Directorial Concept

In this production of Così fan tutte at The Juilliard School, the opera is reimagined against the tumultuous backdrop of 1967 San Francisco on the eve of the Summer of Love, transforming Mozart’s classic tale into a poignant female coming-of-age narrative. Here, Fiordiligi and Dorabella break free from the stifling societal expectations of the mid-century debutante culture, shifting from passive objects of male control into autonomous forces driving their own liberation. As the drama unfolds into Act II, the idyllic setting morphs into a psychologically fraught "double jeopardy" deep within Golden Gate Park; amid the kaleidoscopic fog, counterculture free love, and moral ambiguity, both women must navigate a high-stakes existential trial where their identities, desires, and agency are pushed to the brink.