WWU Opera Theatre Presents 'Slow Dusk' & 'Suor Angelica'

Carlisle Floyd — Slow Dusk
Giacomo Puccini — Suor Angelica

Western Washington University's Opera Theatre presents two one-act operas: Carlisle Floyd’s gritty American operatic play Slow Dusk, followed by Giacomo Puccini's sublime Suor Angelica. Floyd's rarely performed Slow Dusk takes place at a farmhouse in the Carolinas where innocent infatuation is stifled by a family’s deep prejudices. Best known for his acclaimed masterpiece Susannah, Floyd's one-act provides a beautiful glimpse into the burgeoning talents of the then-college-aged composer whom we lost in September 2021, at 95.

Though traditionally set in a late seventeenth-century convent in Italy, our unique approach to Suor Angelica places its characters at an American Catholic boarding house for unwed pregnant women. The opera centers around Angelica, a young woman seeking solace after being forced to give up her child and facing banishment by her guardian aunt. Both pieces are set in the late 1950s and speak to the oppression of women hidden under the guise of religious righteousness.

Content advisory: The performance includes themes of trauma and suicide.

Attending in person: Masks are encouraged on the WWU campus, but not required except in health care settings.

Please check for any updated visitor guidance before attending: https://www.wwu.edu/coronavirus/visitor-guidance

About Western Washington University (WWU) Department of Music

https://cfpa.wwu.edu/music