The Clowns Composer Ruggero Leoncavallo Librettist Ruggero Leoncavallo Company San Francisco Opera Association Location San Francisco, CA Venue War Memorial Opera House Season 1939 Language Italian Creative/Crew Conductor Gaetano Merola Stage Director(s) Armando Agnini Chorus Master William Tyroler Cast Canio (Punchinello), master of the troupe George Stinson Nedda (Columbine), his wife Charlotte Boerner Tonio (Taddeo), the clown Richard Bonelli Beppe (Harlequin) Ludovico Oliviero Silvio, a Villager George Cehanovsky First Villager Edward Wellman Second Villager Paul Lieber Show Dates Sat, Oct 21 1939, 8pm Tue, Oct 31 1939, 8pm Time and Place Feast of Assumption at Calabria, near Montalto Scenes Act I -- Afternoon Act II -- Evening Media Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Charlotte Boerner (Nedda), George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Ensemble Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Cehanovsky (Silvio), Charlotte Boerner (Nedda) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Ensemble Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Ensemble Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio), Charlotte Boerner (Nedda) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio), Charlotte Boerner (Nedda) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Ludovico Oliviero (Beppe), George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Richard Bonelli (Tonio), Charlotte Boerner (Nedda) Credit Morton Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Unknown, Ludovico Oliviero (Beppe), Gaetano Merola (Conductor), Robert Watt Miller (Board President), George Stinson (Canio), Armando Agnini (Director) Credit Morton Document SFO_PUB_01_SFO_1939_09_compressed.pdf (7.65 MB) Notes To access the full production program, click the PDF link above. --------------------- October 21 -- Part I of a double bill, with "Cavalleria Rusticana." October 31 -- Part I of a double bill, with the ballet "Coppelia." George Stinson, member of the California Highway Patrol, was making his opera debut as Canio, achieving a significant amount of local notoriety.
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Charlotte Boerner (Nedda), George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Ensemble Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Cehanovsky (Silvio), Charlotte Boerner (Nedda) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Ensemble Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Ensemble Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio), Charlotte Boerner (Nedda) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio), Charlotte Boerner (Nedda) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Ludovico Oliviero (Beppe), George Stinson (Canio) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Richard Bonelli (Tonio), Charlotte Boerner (Nedda) Credit Morton
Image Pagliacci, Ruggero Leoncavallo. San Francisco Opera, 1939. Photographer: Lawrence B. Morton/San Francisco Opera. Unknown, Ludovico Oliviero (Beppe), Gaetano Merola (Conductor), Robert Watt Miller (Board President), George Stinson (Canio), Armando Agnini (Director) Credit Morton