San Francisco Opera goes on the road this June
Free outdoor mobile stage performances of Bohème Out of the Box in Albany (June 27) and Union City (June 29); Out of the Box: Encore Concert with Adler Fellows in Union City (June 29)
First Act family workshops presented before all Bohème Out of the Box shows
Boheme out of the box June 2024.pdf Photos
San Francisco, CA (May 17, 2024) — San Francisco Opera’s popular Bohème Out of the Box travels to Albany and Union City in June with free, outdoor live afternoon performances of an abridged version of Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème. Puccini’s beloved opera 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. In addition to Bohème Out of the Box, the Company’s resident artists, the Adler Fellows, will take the stage for an Out of the Box: Encore Concert in Union City on June 29.
Co-presented by the City of Albany, the Thursday, June 27, 1pm performance of Bohème Out of the Box takes place on bustling Solano Avenue (near the corner of Evelyn Avenue). Audience members are encouraged to order takeout lunch from a nearby restaurant and enjoy it at the show. The June 29 Union City stop at Charles F. Kennedy Park will feature two afternoon performances: Bohème Out of the Box at 1pm and Out of the Box: Encore Concert, a one-hour concert of opera arias and duets performed by San Francisco Opera Adler Fellows, the talented young artists from the Company’s acclaimed resident artist program, at 4:30pm (calendar editors: note updated start time).
Families with young children are invited to participate in free First Act Workshops 45 minutes before showtime at all Bohème Out of the Box performances. Explore Puccini’s La Bohème and get to know the passionate artists in the story. Bring along a favorite stuffed-animal friend and dance to “Musetta’s Waltz,” one of the most famous melodies in all of opera.
Directed by Jose Maria Condemi, Bohème Out of the Box is sung in Italian with English narration and features a cast of San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellows and guest artists with piano accompaniment. Live English supertitles will be available via personal mobile devices. Digital synopsis is available in English and Spanish.
The scheduled cast for all performances features (*current San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow): Caroline Corrales* (Mimì), Christopher Oglesby (Rodolfo), Samuel Kidd* (Marcello), Georgiana Adams* (Musetta), James McCarthy* (Colline), Jongwon Han* (Schaunard) and Philip Skinner (Benoit/Alcindoro), with pianists Julian Grabarek* and Yang Lin*, and narration by Michael Bragg. The creative/technical team includes: Jose Maria Condemi (Stage Director), Cassandra Carpenter (Costume Consultant), Ryan O’Steen (Set Coordinator) and Justin A. Partier (Lighting Director).
Launched last season as part of the Company’s centennial, Bohème Out of the Box brings La Bohème’s powerful emotions and soaring music to outdoor locations throughout the Bay Area. The 2023 performances were presented in South San Francisco, Los Gatos and Dublin, and earlier this year the mobile production delighted audiences in Burlingame, Alameda and Silicon Valley tech/corporate campuses.
*For the complete press release, including full cast and calendar, open the PDF version above.