Dick Deadeye!

“Dick Deadeye!” This name, emphasized with sharp diction and a hint of evil is the character Matthew Treviño portrays in this season’s production of HMS Pinafore.

At a recent afternoon rehearsal Treviño, along with Daniel Belcher (Captain Corcoran), Jon-Michael Ball (Ralph Rackstraw), Stephen Fish (Bob Beckett), Robert McNichols, Jr. (Bill Bobstay), Ava Pine (Josephine) and Deborah Fields (Little Buttercup) were gathered in the Lyric Opera rehearsal space to block several scenes for the upcoming Gilbert and Sullivan comedy.

Treviño, dressed in his everyday attire, gave a taste of his character and the strong presence Dick Deadeye has on stage. As stage director William Theisen blocked a scene involving Ralph Rackstraw, Little Buttercup and Bill Bobstay, Treviño’s character leapt on stage calling attention to himself as he called out his own name “DICK DEADEYE!” in a way that caused the other characters to tremble in fear. With his hunched back and wicked facial features, this character is going to be quite entertaining to watch from the audience.

The rehearsal continued with a scene involving the male characters Captain Corcoran, Ralph Rackstraw, Bob Beckett, Bill Bobstay, and of course Dick Deadeye. When in character, the quintette fed off each other’s energies and were each fully involved in their individual characters. When out of character, it seemed like five good friends sharing laughs and enjoying one another’s company. There is no doubt about it that there is chemistry across the board in the HMS Pinafore cast and you can witness it yourself on opening night!

Ball, Fish, Treviño and McNichols

Treviño accosts Fields, while Fish looks on

Tivol is a diva’s best friend

Tivol has generously provided the gorgeous jewelery worn by our dynamic diva in Act II of the Puccini classic, opening tonight. Here’s a sneak peek at the beautiful pieces — and the process behind selecting them — before they make their Lyric Opera debut. Thank you, Tivol!

Mary and Ryann consider choices

Tracy and Mary display the goods

A close-up view

Lisa models Tivol jewelry

Guest blogger: Week 2, blocking

Our amazing cast has worked so hard for the past week and a half, and I’m happy to announce that as of this evening, the entire show is blocked! What does that mean?

Well, it means that more or less, every person in the show is supposed to know where to go on stage (cross downstage left on this phrase, do a waltz for eight measures on that phrase, draw swords on the second beat of this measure, twirl parasol for one and a half measures on this high note, etc) at all times.

What does that really mean?

Although we may not be able to improvise many moves on stage because of the great choreography, dance numbers, and large number of pointy, drawn, swords in the show (for fear of poking an eye out!), as actors, our job is to make sure that our movements are motivated by choice, by our character, by our music, and our own intensions.

As a singer and actor, it is now my job to look at my music score every night before I go to bed, and make sense of all of the little markings that I’ve added into it this past week of staging rehearsals. Not because I’ve been told to go somewhere at some point in the show, but because my character, Mabel, in her aria, motivates all of the moves, dances, twirls, jumps and turns, as she gushes about her newfound love through song.

Currently, I’m open to a page that shows the following:
Enter SL w.Parasol
XDCsteps
XCtoF.
Back to F.
XDR to E.R.
R,L,R,L, DC v.2

Which means: Enter from stage left with parasol. Cross Downstage Center on the steps. Cross Center stage to Frederick. Have my back to Frederick. Cross downstage right to Edith and Ruth. Right foot, Left foot, Right foot, Left foot, Downstage center for beginning of verse 2.

Within the guidelines of ‘blocking’, we are able to do a lot of character work. Asking why is always a good place to begin.
Why would I skip to the right here? (I’m so excited and a bit scared about being so close to Frederick!) Why do I address my sisters in this section? (They are looking at me like they don’t believe me!) Why do I look at Frederick and then immediately look away in the beginning of the show? (I just professed my love to a total stranger!) Why at the end, am I able to always be looking for Frederick? (I have realized that he has risked just as much for me as I have for him).

When you see us make a move on stage, whether it is a XDR (cross downstage right), or a twirl of a parasol, a waltz, a two-step or a leap over part of the set, know that everything has been planned and rehearsed to a tee, so that in the performance, every aspect of ‘blocking’ will look like a natural impulse and instinct of the characters interacting with one another on stage!

