RUSALKA

The Artistic Team
Conductor: Antony Walker 
Stage Director: Kristine McIntyre
Set Designer: Erhard Rom
Costume Designer: Kärin Kopischke
Projection Designer: Wendall K. Harrington    
Lighting Designer: Marcus Dilliard
Wig & Make-up Designer: James Geier
Stage Manager: Cindy Knight
Assistant Conductor: Glenn Lewis
Chorus Master: Mark Trawka
Associate Coach/Pianist: James Lesniak
Assistant Stage Director: Haley Stamats*
Assistant Lighting Designer: Todd Nonn
Assistant Wig & Make-up: Nicole Pagano
Assistant Stage Manager: Hannah Nathan
Assistant Stage Manager: Emily Grand

Original Production & Staging by Eric Simonson
Choreography and Dancers Attack Theatre

Music by Antonín Dvořák
Libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil
Sung in Czech with English texts projected above the stage

_{+    Pittsburgh Opera debut
*     Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist
**   Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist alumni} 

We want you to have the best experience possible at our performances!

Here are some details and resources to help. Also visit our Opera FAQs or our Accessibility page.

• Run time: ~2 hours 50 mins (this time includes two intermissions)
• Special effects notice: Dry ice will be used in this production
• Understand Every Word: Rusalka is sung in Czech, but has English supertitles projected above the stage at all performances
• View the Program Book
• Download the Rusalka study guide 
• Watch Opera Up Close
• Parking Downtown: get real-time parking availability
• Pre-Opera Talks before each performance
• Audio Description available at The Benedum Center
• Braille Programs available at The Benedum Center
• Large-Print Programs available at The Benedum Center

CHILD POLICY:

Children must be ages 6 and up. Suggestions and tips for bringing children to the opera may be found at pittsburghopera.org/FAQ.

All children must have a ticket. There is a 50% discount for kids and teens ages 6-18.

The Wood Sprites tease the Water Gnome ( Hao Jiang Tian) as they frolic in the forest.

Rusalka (Sara Gartland, making her Pittsburgh Opera debut) asks the Moon to tell the Prince that she loves him.

The Prince (Jonathan Burton) is astonished to see Rusalka (Sara Gartland) in the forest, and isn't sure if she's a woman or a fairy tale.

The witch Ježibaba (Marianne Cornetti) shows the Wood Sprites the magic potion she is brewing for Rusalka.

Vodník the Water Gnome (Hao Jiang Tian) laments that his daughter Rusalka the Water Sprite (Sara Gartland) has fallen in love with a human.

The Foreign Princess (Leah Hawkins) works to ensnare the Prince (Jonathan Burton), much to the dismay of Rusalka (Sara Gartland).

View our full collection of video excerpts on our Rusalka YouTube playlist. 

Videos by RLG Creations.

Warning - the following contains spoilers about the plot

ACT 1

The water sprite Rusalka has fallen in love with a human—the Prince—when he came to swim in her lake. Now she wants to become human herself and live on land to be with him. Rusalka’s father, Vodník the water goblin, is horrified and tells her that humans are evil and full of sin. When Rusalka insists, claiming they are full of love, he says she will have to get help from the witch Ježibaba.

Rusalka calls on the moon to tell the Prince of her love and then implores Ježibaba for help. She agrees to turn Rusalka into a human—but warns her that if she doesn’t find love she will be damned and the man she loves will die. Also, by becoming mortal, Rusalka will lose her power of speech. Convinced that her feelings for the Prince can overcome all spells, Rusalka agrees and Ježibaba gives her a potion to drink.

As dawn breaks, the Prince appears with a hunting party and finds Rusalka by the lake. Even though she can't speak to him, he is captivated by her beauty and leads her away to his castle. From the lake, the voices of Vodník and the other water sprites are heard, mourning the loss of Rusalka.

ACT 2

The Prince demands to know why Rusalka is so cold towards him, though he remains determined to win her. A Foreign Princess, who has come for the wedding, is intent on winning the Prince for herself. She mocks Rusalka’s silence and reproaches the Prince for ignoring his guests. The Prince demands Rusalka dress for the ball and escorts the Princess into the castle for the beginning of the festivities. Disconsolate, Rusalka falls into a disturbed sleep.

