to sway or rock under a blow, shock, etcregale [ri-geyl] v. to entertain lavishly or agreeably; delightrend [rend] v. to tear apart, split, or dividerevel [rev-uhl] n. Often, revels, an occasion of merrymaking or noisy festivity with dancing, masking, etc.selfsame [self-seym] adj. being the very same; identicaltrifling [trahy-fling] adj. of very little importance; trivial; insignificantuntoward [uhn-tawrd] adj. improper

vie [vahy] v. to strive in competition or rivalry with another; contend for superioritywanton [won-tn] n. extravagantly or excessively luxurious, as a person, manner of living, or stylewhet [wet] v. to make keen or eager; stimulateyoke [yohk] n. an agency of oppression, subjection, servitude, etczealous [zel-uh s] adj. ardently active, devoted, or diligent

act (akt) n. one of the main divisions of a play or opera.allegro (uh-leg-roh) adv. musical term for fast and lively.alto (al-toh) n. the range of the female voice between mezzo-soprano and contralto.andante (ahn-dahn-tey) adv. a musical term meaning in moderately slow time.antagonist (an-tag-o-nist) n. an adversary or opponent of the main character or protagonist in an opera, play, or other drama.aria (ahr-ee-uh) n. an operatic song for one voice.bar (bahr) n. a division of music containing a set number of beats.baritone (bar-i-tohn) n. the range of the male voice between tenor and bass.bass (beys) n. the lowest male singing voice.beat (beet) n. the basic pulse of a piece of music.chord (kord) n. a group of notes played at the same time in harmony.chorus (kawr-uhs) n. 1. a group of singers. 2. a piece of music for these.contralto (cuhn-tral-toh) n. the lowest female singing voice.flat (b) (flat) adj. a half-step lower than the corresponding note or key of natural pitch.forte (f) (for-tay) adv. loudly.fortissimo (ff) (for-tee-see-moh) adv. a musical term for very loud.key (kee) n. the basic note of the main scale used in a piece of music. In the key of G, for example, G is the fundamental note; the music often returns to it and comes to rest on it.largo (lahr-goh) adv. a musical term meaning in slow time and dignified style.leitmotiv (lahyt-mo-teev) n. a melodic passage or phrase associated with a specific character, situation, orelement.libretto (li-bret-oh) n. the words of an opera or other long musical.major (mahy-jer) adj. music in a major key uses a major scale, in which the first three notes are the keynote followed by intervals of a tone and then another tone (for example, C, D, E). It often has a cheerful,strong sound.minor (my-ner) adj. music in a minor key uses a minor scale, in which the first three notes are the keynote followed by intervals of a tone and then a semitone ( for example A, B, C). It often has a sad, melancholic sound.natural (nach-er-uhl) adj. a note that is neither flattened nor sharpened.octave (ok-tiv) n. a note that sounds twice as high in pitch as another, is an octave above the other note,and has the same letter naming it.opera (op-er-uh) n. a play in which the words are sung to musical accompaniment.orchestra (awr-keh-struh) n. a large body of people playing various musical instruments, including stringed and wind instruments.overture (oh-ver-chur) n. an orchestral composition forming a prelude to an opera or ballet.pianissimo (pp) (pee-ah-nees-ee-moh) adv. a musical term meaning very softly.piano (p) (pi-an-oh) 1. adv. a musical term meaning softly. 2. n. keyed percussion instrument first namedpianoforte because it could play both softly and loudly.scale (skayl) n. a series of notes arranged in descending or ascending order of pitch.semitone (sem-i-tohn) n. a half step or half tone, an interval midway between two whole tones.sharp (#) (shahrp) n. any note a semitone higher than another note. Also, slightly too high in pitch.soprano (so-prah-noh) n. the highest female or boy's singing voice.stage (stayj) n. a platform on which a public performance is given before an audience.staging (stay-jing) n. the presentation or production on the stage.synopsis (si-nop-sis) n. a summary, a brief general survey.tone (tohn) n. 1. an interval equal to two semitones. 2. the sound quality of an instrument or voice.verismo (vuh-riz-moh) n. realism in opera.