La Traviata preview, part 2

Director of production Tracy Davis and director of design and technical production Keith Brumley recently took some time out of their schedules to preview the upcoming production of La Traviata. Enjoy part two of their preview.

La Traviata behind the scenes: staging rehearsals

Hello readers!! We are in our final days of staging rehearsals in the rehearsal hall before we move to the stage. Here’s a little peek at what I do during those rehearsals:

Staging rehearsals are the rehearsals in which the Director (Kathleen Smith Belcher) tells the singers where to move, where to stand, what prop to hold, etc. This is called blocking. As a Stage Manager, the majority of what I do during staging rehearsals is to record the blocking into my copy of the music score. On the back of each page of music is a little ground plan where I can draw where singers move as well as write it out. I also keep every single piece of information written down in the book as well. Here in the biz, we call that a prompt book.

Writing down blocking is not as easy as it sounds. Every movement, every entrance and exit along with props and costumes need to be notated. There are a couple of reasons for this:

1.) Sometimes singers and directors forget what they did the last time. If it’s written down, there’s no question.

2.) Sometimes people can’t make it to rehearsal and they get blocked in the scene anyway.

3.) Sometimes people can’t make it to the performance either and we need to put in a cover or understudy so the show can always go on!

4.) Because operas are done so often, sometimes years later someone might want to put on the show again using similar blocking.

Imagine writing all of that down long hand. Fortunately, stage managers have devised  notations and stage terms to shorten the process up.  Each stage manager has some of their own symbols, but there are some universal symbols. I’ve listed below some of the basic theatrical terms:

SR=Stage Right ( The actor’s right)
SL=Stage Left ( The actor’s left)
HR= House Right ( The audience’s right)
HL= House Left ( The audience’s left)
US=Upstage (away from the audience)
DS=Downstage (towards the audience)
X=Cross

I use just letters to show where principals are standing and for Chorus and Supers I use their first and last name initials.  For the Lyric Opera of Kansas City production of La Traviata these are the short hand that I’m using the represent the principal characters.

Violetta=V
Alfredo=A
Germont=G
Doctor=D
Gastone=E
Annina=N
Baron=B
Flora=F
Marquis=M

So if the Director says to Violetta, “I want you to cross stage left to Alfredo” in my book it would look like this:
V X SL2 A

To some people, blocking notation looks like random letters and numbers, but to stage mangers, it’s just another way of writing. Also, remember that SL is the actor’s left and the stage manager is facing the actor. Now you know why all stage managers have a serious problem with left and right.

Next week… technical rehearsals. Now the real fun begins!

La Traviata video preview, part 1

Director of production Tracy Davis and director of design and technical production Keith Brumley recently took some time out of their schedules to preview the upcoming production of La Traviata. Enjoy!

La Traviata: A SM’s Prep Week

Greetings fantastic readers.

My name is Erin Thompson and I am the Stage Manager for La Traviata. What is a Stage Manager you ask? Well the easy definition of the job is that whenever the lights change, the scenery moves or a singer walks onstage during a performance, a member of the Stage Management staff is behind that action. Now that is just the easy definition. There are so many jobs that go into the role of Stage Management. As the weeks progress, I’ll be going into more details of the tasks that I accomplish for the production.

I know you must be thinking, “WOW” that’s a lot of responsibility. It is. That is why the Lyric Opera of Kansas City provides me with two wonderful and extremely talented Assistant Stage Managers (ASM): Hannah Stricklin and Katie Snyder. Both of the ASMs have specific duties throughout the process. Hannah is a whiz at coordinating all of the props, while Katie has a natural knack at tracking costumes. Part of my job is to make sure that all of that information gets distributed through the Company. They assist me in making sure that we have everything ready for all rehearsals and performances.

Speaking of getting prepared for rehearsals, the Stage Management team is contracted to start a few days before the singers actually arrive so that we can make sure the rehearsal space has everything that we will need. For La Traviata rehearsals, we are working in the Lyric Theatre Studio in the basement of the Lyric Theatre.

