Director's Note for The Magic Flute

Welcome and thank you for coming to tonight’s performance of The Magic Flute! We appreciate your support and we hope you enjoy this wonderful tale of good triumphant over evil.

In this opera, things are not always as they appear. At the beginning, the Queen of the Night seems to be in distress that her daughter has been kidnapped she persuades Tamino that Sarastro is an evil villain. It is only later that we find out that the Queen of the Night is actually nefarious and that Sarastro is Beneficent. Papageno, desperate to find a wife, encounters an old woman who, in the end, reveals herself to be the 18 year old Papagena, a perfect match for him.

Many diverse and complex characters live in this world. Tamino, a foreigner to this land, is courageous and is willing to risk his life to save the beautiful Pamina. Pamina loves her mother, the Queen of the Night, despite her abusive actions toward her, including the horrifying demand to murder Sarastro with a dagger. The Queen of the Night obsesses incessantly about how to reclaim the power that her deceased husband gave to Sarastro. The 3 Ladies, servants of the Queen, are a lively bunch, full of personality. The bird-catcher Papageno, a bit of a simpleton, has a good heart, but shirks in the face of danger. Papagena is a beautiful young woman who is a perfect match for him. The 3 Spirits are a force for good guiding Tamino and Papageno and protecting others from danger. Sarastro is an old, wise, and beneficent high priest of the Temple, whom the Speaker tries to emulate. Monostatos is a shady character who is grossly infatuated with Pamina. I emphasize this because I am in such awe at the marvelous menagerie of characters that we are able to bring together in the space of a few hours.

These colorful characters are brought to life by our wonderful singers. I want to thank each and every one of them for their hard work and dedication to making this production possible. I also want to thank my production team for collaborating on the set, costumes, lighting, sound, props and dramaturgy. We are very fortunate to have the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Kory Katseanes. I want to thank each and every one that is involved in putting this opera on. I love this highly collaborative art form and I hope you have a memorable experience tonight.

Dr. Joshua Lindsay

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Simple is Best [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Indeed.[/caption] by Adam White, dramaturg I write this blog post on the day of final dress rehearsal, on the eve of opening night! Everyone involved in this production of A Man for All Seasons has done marvelous work; the set and costuming and make up are all beautiful, and the cast is eager to put their performance in front of a live audience. I guess one could wonder if a dramaturg would give anything but a glowing report of their play that's about to go up, but quite truthfully: I'm eager for you to see this play! On the subject of wanting you to see our production of A Man For All Seasons, I want to relay to you an interesting experience I had just two day ago. Every BYUarts theatre production gets a promotional video, and I was asked by the video makers in charge of the promotional video to be interviewed for the piece on A Man for All Seasons. I accepted, and when I was in the interview, they had two questions for me: 1.) What is A Man for All Seasons about? 2.) Why should people go see A Man for All Seasons? As a dramaturg, I had a great answer for number one. Summarizing the events of this play in an interesting way was no problem. But that second question? That question gave me the hardest time! In the interview moment I was so flustered by my lack of an a concise answer. I quickly babbled out some gibberish to the camera man, after which I apologized and told him if he needed something more intelligible he shouldn't hesitate to call me back. Needless to say I was pretty embarrassed after the experience. Here's the thing: I'm the dramaturgy for this show. I should have some insight as to why people should go see this play (and I do). As I've thought about this experience and about my work as a dramaturg, I've come to the realize that in this situation what I needed was simplicity. Simple is best. See, during that brief interview with the promotional video guys, I was trying to make up a reason for people to see this show that sounded meaningful, or at least scholarly. That wasn't the right attitude for me at all because it meant that I was reaching beyond the play, maybe for selfish reasons, to lend what I deemed to be credibility to a piece of art that, maybe, doesn't need to be legitimized at all. I was being long-winded and downright silly. What the play really needed was for me to speak its simple 'truth.' To redeem myself a little bit and to put my new motto for dramaturgy into practice, I will tell you why I think people should see A Man for All Seasons. I firmly believe, in the words of Oscar Wilde, that "Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life." This play, this conflict between Thomas More, his family, and King Henry VIII, informs our understanding of what it means to have a conscience. Bolt challenges us to explore what it means to have an integrity and what having integrity means in our most intimate relationships. Also revealed in this play is the corrupting influence of political power. I think that every person grapples with these themes, experiences, and issues.A Man for All Seasons is an important play for people to see. The promotional video guys didn't end up using my interview for the promotional video. Frankly, I feel so relieved; it was awful. May you forego the trappings of intelligent-sounding language the next time you are in an interview. Enjoy the show!

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by Jessa Cunningham, dramaturg After the show wrapped up and people went their separate ways, Garret Rushforth, who played Wilbur, and I chatted and I asked him some questions about his experience with the play. What better way to gain insight about the show than from the actor who was in the thick of things from the very beginning? Here is what Garret had to say about this unique opportunity: Me: How was this experience of playing Wilbur? What was your Favorite aspect of it all? Garret: I loved playing Wilbur. My favorite aspect was discovering the character more and more each performance. I never really felt that I had learned all that the character had to offer. Me: What were some challenges that you faced while preparing for the show? Garret: A few of the challenges that I faced had to do primarily with transportation. My car tried to die a couple of times during the run. As far as developing the show goes, I found that the difficulties were mostly in finding the lines. Not simply reciting them, but discovering what was beneath them, motivating them and making them come to life. Me: What lessons have you learned from playing this part, or just from the play in general? Garret: I've learned that there is an amazing opportunity to find out about yourself from the character discovery process. I also learned how much a family the cast can become if given the opportunity. Me: What is your favorite part of this story? Garret: I love when Wilbur and Charlotte talk about Charlotte's death and Wilbur is so devastated. It showed how deep Wilbur's reliance on Charlotte was as well as his desire to help her too. Me: As you leave this production, what will stay with you? Garret: The friendships I've made and the things that I've learned about myself because of the show. Me: What aspects of your character did you love/latch onto from the beginning? Garret: I latched onto the loneliness aspect of Wilbur's life. For all his life, he'd not been given much of a chance, Fern and Charlotte being the exceptions. He was written off by nearly everyone until Charlotte pointed out how special he is. Me: Any final thoughts you would like to share with those who came to the show? Garret: Charlotte's a web was a show that offered a unique view of friendship and family. It doesn't matter what someone looks like or where they're from, friendship and family can transcend all differences.

Director's Note for The Magic Flute

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