39

40

Pennsylvania’s public schools shall teach, challenge and support every student to realize his or her maximum

potential and to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to:

Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening 1.1. Learning to Read Independently GRADE 5 D. Identify the basic ideas

and facts in text using strategies (e.g., prior knowledge, illustrations and headings) and information from other sources to make predictions

about text. 1.1.8. GRADE 8 E. Expand a reading vocabulary by identifying and correctly using idioms and words with literal and figurative

meanings. Use a dictionary or related reference. 1.1.11. GRADE 11 H. Demonstrate fluency and comprehension in reading. Read a variety of

genres and types of text. Demonstrate comprehension. 1.2. Reading Critically in All Content Areas GRADES 5, 8, 11. A. Read and under-

stand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas. 1.3. Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature GRADE

5 E. Analyze drama as information source, entertainment, persuasion or transmitter of culture. 1.3.8. GRADE 8 E. Analyze drama to determine

the reasons for a character’s actions, taking into account the situation and basic motivation of the character. 1.3.11. GRADE 11 E. Analyze

how a scriptwriter’s use of words creates tone and mood, and how choice of words advances the theme or purpose of the work. 1.4. Types of

Writing GRADES 5, 8, 11. GRADE 5 A. Write poems, plays and multi-paragraph stories (GRADES 8 & 11 - and short stories). 1.4.5, 8, 11.

C. Write persuasive pieces (Review of Opera Experience, p. 78). 1.5. Quality of Writing GRADES 5, 8, 11 A. Write with a sharp, distinct focus.

1.6. Speaking and Listening GRADES 5, 8, 11. B. Listen to selections of literature (fiction and/or nonfiction).C. Speak using skills appropri-

ate to formal speech situations. E. Participate in small and large group discussions and presentations. F. Use media for learning purposes. 1.8.

Research GRADES 5, 8, 11. A. Select and refine a topic for research. B. Locate information using appropriate sources and strategies. C. Organize,

summarize and present the main ideas from research.

Academic Standards for Mathematics 2.1. Numbers, Number Systems and Number Relationships 2.1.8. GRADE 8 A. Represent and use num-

bers in equivalent forms (e.g., integers, fractions, decimals, percents, exponents, scientific notation, square roots). 2.2. Computation and

Estimation 2.2.5. GRADE 5 A. Create and solve word problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers. 2.5

Mathematical Problem Solving and Communication 2.5.11. GRADE 11 A. Select and use appropriate mathematical concepts and techniques

from different areas of mathematics and apply them to solving non-routine and multi-step problems.

Academic Standards for Science and Technology 3.1. Unifying Themes 3.1.10. GRADE 10 E. Describe patterns of change in nature, physical

and man made systems. •Describe how fundamental science and technology concepts are used to solve practical problems (e. g., momentum,

Newton’s laws of universal gravitation, tectonics, conservation of mass and energy, cell theory, theory of evolution, atomic theory, theory of rel-

ativity, Pasteur’s germ theory, relativity, heliocentric theory, gas laws, feedback systems). 3.2. Inquiry and Design GRADE 7 Apply process

knowledge to make and interpret observations. GRADE 10 Apply process knowledge and organize scientific and technological phenomena in

varied ways. GRADE 12 Evaluate experimental information for appropriateness and adherence to relevant science processes. 3.3. Biological

Sciences 3.3.10. GRADE 10 D. Explain the mechanisms of the theory of evolution. 3.7. Technological Devices 3.7.7. GRADE 7 E. Explain basic

computer communications systems. Describe the organization and functions of the basic parts that make up the World Wide Web. (Check

operaphila.org to see photos of the rehearsals and sets.) See Teacher’s Guide for additional science lessons.

Academic Standards for Civics and Government 5.2. Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship 5.2.12. GRADE 12 C. Interpret the causes of

conflict in society and analyze techniques to resolve those conflicts.

Academic Standards for Geography 7.1. Basic Geographic Literacy 7.1.6. GRADE 6 A. Describe geographic tools and their uses. •Basis on

which maps, graphs and diagrams are created. 7.3. The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions 7.3.6. GRADE 6 B. Explain the human

characteristics of places and regions by their cultural characteristics.

Academic Standards for History 8.2. Pennsylvania History 8.2.9. GRADE 9 8.2.12. GRADE 12 Pennsylvania’s public schools shall teach, chal-

lenge and support every student... skills needed to analyze the interaction of cultural, economic, geographic, political and social relations to. A.