Vodník appears and sings of his grief at losing Rusalka. When she begs her father to help, telling him that the Prince no longer loves her, Vodník has little to offer. The Prince enters with the Princess and confesses his love for her.

When Rusalka intervenes, rushing into his arms, he rejects Rusalka. Vodník warns the Prince of the fate that awaits him, then disappears into the watery depths with Rusalka. The Prince asks the Princess for help but she ridicules him and tells him to follow his bride into hell.

ACT 3

Rusalka waits by the lake once again, lamenting her fate. Ježibaba mocks her, then hands her a knife and explains that there is a way to save herself: she must kill the Prince. Rusalka refuses, throwing the weapon into the water and sinks into the lake in despair.

The wood sprites enter, singing and dancing, but when Vodník explains to them what has happened to Rusalka, they fall silent and disappear.

The Prince, desperate and half crazy with remorse, emerges from the forest, looking for Rusalka and calling out for her to return to him. She appears from the water, reproaching him for his infidelity, and explains that now a kiss from her would kill him. Accepting his destiny, he asks her to kiss him to give him peace. She does, and he dies in her arms. Rusalka asks for mercy on his soul and disappears into the water.

Adapted from The Metropolitan Opera

• Review: onStage Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Opera’s ‘Rusalka’ Opens 84th Season in Grand Style
• Review: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Marianne Cornetti, a sassy, singing witch, steals the show in Pittsburgh Opera's 'Rusalka'
• Celebrity Land! - 7 things to do in the ’Burgh this September
• Entertainment Central Pittsburgh - September 2022 Theater Guide
• NEXTpittsburgh - 10 September events for kids in Pittsburgh
• KidsBurgh - Fall fun is here!Top 10 September events for kids
• Trib Live - Pittsburgh Opera to open season with 'Opera's Little Mermaid'
• OperaWire - Historic ‘Rusalka’ at Pittsburgh Opera
• onStage Pittsburgh - Company Premiere of Dvořák’s ‘Rusalka’ Will Open Pittsburgh Opera’s 84th Season
• KidsBurgh - 10 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - 9 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend, Sept. 15-18
• NEXTpittsburgh - 25 things to do this week
• onStage Pittsburgh - Opening This Week- the Details for September 12 to 18, 2022
• City Paper - Pittsburgh’s top events: Sept. 15-21, This‌ ‌week’s‌ ‌must-see‌ ‌arts‌ ‌and‌ ‌cultural‌ productions
• WQED-FM 'Voice of the Arts' podcast interviews:
  • Marianne Cornetti (Ježibaba)
  • Maestro Antony Walker
  • Stage Director Kristine McIntyre
• Entertainment Central Pittsburgh - Upcoming: ‘Rusalka’ Opens at Pittsburgh Opera
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Fall Arts Preview: Pittsburgh Opera launches the fall season with "Rusalka"
• Broadway World - Photos: First Look at Pittsburgh Opera's RUSALKA
• The Tartan - 'Rusalka' at the Pittsburgh Opera; In Love with Love Itself
• Butler Eagle - Butler County native takes the stage in 'Rusalka'

• PNC is the 2022—23 Pittsburgh Opera Season Sponsor.
• Ambridge Regional Distribution and Manufacturing Center is the Tuesday Performance Sponsor.
• WQED-FM is Pittsburgh Opera’s Media Sponsor.
• Public Source is Rusalka's Media Sponsor
• These performances are sponsored in part by The Gailliot Fund for Classical Opera.

The Czech Center of New York invites you to explore their resources on Czech culture, language, and more!

The Czech Center's mission is to actively promote the Czech Republic by showcasing Czech culture, innovations and creativity in the US. Its program covers visual and performing arts, film, literature, music, architecture, design and fashion, science and social innovations. As well as hosting its own events, the Czech Center offers support for other groups organizing interculture initiatives among Czech and US partners.

• Podcasts
• Learn Czech
• Virtual Exhibition
• More! 

You can also find language classes close to home: