The Tragedy of Carmen

Adapted by Peter Brook, Marius Constant, & Jean-Claude Carrière
from the opera by Georges Bizet, Henri Meilhac, & Ludovic Halévy

Friday, February 21, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, February 23, 2025 at 2:30 pm
Williams Theatre | Tulsa Performing Arts Center
110 E. 2nd St, Tulsa, OK 74103

Presenting Sponsor: Mrs. Annette Dunitz

Program Notes

Georges Bizet’s Carmen is one of opera’s most iconic works, renowned for its unforgettable melodies and bold exploration of human desire and conflict. In 1981, director Peter Brook, with writer Jean-Claude Carrière and composer Marius Constant, created The Tragedy of Carmen, a chamber adaptation that distills Bizet’s masterpiece into an unrelenting, 90-minute drama. By focusing solely on the four central characters—Carmen, Don José, Escamillo, and Micaëla—and removing subplots and spectacle, Brook exposes the raw emotional core of the story: the chaos wrought by love, freedom, and obsession.

At its heart, The Tragedy of Carmen explores the collision between desire and autonomy. Carmen, a fiercely independent woman, embodies freedom at all costs, while Don José’s obsessive love seeks to control her. Their relationship becomes a destructive force, revealing how unchecked passion can spiral into violence. Brook’s stripped-down adaptation magnifies this tension, placing Carmen’s unflinching resolve and Don José’s unraveling in stark relief. The result is a story that feels both timeless and strikingly modern, echoing contemporary conversations about power dynamics, toxic relationships, and the devastating consequences of possessive love.

Through Marius Constant’s lean reorchestration, familiar melodies like the Habanera and Toreador Song take on a darker, more urgent tone. The music and story become more intimate and immediate, forcing the audience to confront the characters’ raw humanity. Brook’s adaptation compels us to reflect on the nature of freedom, the cost of love, and the destructive potential of passion in a way that resonates deeply with today’s world.

As you experience The Tragedy of Carmen, consider its exploration of control and independence, obsession and destruction. How do these themes mirror the struggles of modern relationships and societal expectations? Carmen’s story, stripped of operatic spectacle, becomes not just a tale of tragedy but a stark reminder of the fine line between love and ruin—one that continues to resonate across time and culture.

-Aaron Beck, Artistic Director

Synopsis

Before the story unfolds, a haunting vision of the inevitable introduces Carmen and Don José, moving in a stylized dance of fate. As the past rewinds, we witness how their doomed passion culminates in tragedy.

Micaëla, a young woman from the countryside, arrives in Seville searching for her childhood love, Don José, bringing him a letter from his mother. Meanwhile, the fiery Carmen captivates José with a seductive song. When a fight breaks out between Micaëla and Carmen, José and his commanding officer, Zuniga, investigate. Carmen, the instigator, is arrested, but she convinces José to let her escape, promising to meet him later at Lillas Pastia’s tavern. José’s actions lead to his imprisonment and demotion.

At the tavern, Carmen arrives with stolen goods. A drunken Zuniga stumbles in. Emboldened by alcohol, he forcefully lays hands on Carmen, using his rank to assert control. Just then, Don José is heard outside the tavern, and Lillas Pastia rushes Zuniga away. When José enters, Carmen dances for him and he becomes increasingly entranced with her. When called back to duty, he refuses to go. Matters are not improved by Zuniga’s return. José kills him in a jealous rage.

As Carmen and Lillas Pastia hide the body, the celebrated bullfighter Escamillo arrives. Carmen is immediately drawn to him, reigniting José’s jealousy. The two men duel, but Carmen stops them. Escamillo invites them to his next bullfight and leaves. José, now a fugitive, professes his love for Carmen, and they join in a symbolic union— interrupted by the arrival of her husband, Garcia, whom she has failed to mention. Infuriated, José kills Garcia in another violent confrontation.

Micaëla returns, still searching for José, and finds an unexpected ally in Carmen. The two women share a moment of understanding before José, burdened by his crimes, flees.

Determined to break free of José’s growing obsession, Carmen leaves him for Escamillo. But José, unwilling to let go, returns one last time, pleading with her to run away with him and start anew. She refuses, choosing freedom. She knows she is putting her life in jeopardy by saying no, but Carmen stands her ground— she will not be owned. As she defiantly rejects him, José, overcome with rage and despair, stabs her to death.

