Q&A | Arts & Entertainment

SL: This is a tough one because I mostly remember forcing the neighborhood kids into shows I created that we would perform for my mother, with costumes, stories and stagings of my imagination. My first memories of theater are making it myself, even bribing my little sister to appear with me in my creations.

DJ: When did you decide to make performing arts your career?

SL: My mother kind of decided for me – from childhood she told me I belonged in the theater. I never truly considered something different – ​​it’s my calling.

DJ: What professional experience has proved the most useful?

SL: I draw every day on my training from the Boris Schukin Theater School of the Vakhtangov Theater in Moscow, Russia. These are tragic times for Ukraine and for every conscientious Russian. My training by their theater artists was one of the greatest parts of my life; their theater community is surely stricken by the current events.

DJ: Are there teachers or mentors you would like to mention?

SL: I have to highlight Denny Partridge, my directing mentor who suggested I look into opera. My most important teachers in Russia, Andrei Droznin, Sergei Zemtsov and Igor Zolotovitsky as well as the entire faculty at the Boris Schukin Theater School.

DJ: Have you ever been a performer?

SL: Yes! I performed with Bread and Puppet for a number of years in their world-famous circuses and pageants.

DJ: How did you become involved with this production of La Traviata?

SL: I am proud to have been a part of San Francisco Opera since 2013, joining as an assistant director. I have been fortunate to work closely with General Director Matthew Shilvock and his incredible team, who first asked me to create the company’s new legacy production of Tosca in 2018. Following that success, Matthew asked me to create SFO’s new Traviata and I am so thrilled to be bringing this masterpiece to the stage.

DJ: La Traviata is a well-known story. What will the audience see in this production that might surprise them?

SL: The exchange of money. I’ve been fortunate to work on a number of productions of La Traviata and it always irks me that the first scene seems like a polite dinner party. It’s not; it’s a high-end, 19th century sex party. The power of money must be present or Violetta’s sacrifice does not make sense dramatically.

DJ: Which aspect of La Traviata is most relevant today?

SL: Women have been declared second-class citizens in the US, without control over their bodies and health decisions. We think we have made such strides since Violetta’s experience in the opera and yet female-identifying citizens cannot stop fighting for true personhood. The piece examines both the power of money and the power of sex – and the intersection of these two forces.

DJ: Do you secretly wish for a different ending for La Traviata?

SL: Of course! Ideally, both Violetta and Alfredo’s little sister could end the opera happy and fully realized without society defining their worth by their sexual status.

DJ: If Violetta had a social media presence, what would it be?

SL: I truly think Kim Kardashian is our contemporary equivalent. Violetta was famous for having sex – everyone wanted to know what it was like to be with her. But the historical woman who Violetta is based on was even more fascinating. She survived being sex-trafficked by her own father, to teach herself to read and write, to become the hostess of intellectual parties, be loved by the artist Liszt and the most sexually desirable woman in Paris.

DJ: How can a first-time operagoer best prepare for seeing La Traviata?

SL: Act One (Violetta’s party) and Act Three (Flora’s party) of La Traviata are operatic perfection. For the first-time operagoer, my suggestion is to listen to each of those scenes. You will find yourself immersed in such musical perfection, you don’t need to know opera, classical music or Italian to be transported to emotionally thrilling entertainment. The hair on your arms will stand up just from the recording. Wait until you experience that power in person – there’s nothing better.

LA TRAVIATA PARTICULARS: Music Director Eun Sun Kim leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and chorus in Shawna Lucey’s new vision of Verdi’s masterpiece — the first new production of La Traviata built by San Francisco Opera’s own craftspeople since 1987. Nov. 11-Dec. 3 at the War Memorial Opera House at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. Approximately three hours, including two intermissions. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. Ticket information at sfopera.com or (415) 864-3330.

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE TRAVIATA ENCOUNTER ON NOV. 19. The Traviata Encounter, a one-night-only event, offers attendees the opportunity to experience the first act of La Traviata in the auditorium and then enjoy a rolling after-party throughout the lobbies which will be transformed with inspiration from the remaining portions of the opera. Special food and drink offerings, dancing and selfie-worthy moments transport guests into the decadent setting of Verdi’s masterwork.

Susan Cohn is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle and the American Theater Critics Association. She may be reached at susan@smdailyjournal.com.