La traviata
by Giuseppe Verdi and Francesco Maria Piave
Rebecca Miller Kratzer, director
Tyler Herald, set designer
Camilla Dely, costume designer
Stacey Boggs, lighting designer
Anisa Rose Threlkeld, dramaturg
In the novel La Dame aux Camélias (1848) by Alexandre Dumas (on which La traviata is based), Marguerite (Violetta) writes from her deathbed: “Do you understand, my friend? I am dying, and from my bed, I can hear a man walking to and fro in the drawing room; my creditors have put him there to see that nothing is taken away and that nothing remains to me in case I do not die. I hope they will wait till the end before they begin to sell.” Offering an examination of the patriarchal system that treats her as not only morally bankrupt but also as disposable, this production asks: What was Violetta’s life ultimately worth? Our team was inspired by the opening chapters of Dumas’ novel, imagery of time of day, and parties that have overstayed their welcome. This production opens at the auction of Violetta’s estate. She interrupts, rising like a phoenix, and the fever dream of her final year is set in motion.
Rebecca Miller Kratzer, director
Rebecca Miller Kratzer (she/her) is a New York-based theater and opera director. She works at the intersection of many forms through an artistic practice rooted in collaboration, joy, and ritual. She currently serves as the stage director in residence for Brooklyn-based The Opera Next Door (TOND), where she developed and directed a new adaptation of Carmen, sung in Spanish and orchestrated for tango quartet. Upcoming projects include work with Emmanuel Music and TOND. She has directed the operas La Carmencita (Lincoln Center, TOND); Enemies, A Love Story (Westminster Opera); In Real Life (Mostly Modern Festival); La traviata (City Lyric Opera); Antigone (Longy School of Music); Don Quichotte at Camacho’s Wedding (Opera Saratoga); The Trojan Women(Columbia University M.F.A. thesis); Cendrillon, Alcina, and Second Nature(Opera del West); and Don Giovanni, Fidelio, and La Cenerentola (NEMPAC Opera). She served as assistant director for Grounded (Washington National Opera; Michael Mayer, dir.) and Man of La Mancha (Opera Saratoga; Lawrence Edelson, dir.). Her theater work includes collaborations with Dutch Kills Theater, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Theatre Row, BAM, The New York Times, Second Stage Theater, Emerson College, Montclair State University, Fordham University, and Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts. Kratzer holds a B.A. in theater arts from Brandeis University and an M.F.A. in directing from Columbia University. She is an AGMA member and SDC associate member. Website: rebeccamillerkratzer.com. Instagram: @rebeccamillerkratzer.
Tyler Herald, set designer
Tyler Herald (he/him) is a New York-based scenic, environmental, and production designer originally from the Midwest. He gravitates toward new work and when confronted with the canon seeks to find new meanings. His recent work includes La traviata (City Lyric Opera), Rusalka (Opera Idaho), La Calisto (Montclair State University), New Works Festival (Theater Row), and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Adelphi University). Herald’s assistant and associate work includes A Wonderful World (NOLA/Chicago, Broadway, des. Adam Koch), Frozen (Tuacahn Amphitheater, des. Adam Koch), Mean Girls (São Paulo, des. Adam Koch), Like They Do in the Movies (PAC NYC, des. Neil Patel), The Penelopiad (Goodman Theatre, des. Neil Patel), Civilization to Nation (Mumbai, des. Neil Patel), The Who’s Tommy (Goodman Theatre, des. David Korins), and Beetlejuice (des. David Korins). Herald holds a B.A. in design from Western Illinois University and an M.F.A. in design from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a member of USA 829. Website: tylerrheralddesign.com. Instagram: @_tylerrherald.
Camilla Dely, costume designer
Camilla Dely is a South African costume designer and visual artist working in theater, opera, and dance. Her recent work includes King Lear (Almeida Theatre, London), Mary Gets Hers (The Playwrights Realm, Off-Broadway), Hurricane Diane (People’s Light), Attempts on Her Life (TUTA Theatre, Chicago), and Sisters (Northern Stage). Her upcoming projects include Diary of a Tap Dancer(American Repertory Theater), The Importance of Being Earnest (Portland Center Stage), and Little Shop of Horrors (People’s Light). She is a Watson Fellow and a 1/52 Project grant recipient. Dely holds a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and an M.F.A from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and she has received additional training in hybrid, contemporary performance from Headlong Performance Institute in Philadelphia. She is currently based in Brooklyn, NY. camilladely.com
Stacey Boggs, lighting designer
Stacey Boggs is an award-winning lighting designer working internationally in theater, opera, dance, and TV. Recent works include Verses at Work (651 Arts), Make a Joyful Noize (Carnegie Hall), Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) co-designed with Lucrecia Briceno (La Jolla Playhouse), AfroCosmicMelatopia(Afrofuturism Festival), Everything for Dawn (Experiments in Opera), The In[heir]itance Project (14th Street Y), Amp (HERE Arts Center), and Theatre Three’s Tick, Tick…Boom!, The Prom, Something Rotten!, Guys and Dolls, and The Miracle Worker. She has designed with Bill T. Jones, Dianne McIntyre, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Toshi Reagon, Doug Varone, Y Music, Manuel Vignoulle, Robert Moses, and Christopher Wheeldon. Her work is featured in Collected Light Volume Three: Women in Entertainment Lighting. She is a graduate of the University of Evansville and earned her M.F.A. in lighting design from NYU’s graduate design program. She is a proud member of USA 829. staceyboggs.com
Anisa Rose Threlkeld, dramaturg
Anisa Rose Threlkeld is a New York City-based dramaturg, actor, and musician. She received her M.F.A. in dramaturgy at Columbia University and a B.A. in drama and psychology from Vassar College. As a dramaturg, she has developed work for Syracuse Stage, City Lyric Opera, Breaking the Binary Theatre, Queens Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, HERE Arts Center, NYSAF/The Lark, The Tank, #HealMeToo Festival, NYU Tisch, Vassar College, and Columbia University. She believes that the ultimate purpose of theater is to disrupt habit.
