COSÍ FAN TUTT[I]
Carnegie Mellon University
2023
Cast
Fiordiligi: Megan Cumming and Danielle Brancato
Dorabella: Laurel Styner and Brianna Dulock
Despina: Emma Rogers and Abigail Cunningham
Ferrando: Thomas Fong and Zachary Dean Smith
Guglielmo: Henry Wright and Solomon Onyukwu
Don Alfonso: Bryan Bennett and Harrison Caplin
Wife of Don Alfonso: Isabel Valasek
Creative Team
Director: Alyssa Weathersby
Conductor: Thomas Douglas
Scenic Design: Natalie Eslami
Costume Design: Claudia Brownlee
Lighting Design: Pablo Anton
Props Manager: Nina Gabb
Photos: Alisa Garin
Director’s Note:
“Così fan tutt[i]: Or, the School for Lovers”
Welcome to CMU’s production of Così fan tutte!
If you're familiar with the opera, you'll recognize the famously beautiful music and frequently sticky situations brought about by the characters' silly antics. But if you're already familiar with this show, you'll notice some choice cuts that vastly affect the sum of the plot. I chose to hold the secondary title, The School for Lovers, as my north star. I've never personally liked the meaning of "così fan tutte," which, basically translated, means "all (women) are like that." The feminine form "tutte" excludes men, and the opera in its full form seems to excuse the men of their mistakes. Truly, anyone can make poor choices—why blame it all on women?
Our production gives agency to the women and allows for them to make their own mistakes. Rather than be fodder to the men's game or simply be the butt of the joke, you'll see the young women struggle with idealism, morality, and the weight of their choices with just as much agency as the young men. As the young lovers play their game, they embark on a complicated and messy journey of joy, heartbreak, and growth. And those characters who feel they know better discover that, perhaps, they don't know better after all.
If I could chat with Mozart and du Ponte, I'd suggest only a slight adjustment to their chosen, pithy title "Così fan tutte." In fact, just a single letter would radically equalize the burden of blame: Così fan tutt[i]. I hope you enjoy this fresh take of the classic tale!
