Tosca

The Carnation Revolution. Lisbon. 24th April 1974.

Set during the foundational moments of democracy in Portugal, this speculative design for Puccini’s opera tells the tragic story of Tosca against the backdrop of intense political upheaval. Floria Tosca is an opera singer of Cape Verdean heritage, one of Portugal’s African Colonies, who sings at events for the dictator, Prime Minister Caetano. Her lover, Mario Cavaradossi, is a painter with ties to underground political movements, placing him in the firing line of Baron Scarpia, the corrupt Chief of the Secret Police. Scarpia wants Tosca for himself and, when Cavaradossi is arrested, he offers her a horrific bargain: she must give herself to Scarpia or her lover will be executed. What will she choose, and who will survive?