PAGLIACCI
Welcome to Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci: A Carnival of Tragedy
An immersive opera experience at the Millennium Event Center
For the first time in its history, the Millennium Event Center opens its doors to an opera that takes over the entire space. Gone is the traditional divide between stage and seat. Instead, you step into the world where the building becomes part of the unfolding story.
Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci begins—but you’re inside the world and under the tent.
The audience moves within the opera. You're not watching Canio—you can see the sweat on his brow as he spirals into madness. You’re just feet from Nedda and Silvio as they plot their escape in hushed tones. When the performance within the opera begins, you are part of the jeering, laughing crowd—until the laughter stops.
This production of Pagliacci marks a bold new chapter in Piedmont Opera’s 49-year history—blending classical opera with site-specific performance to create an event that’s immersive, intimate, and unforgettable. It’s not just a night at the opera. It’s a living opera in a living space.
Click here for parking information.
COMPOSED BY
Ruggero Leoncavallo
LIBRETTO BY
Ruggero Leoncavallo
PREMIERED
May 21, 1892
Teatro Dal Verme, Milan
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
Performed at the
Millennium Event Center
101 W 5th St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Cast
.png)
Canio
Tonio
Nedda
Silvio
Beppe
Creative
Stage Director
Conductor
Scenic and Costume Design
Lighting Designer
Synopsis
PROLOGUE
Tonio, the clown, announces that what the audience is about to see is a true story and that actors have the same joys and sorrows as other people.
ACT I
A small town
A small theatrical company has just arrived and Canio, the head of the troupe, advertises the night’s performance to the gathered crowd. One of the villagers suggests that Tonio is secretly courting Canio’s young wife, Nedda. Canio warns them all that he will not tolerate any flirting offstage—life and theater are not the same. As the crowd disperses, Nedda is left alone, disturbed by her husband’s jealousy. She looks up to the sky, envying the birds their freedom. Tonio appears and tries to force himself on Nedda, but she beats him back, and he retreats, swearing revenge. In fact, Nedda does have a lover—Silvio, a young villager, who suddenly appears. The two reaffirm their love, and Silvio persuades Nedda to run away with him that night. Tonio, who has returned and overheard the end of their conversation, alerts Canio, but Silvio manages to slip away unrecognized. Canio violently threatens Nedda, but she refuses to reveal her lover’s name. Beppe, another member of the troupe, restrains Canio, and Tonio advises him to wait until the evening’s performance to catch the culprit. Alone, Canio gives in to his despair—he must play the clown even though his heart is breaking
Intermission: That magical time where drinks get poured,
stories get louder, and strangers become best friends.
Go mingle: hydration and merriment await.
ACT II
That evening, the villagers assemble to watch the performance, Silvio among them. Beppe plays Harlequin, who serenades Columbine, played by Nedda. He dismisses her buffoonish servant Taddeo, played by Tonio, and over dinner the two sweethearts plot to poison Columbine’s husband Pagliaccio, played by Canio. When Pagliaccio unexpectedly appears, Harlequin slips away. Taddeo maliciously assures Pagliaccio of his wife’s innocence, which ignites Canio’s jealousy. Forgetting his role and the play, he demands that Nedda tell him the name of her lover. She tries to continue with the performance, the audience enthralled by its realism, until Canio snaps. In a fit of rage, he stabs Nedda and then Silvio, who rushes to her aid. Turning to the horrified crowd, Tonio announces that the comedy is over.