Analyze the... cultural contributions of individuals... to Pennsylvania history from 1787 to 1914. • Cultural and Commercial Leaders (e.g.,

Academy of Music architects Napoleon Le Brun & Gustav Rungé, opera star Marian Anderson). 8.3. U.S. History 8.3.9 GRADE 9 B. Identify

and analyze primary documents, material artifacts and historic sitesimportant in United States history from 1787 to 1914. • Historic Places (e. g.,

Academy of Music). 8.4. World History 8.4.6 GRADE 6 A. Identify and explain how individuals and groups made significant political and cul-

tural contributions to world history. 8.4.12. GRADE 12 C. Evaluate how continuity and change throughout history has impacted belief systems

and religions since 1450 C.E.

Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities 9.1. Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music,Theatre and Visual Arts A.

Know and use the elements and principles of each art form to create works in the arts and humanities. I. Know where arts events, performanc-

es and exhibitions occur and how to gain admission. 9.2. Historical and Cultural Contexts C. Relate works in the arts to varying styles and genre

and to the periods in which they were created (e.g., Renaissance, Classical, Modern, Post-Modern, Contemporary...). D. Analyze a work of art

from its historical and cultural perspective. E. Analyze how historical events and culture impact forms, techniques and purposes of works in

the arts. F. Know and apply appropriate vocabulary used between social studies and the arts and humanities.

Pennsylvania Department of Education Academic Standards

The School District of PhiladelphiaSchool Reform CommissionRobert L. Archie Jr., Esq., Chairman

Denise McGregor Armbrister, member

Joseph A. Dworetzky, member

Amb. David F. Girard-diCarlo, Ret., member

Johnny Irizarry, member

Dr. Arlene C. AkermanSuperintendent of Schools

Pamela BrownInterim Chief Academic Officer

Dennis W. Creedon, Ed.D.Director of Comprehensive Arts Education

Opera Company of PhiladelphiaRobert B. DriverArtistic Director

Corrado RovarisMusic Director

David B. DevanExecutive Director

Michael BoltonDirector of Community Programs

The Opera Company of Philadelphia is supportedby major grants from The William PennFoundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and TheLenfest Foundation.

Additional support is provided by theIndependence Foundation and the Horace W.Goldsmith Foundation.

The Opera Company of Philadelphia receives statearts funding support througha grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts,a state agency funded by the Commonwealthof Pennsylvania.

Sounds of Learning™ was established by a

generous grant from The AnnenbergFoundation.

Dedicated funding for the Sounds ofLearning™ program has been provided by:

$20,000 to $49,999Hamilton Family Foundation

Lincoln Financial Group Foundation

Presser Foundation

Universal Health Services

Anonymous

$10,000 to $19,999The ARAMARK Charitable Fund at the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

Eugene Garfield Foundation

GlaxoSmithKline

The Hirsig Family Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation

Morgan Stanley Foundation

$5,000 to $9,999Silver Bridge Advisors

Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation

$1,000 to $4,999Bank of New York Mellon

Citizens Bank

Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation

Louis N. Cassett Foundation

The McLean Contributionship

Mutual Fire Foundation

Written and produced by:Opera Company of PhiladelphiaCommunity Programs Department©20101420 Locust Street, Suite 210Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A. 19102Tel: (215) 893-3600Fax: (215) 893-7801www.operaphila.org/community

Michael BoltonDirector of Community Programsbolton@operaphila.org

Matthew MiloneCommunity Programs Internmilone@operaphila.org

Special thanks to:

Robert B. Driver

Dr. Dennis W. CreedonCreator, Sounds of Learning™Curriculum Consultant

Laura Jacoby

Tullo Migliorini

Kimmel Center Ushers

Debra Malinics AdvertisingDesign Concept

Kalnin GraphicsPrinting

Center City Film and Video

R. A. Friedman

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Free Library of PhiladelphiaPrint and Picture Department

20102011Opera Company of Philadelphia1420 Locust Street, Suite 210, Philadelphia, PA 19102 T (215) 893-3600 F (215) 893-7801 www.operaphila.org

Otello

October 1, 3m, 6, 10m & 152010

Romeo & Juliet

February 11, 13m, 16, 18 & 20m2011

The Cunning Little Vixen

March 16, 18 & 20m2011

Tosca

April 29, May 1m, 4, 6 & 8m2011

Phaedra

June 3, 5m & 82011

* The Kimmel Center Presents Curtis Opera Theatre’s production in association with Opera Company of Philadelphia

*

OPERA at the Academy

OPERA@ the Perelman