Giuseppe Giacosa (1847-1906) and Luigi Illica (1857 - 16 December 1919) were Italian librettists best known for collaborating on several operas. Giacosa was born near Turin and attended the local university where he studied law. Meanwhile, Illica grew up near Piacenza but eventually moved to Milan and became a journalist. Both men began their theatrical careers in the 1870s, which led to an imminent meeting. Together, they worked alongside Italian composer Giacomo Puccini to create some of his most notable operas including La bohème, Tosca and Madama Butterfly. All three are considered major figures in the world of performing arts.

A group of starving artists navigate a harsh winter, fall in love and face impending loss. La bohème, by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, is a four-act opera set in nineteenth-century Paris. It centers a young band of bohemians whose unstable lifestyle is marked by poverty, illness and inevitable heartache.