San Francisco, CA (March 21, 2023) — San Francisco Opera is taking opera out of the Opera House and to outdoor locations throughout the Bay Area each weekend through April 2. This week, Bohème Out of the Box comes to the South Bay for three free performances in partnership with the Los Gatos Library on March 24 (7:30 p.m.), 25 (7:30 p.m.) and 26 (2 p.m.).

The first opera to be presented by San Francisco Opera 100 years ago, La Bohème, composer Giacomo Puccini’s popular work about love and loss among a group of bohemian artists, will be performed in an intimate 75-minute version on a converted shipping container-turned-mobile opera stage. Directed by Jose Maria Condemi, Bohème Out of the Box features a cast of San Francisco Opera’s young artists-in-residence, the Adler Fellows, and guest artists with keyboard accompaniment.

These free performances bring La Bohème’s powerful emotions and soaring music to Bay Area communities as part of the Company’s Centennial Season. Though the first performances scheduled for Alameda (March 10–12) were canceled due to inclement weather, the mobile-stage production opened in South San Francisco (March 17–18). This week, Bohème Out of the Box travels south to Los Gatos (March 24–26) followed by a return to the East Bay for a weekend in Dublin (March 31–April 2).

Pre-Opera Talks at the front of the stage are offered 45 minutes before showtime for all Friday and Saturday evening performances. Families with young children are invited to attend First Act Workshops 45 minutes before showtime at all Sunday matinée performances.

Bohème Out of the Box is a free event. Registration at sfopera.com/box is encouraged but not required. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis, and audiences are encouraged to bring their own blankets or low camp/lawn chairs.  For complete information about each venue and for updates, visit sfopera.com/box.

PLEASE NOTE:  In the event of rain and inclement weather, these outdoor performances may be cancelled or delayed. Register at sfopera.com/box to receive updates via email and follow @sfopera on social media.

For more information about San Francisco Opera’s 2022–23 Centennial Season, visit sfopera.com/100.

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA PRESENTS BOHÈME OUT OF THE BOX

Bohème Out of the Box runs approximately 75 minutes with no intermission and features keyboard accompaniment. Performed in Italian with English dialogue.

Synopses and librettos for Bohème Out of the Box are available in both English and Spanish at sfopera.com/box.

Bohème Out of the Box is a free event. Registration at sfopera.com/box is encouraged but not required. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.

PLEASE NOTE:  In the event of rain and inclement weather, these outdoor performances may be cancelled or delayed. Register at sfopera.com/box to receive updates via email and follow @sfopera on social media.

Free Pre-Opera Talks, designed to guide audiences through key points of the story and music, are offered in front of the stage 45 minutes before showtime at all Friday and Saturday evening performances. The Pre-Opera Talks in Los Gatos will be led by Robert Hartwell.

Free First Act Workshops are offered for families with young children 45 minutes before showtime at all Sunday matinées. Take an imaginary trip to the lively Café Momus in Paris, one of the settings of Puccini’s La Bohème, and discover the group of artists who gather there. Bring along a favorite stuffed-animal friend and dance to “Musetta’s Waltz,” one of the most famous melodies in all of opera.

For complete information about each venue and for updates, visit sfopera.com/box.

LOS GATOS

March 24–26, 2023

Los Gatos Library, 100 Villa Avenue, Los Gatos, 95030

Pre-show activities:

Pre-Opera Talk: Friday, March 24 (6:45 p.m.)
Pre-Opera Talk: Saturday, March 25 (6:45 p.m.)
First Act Workshop: Sunday, March 26 (1:15 p.m.)

Performances/Cast:

Friday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. – Mikayla Sager (Mimì), Nikola Printz (Musetta), Edward Graves (Rodolfo), Yang Lin (Pianist)

Saturday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. – Olivia Smith (Mimì), Arianna Rodriguez (Musetta), Victor Cardamone (Rodolfo), Marika Yasuda (Pianist)

Sunday, March 26 at 2 p.m. – Mikayla Sager (Mimì), Nikola Printz (Musetta), Edward Graves (Rodolfo), Yang Lin (Pianist)

Additional casting for all performances:

Jongwon Han (Colline), Timothy Murray (Marcello), Philip Skinner (Benoit/Alcindoro), Daniel Cilli (Schaunard)

Creative/Technical Team:

Jose Maria Condemi (Stage Director), Ryan O’Steen (Set Supervisor), Justin Partier (Lighting Designer), Cassandra Carpenter (Costume Coordinator & Supervisor)

In the beautiful foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, San Francisco Opera is partnering with the Los Gatos Library, which connects its community to learning, culture and programming. Free Bohème Out of the Box performances will be performed on the lawn in the front of Los Gatos civic buildings, including the Main Library, the council chambers and New Museum Los Gatos. The event site is a five-minute walk to the Los Gatos historic downtown which has over 40 restaurants and 12 wine and beer specialty bars. Audiences can also bring food and refreshments to enjoy during the show.
Seating will be on the lawn in front of the Library. Audiences are encouraged to bring blankets

(waterproof blankets are recommended as the lawn can be damp) or low camp/lawn chairs and pick a spot on a first-come, first-served basis.

Lot and street parking is available nearby; arrive early for best availability. The Library is directly across from a bus stop along Bus Line 27. 

Bohème Out of the Box continues with performances through April 2 in Dublin:

DUBLIN

March 31–April 2, 2023

Emerald Glen Park Amphitheater, 4201 Central Parkway, Dublin, 94568

Pre-show activities:

Pre-Opera Talk: Friday, March 31 (6:45 p.m.)
Pre-Opera Talk: Saturday, April 1 (6:45 p.m.)
First Act Workshop: Sunday, April 2 (1:15 p.m.)

Performances:

Friday, March 31 (7:30 p.m.)

Saturday, April 1 (7:30 p.m.)

Sunday, April 2 (2 p.m.)

Bohème Out of the Box is made possible, in part, by the Creative Edge Fund with major support from founding funders Carol and Dixon Doll, Peter Fenton and Kate Greer, and Bob Ellis.

San Francisco Opera is sponsored, in part, by Norby Anderson, Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson, The Dolby Family, Carol and Dixon Doll, Bertie Bialek Elliott, Peter Fenton and Kate Greer, Keith and Priscilla Geeslin, Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation for the Arts, John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn, Burgess and Elizabeth Jamieson, Franklin and Catherine Johnson, Edmund W. and Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Fund,  Steven M. Menzies, Bernard and Barbro Osher, Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem, Dianne and Tad Taube, Phyllis C. Wattis Endowment Funds, Diane B. Wilsey, and Barbara A. Wolfe.

San Francisco Opera is supported, in part, by a grant from Grants for the Arts.