When Stage Management walks into the space, it is a bare room. So during the week, we gradually add more and more items to the space in order to morph the empty space into the rehearsal area of La Traviata. We go and buy rehearsal supplies to provide to the Company. We also start working on paperwork. (We will be discussing the different types of paperwork as we get further into the process.) Stage Management makes sure that the rehearsal space has everything that it needs. A major part of Stage Management is planning ahead and making sure that the Director, music staff, and the cast members have the tools that they need in order to accomplish their jobs.

Another main job that we do during prep week is we tape the floor. We measure every piece of scenery that will be onstage during a particular act and then we use a special type of tape called spike tape to tape out that exact piece of scenery in the floor in the exact size that it will be onstage. Pretty neat huh? La Traviata has four different acts. In order to determine if we are in Act I versus Act IV we use different colors of spike tape. Spike tape is a fiber-based tape that sticks very well to most surfaces. Spike tape comes in a TON of colors so that we have many options to choose from. For La Traviata we used: dark green, neon green, blue, red and yellow. But as I said earlier, we only have four acts so why five colors? Not only do we tape out the scenery, we also tape out the full stage, from the front edge of the stage nearest the audience to the very back wall of the theatre. Once the tape is on the floor, the Director can place the cast amidst the scenery and the cast can see where the scenery will be. This makes the transition from the rehearsal hall to the actual stage a smoother one. And that concludes our prep week. Now it’s time to move onto the next step in the process, which is meeting the cast and staging the show.

I’ll be in touch again soon to let you know how staging rehearsals are going!

SM-ERT

The taped off rehearsal floor

10 questions with Mary Dunleavy

Mary Dunleavy

Wonder what the life of a professional opera singer is like? What it’s like to perform on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera? How a singer balances work and family?

Submit your questions for Mary Dunleavy, Violetta in the upcoming Lyric Opera production of La Traviata, by submitting a comment at the bottom of this blog post (or click the “comment” link). We’ll publish Ms. Dunleavy’s responses in March.

10 questions with Tracy Davis

This month we begin a new feature: 10 questions with…

Today, Lyric Opera director of production Tracy Davis shares answers to 10 questions often posed to her:

Tracy Davis

1. What does the director of production do? Are you directing the singers on stage?

 

My job is all about planning and organizing and information distribution. Once the Artistic Director chooses an opera to perform, hires a director, and casts the show…its then in my lap. I coordinate with the director what scenery and costumes we may be renting. I take care of executing all contracts for everyone working on a show, housing and travel for the out of town artists, and all things schedules – Principal singer schedules, Chorus, Supers, and all onstage schedules. For example, I issued about 65 contracts for La Traviata coming up. I work with all departments – scenery, lighting, costumes, wigs, props – to make sure they have all the information that they need to do their job. I work with the finance department to make sure everyone working on the show gets paid at the right time. I work with the marketing department to coordinate any press coming into rehearsals.

Beyond the actual productions, I coordinate auditions, both in NYC for principal artists, and local auditions for chorus. I work with the apprentice program that we have for young singers at UMKC and KU. Again, I issue contract and schedules for them…and provide special masterclasses for them such as fight choreography. None of this could ever be accomplished without my trusty assistant – Katie Snyder.

2. What led you into this line of work?

In college I was a double major in music and theatre. I was always behind the scenes in theatre…Stage Managing, working on props, lighting, etc. When I finished college, I worked as a Stage Manager and Asst. Stage Manager at various companies for about 10 years. All that I learned in those 10 years, led to where I am today.

Hansel & Gretel at Indianapolis Opera

3. What is the most difficult part of your job?

Keeping up with responding to e-mails!!!

The most fun?

Opening night – when all the elements of a show come together and the audience enjoys themselves, I have a great feeling of accomplishment. Oh yeah, and handing out paychecks. Everyone loves you when you are giving them money!

4. Do you sing? Play an instrument?

I don’t come anywhere close to singing within any specified key, but I will sing at the top on my lungs in my car. My main instrument that I played through school including college is the Clarinet. I also dabbled in Alto Saxophone, and had a few moments with the Trumpet and French Horn.