-Aaron Beck, Artistic Director

Cast

Stephanie Doche, Carmen

Nathan Bowles, Don José

Stephanie Washington*, Micaëla

Jason Detwiler, Escamillo

Joseph Wright, Zuniga/Garcia

Sam Briggs*, Lillas Pastia

Megan Terska, Mysterious Woman

*Filstrup Resident Artist

Student Matinée Cast

Maddie Breedlove*, Carmen

Justin Kroll*+, Don José

Lydia Gray*, Micaëla

Randell McGee, Escamillo

Mark Freudenheim, Zuniga/Garcia

Sam Briggs*, Lillas Pastia

Beck Doll, Mysterious Woman

*Filstrup Resident Artist

+Laven Sowell Artist

Artistic Team

Carolyn Watson, Conductor

Kathryn Frady, Stage Director

Maria Maxfield, Assistant Stage Director & Lecturer

Erick Wolfe, Fight Choreographer

Lisa Schlenker, Original Scenic & Props Designer

Chad R. Jung, Original Lighting Designer

Jamie Milligan, Lighting Design Recreation

Sable Brown, Hair & Makeup Designer

Lyndon Meyer, Cover Conductor & Principal Pianist

Production Crew

Buddy Wilson, Head of Carpentry

Caity Murphy, Head of Props

Robert Coughlin, Production Electrician

Justice Bigler, Production Audio

Maegan Swick, Head of Wardrobe

Lesyle Dickerson, Assistant Head of Wardrobe

Nan Luchini, Production Stage Manager

Sarah Holland, Assistant Stage Manager

Susan Fenrich, Assistant Stage Manager

Dyan Yoder, Supertitle Translations & Preparation

Whitney Hollis, Supertitle Caller

Stage and Wardrobe labor provided under agreement with IATSE local 354 & IATSE local 904.

Scenery & Properties designed by Lisa Schlenker.

Scenery provided by the Florentine Opera.

Costumes provided by the Sarasota Opera.

The Tulsa Opera Orchestra

VIOLIN I	FLUTE	TROMBONE
Gina Davis, Concertmaster	Dana Higbee*	Paul Compton*

VIOLIN II	OBOE	TIMPANI
Liza Villarreal*	Lise Glaser*	Steve Craft*

VIOLA	CLARINET	PERCUSSION
Jeff Cowen*	David Carter*	Roy Smith*

CELLO	BASSOON	HARP
Kari Caldwell*	Richard Ramey*	Jill Wiebe*

BASS	HORN	PIANO
Marc Facci*	Josh East*	Lyndon Meyer*

	TRUMPET	ORCHESTRA LIBRARIAN
	Steve Haefner*	Marc Facci

*Principal

The Tulsa Opera Orchestra operates under an agreement with the American Federation of Musicians local 94.

Bios

Nathan Bowles – Don José (Tulsa Opera Debut)
Benvolio, Romeo et Juliette (Dallas Opera); Animal Tamer/Waiter 2, Der Rosenkavalier (Santa Fe Opera); Don José, Carmen, John Styx, Orpheus in the Underworld, The Baker, Into the Woods, Alfred, Die Fledermaus (Western Plains Opera); Miguel, Pépito, Dandini, The Billy Goats Gruff (Dallas Opera Outreach)

Maddie Breedlove – Carmen Cover
Mrs. Nolan, The Medium (Tulsa Opera); Cinderella’s Stepmother, Into the Woods (Tulsa Opera); Filstrup Resident Artist

Sam Briggs – Lillas Pastia
Robert, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Tulsa Opera); Jack, Into the Woods (Tulsa Opera); Filstrup Resident Artist

Sable Brown – Hair and Makeup Designer
Wig and Makeup Designer: I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; The Medium; Into the Woods (Tulsa Opera)

Jason Detwiler – Escamillo (Tulsa Opera Debut)
Eugene Onegin, Eugene Onegin (Virginia Opera); Gianni Schicchi, Gianni Schicchi, Mercutio, Romeo et Juliette, Owen Hart, Dead Man Walking (Opera Idaho); Papa, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (New York City Opera); The Dutchman, The Flying Dutchman (Painted Sky Opera); Escamillo, Carmen (Cinnabar Opera Theater, West Bay Opera, Opera San Jose)

