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Austin-based director , making her sixth appearance with , is spearheading a remount of Daniel Rigazzi鈥檚 production of Mozart鈥檚 鈥淭he Magic Flute.鈥� Performances are on Saturday, April 15, and Sunday, April 16.

Faircloth has updated the 2015 production with some video projections that take the audience deeper into the forest as Prince Tamino and the bird-catcher Papageno, who carries magic bells and plays pipes, set out to rescue Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night, from Sarastro, the Queen鈥檚 adversary and ranking priest.

Faircloth, who has been a regular to 蜜柚直播 Opera since debuting in 2015 with Puccini鈥檚 鈥淓ugene Onegin,鈥� sees 鈥淭he Magic Flute鈥� as 鈥渄elightful piece of theater鈥� that can be viewed on two levels: as a story about Mankind鈥檚 search of self-actualization to become a whole person and as a story of two goofy guys having an adventure and meeting interesting, wacky characters as they face challenges to complete their mission.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 pretty delightful from an audience perspective,鈥� said Faircloth. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 some of the best music put to the page, and that鈥檚 also really wonderful.鈥�

Rigazzi鈥檚 production sets 鈥淭he Magic Flute鈥� in the late 1880s Steampunk style that Faircloth said feels very much like a whimsical fairytale.

鈥淭he princess wears a pretty pink dress and the Temple of Wisdom priests all look kinda like 鈥楬arry Potter鈥� characters,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e wearing a lot of velvet robes and such.鈥�

Images from surrealist painter Rene Magritte complete the vision of a 鈥渂eautiful, magical world,鈥� Faircloth added.

Faircloth, one of less than 60 female opera directors worldwide, also approached the piece from a female view, extracting some of the misogynistic language from the score, including declarations that you 鈥渃an鈥檛 trust women and their wily ways; they talk and have nothing to say.鈥�

鈥淏asically, we cut the bad parts. We cut so many of those parts. That鈥檚 one way a modern director can address problematic scores is we just take out the parts we don鈥檛 like,鈥� said Faircloth, a 20-year veteran of opera stages around the country. 鈥淎nd I think that Mozart would applaud this. He was the ultimate craftsman of the dramaturgy. He was a man of the people and he wrote what his audience would enjoy and he did it very well. And I think he was infinitely practical and interested in crafting pieces that really speak to the human spirit where it is in the moment.鈥�

鈥淚 think a lot of times we want to just shuffle women characters into a victim status or things are being done to them. 鈥� I read these stories and I see women put in tough circumstances that are making really interesting, difficult choices,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭hey might not end up being the hero, but that doesn鈥檛 meant that their choices aren鈥檛 heroic.鈥�

In addition to 鈥淭he Magic Flute鈥� and 鈥淓ugene Onegin,鈥� Faircloth has directed 蜜柚直播 Opera鈥檚 productions of Bizet鈥檚 鈥淐armen鈥� and Mozart鈥檚 鈥淒on Giovanni鈥� in 2016, Puccini鈥檚 鈥淭osca鈥� in 2017 and Mozart鈥檚 鈥淭he Marriage of Figaro鈥� in 2019.

鈥淭he Magic Flute鈥� cast includes a number of current and past members of 蜜柚直播 Opera鈥檚 artists program, including tenor Terrence Chin-Loy, who, with fellow 鈥淢agic Flute鈥� castmate Matthew Anchel, joined Grammy-winning soprano Angel Blue in a 蜜柚直播 Desert Song Festival recital at Holsclaw Hall on April 1.

鈥淚 love to see young singers that are early in their careers that you get a chance to see as baby superstars,鈥� Faircloth said.