5. What is your favorite opera production of all time, and why?

There are many to narrow it down from, but I think it is my very first opera that I worked on as a Stage Management Intern at Houston Grand Opera. We did a new production of Hansel and Gretel designed by Maurice Sendak. It was an amazing first experience in the art form. I realized then how different opera is from theatre in that everything moves so much faster. I enjoyed the pace and the challenge of having everything organized to help with the success of the production. Plus at the time I thought it was so amazing that I received a production poster autographed by Maurice Sendak for opening night!!! When I hear the prayer that Hansel and Gretel sing at the end of Act I, it still brings tears to my eyes.

La Cenerentola at the Lyric Opera

6. What is your favorite Lyric Opera of Kansas City production, and why?

La Cenerentola directed by Garnett Bruce in the Fall of 2004. Garnett Bruce has always been one of my favorite directors since I met him in Houston. First of all, Cenerentola is such a classic story that everyone knows, and Rossini’s music for it is just splendid and tells a great story. This particular production was set in the 1930’s Hollywood and just had that magical touch of promise and hope. Many directors and companies attempt “concept” productions from time to time…but this production was the most thought out and the concept carried the entire way through the show, and you didn’t lose anything from the music or story telling. It was also a great production to work on because I got to work with Joyce DiDonato and Dan Belcher, both who I knew while at Houston and they were in the Opera Studio there. It was fun to re-unite after we all had come so far in our careers.

7. Have you worked with any “big name” singers? If so, what was the singer like?

I worked on a production of Arabella with Renèe Fleming when I was an Asst. Stage Manager at Houston Grand Opera. She is extremely gracious and down to earth…and smart. She had this moment offstage right before she entered to sing one of her big arias in the show. During this aria, she had to very slowly walk down a big staircase while singing. She has a gorgeous dress on with matching heels. What did she do offstage to prep herself? She changed into flats so it was easier to walk down the staircase! I also did a production of Mefistofele with Sam Ramey. His signature role…and he was amazing. In general, I find the “big name” singers are a delight to work with. They’ve been around the block a few times and are no longer trying to “prove themselves” in the business.

8. What changes will moving into the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts have on your job?

It will be interesting performing in a space that we don’t own. I think we will need to be even more organized on the technical side of production to make sure we effectively use our time well while in the theatre.

On Lyric Opera productions?

I think you may see a different caliber of scenery on the productions. The Kauffman theatre is large than our current space, with much more wing space and even trap doors in the floor! There are certainly surprises to come.

9. What changes will renovating the warehouse the Company purchased at 18th & Charlotte make in the rehearsal process?

There are so many good things that will happen in the new warehouse!!! Having the scenery built in the same location as rehearsal, means we will be able to rehearse on the scenery. This is especially important when you have a set that is raked, or has multi-levels, or even staircases! Rehearsing on the scenery in advance helps us save time when onstage. The new space will also have a costume shop, a wig room, and coaching rooms for the singers. All in one space!!!

10. Why should someone who has never been to the opera come?

I truly believe that if we’ve done our job at producing an opera that tells a good story, opera is more accessible than most people think. It surprises me still how many people use “I don’t understand the language” as an excuse to not come. Yes, there are supertitles to tell you what the singers are singing, but if the director has done their job, and the singers are doing their job – you should be able to sit back and enjoy some good story telling. Come to the opera to experience something new. Come to the opera to hear some good music, both from singers and orchestra. Come to the opera to give your eyes a visual feast from the scenery, costumes and lighting. Come to the opera to escape from your every day worries. Certainly you haven’t been living with pirates your everyday life? Come to the opera to share Violetta’s last party before she dies of consumption. Just come…and bring someone with to share the experience!!!

Julius Caesar – More Supers

Yve, Dale and Roshan

Today’s super in the spotlight is Yve Rojas. Julius Caesar is her first chance to be a super, but she has plenty of experience in the media industry. Yve has done quite a bit of work in commercials and film acting. She would like to work in theatre and is having more fun than she imagined being a super. Please check out pics of Yve and some other supers today.

In news about the show – we had our last orchestra dress rehearsal last night. Everything was performed exactly as it will be tomorrow for Opening Night! I have to say the music is amazing. As a fan of Baroque music, it’s a real treat to get to hear it as part of an opera.

See you tomorrow for Opening Night.

Robert