Stephanie Doche – Carmen (Tulsa Opera Debut)
Rosina, The Barber of Seville (Florida Grand Opera, Pittsburgh Opera); Suzuki, Madama Butterfly (San Diego Opera); Nicklausse, Les contes d’Hoffmann (Opera in Williamsburg); Romeo, I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Teatro Nuovo); Diana & Giove, La Calisto (Opera Memphis)

Beck Doll – Mysterious Woman Cover (super)
Woodsman & Snow White, Into the Woods; Super Guard, Aïda; Super Guard, Salome (Tulsa Opera)

Mark Freudenheim – Lillas Pastia/Zuniga/Garcia Cover
Featured Soloist, Grand Voices; Chorus, The Italian Girl in Algiers; Chorus, Samson et Dalila (Tulsa Opera)

Lydia Gray – Micaëla Cover
Isabelle/Madeline Cover, The Face on the Barroom Floor (Tulsa Opera); Musetta, La bohème (Red River Lyric Opera); Laetitia, The Old Maid and the Thief (Heartland Opera); Filstrup Resident Artist

Chad R. Jung – Original Lighting Designer (Tulsa Opera Debut)
Lighting Designer: Opera Australia, Seattle Opera, Opéra de Montréal

Justin Kroll – Don José Cover
Nemorino, L’elisir d’amore (Landlocked Opera); Larry, The Face on the Barroom Floor (Tulsa Opera); Hajný, Rusalka (Opera Idaho); Filstrup Resident Artist – Laven Sowell Artist

Kathryn Frady – Stage Director (Tulsa Opera Debut)
Directing: Hansel & Gretel (Mobile Opera and Wichita Grand Opera); Glory Denied (Cleveland Institute of Music); The Doctor and The Devils (Marble City Opera); Die Fledermaus (Huntsville Opera); Tosca (Gulfshore Opera); Carmen (Varna International)
Singing: Giorgetta, Il tabarro; Susannah, Susannah (Marble City Opera); Tosca, Tosca (Helena Symphony); Nedda, Pagliacci (Opera West!); Soloist, Beethoven’s 9th (Knoxville Symphony); Mother, Hansel & Gretel (Wichita Grand Opera)

Maria Maxfield – Assistant Stage Director
Assistant Director, Into the Woods (Tulsa Opera); Stage Director, Into the Woods (Thornton Chamber Opera)

Randell McGee – Escamillo Cover (Tulsa Opera Debut)
Imperial Commissioner, Madama Butterfly (Cincinnati Opera); Lackey 2, Der Rosenkavalier (Santa Fe Opera)

Lyndon Meyer – Conductor and Chorus Director
Chorus Director (Tulsa Opera); Conductor, La bohème (Heartland Opera); Staff Accompanist (Lotte Lenya Competition)

Lisa Schlenker – Original Scenic & Props Designer
Props Designer: Così Redux (Florentine Opera); The Salon du Marie Antoinette (Opera Lafayette at NYC’s Museo del Barrio and the Kennedy Center)

Megan Terska – Mysterious Woman
Royal Guard Super, Salome; Manuelita Super, Carmen; Moon Maiden Super, Turandot (Tulsa Opera)

Stephanie Washington – Micaëla
Isabel/Madeline, The Face on the Barroom Floor, Kate Pinkerton, Madama Butterfly, Sister Catherine, Dead Man Walking, A Lady with a Cake Box, Postcard from Morocco (Tulsa Opera); Atlanta Symphony; Southwest Florida Symphony; Filstrup Resident Artist

Carolyn Watson – Conductor (Tulsa Opera Debut)
Principal Guest Conductor, Kansas City Chamber Orchestra; Music Director, La Porte County Symphony Orchestra; Director of Orchestras, University of Illinois

Erick Wolfe – Fight Choreographer
Fight Choreographer: Opera Santa Barbara, Central City Opera, San Diego Opera

Joseph Wright – Zuniga/Garcia
Daddy Warbucks, Annie, Audrey II, Little Shop of Horrors (Theatre Tulsa); Jake, Porgy and Bess (Tulsa Opera); Crown, Porgy & Bess (Memphis Opera); Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni (Opera San Jose); Malcolm, The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Oakland Opera); The Dutchman, The Flying Dutchman (Opera San Jose); Escamillo, Carmen (Sacramento Opera)

By arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. Sole Agent in the US, Canada, and Mexico for Editions Salabert, a Universal Music Publishing Group company, publisher, and copyright owner.