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4th Wall Dramaturgy
2019-2020 Season

Director's Note for The Magic Flute

October 22, 2019 12:00 AM

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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The Magic Flute

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