Preparing for a Premiere
Last night was the first of three dress rehearsals for Hello Dolly, which opens on New Year’s Eve. We were in full makeup and costume, but there was a piano in the orchestra pit instead of the orchestra. It was the first complete run of the show we’ve ever done and I think it turned out pretty well.
Hello Dolly is set in old New York, meaning we ladies have dresses trimmed with lace, gloves, wigs and fancy hats. Although the costume changes for Bettelstudent were more plentiful, these costume changes are more involved because even adding or removing a hat from a wig involves going to the Maske and having one of the wig ladies tend to our heads.
We had seen the set pieces before, so the look of the stage wasn’t a complete surprise, but a few extra special effects really polished up the production. For example, at the end of the parade scene the crew in the wings shot ticker tape in red, white and blue onto the stage, which rained down on us as we sang our final notes and did our dance steps. Also, in the Harmonia Gardens restaurant where Dolly makes her big return, I have been ordering “pudding” from the waiter for the last three weeks of rehearsals. Well, last night something came to the table that was not made of wax. Yep, it was an enormous bowl of green jello. I really am not a huge fan of eating day-glo green things, but one of the other Americans in the production told me that jello tastes a lot different here in Germany. Sure enough, when I tried a spoonful it tasted really good! Ah, the magic of the theater.
After the rehearsal was over, the choir retired to the choir room to get comments from the different production staff. We were given musical notes from the conductor and the choir director, we were given staging notes from the director, and dance notes from the choreographer. All in all they were really pleased with what we had done and it can only get more polished from here. So, it appears that my first premiere in Coburg will be a good one.
Labels: Theater Life
My first performance
December 26th was my first performance in Coburg! The show is called Der Bettelstudent, an operetta by Carl Millöcker. I had seen a performance a couple weeks back and already knew the chorus was very active in the show, so I was a little worried about jumping in without any staging rehearsals and only one musical rehearsal with the choir director. But, I shouldn’t have worried, because the choir and the rest of the ensemble were really great. Through the course of the evening I was shown what to do and where to go either right before each scene, or was guided around onstage by a partner so I never felt lost.
I arrived about an hour before the performance to get my bearings and was greeted at my dressing space with notes, candies, tea and other little treats from the women in the choir. Through the course of the evening I was told “toi toi toi” by pretty much everyone in the theater, which is a greeting that is pretty much hugging someone and ‘spitting’ over their shoulder for good luck.
The chorus doesn’t wear wigs for this show, but I still needed to take a trip down to the makeup and wig department to get my hair styled into a simple French braid. I was also given some makeup and was told by the people that unless the makeup is very specific, the women in the choir make up their own faces.
There are four costume changes in this show and the women’s choir dressing room has a dresser who takes care of us. She is very organized and has all of our costumes hung up behind our dressing space in the order in which we wear them. She also helps us in and out of our costumes (even hangs them up for us!) and makes sure that we have all the things we need for each scene like jewelry and shawls.
This show isn’t the most well-loved by the cast and ensemble, but I had a lot of fun. In the various scenes I was a wife visiting my husband in prison, a poor shopper at the local market, and a rich society wife. I got to eat a fresh pretzel at the market, toast with some gross-tasting, watered-down beverages, and wear a pretty ball gown. Who could ask for anything else?
Labels: Theater Life
Finding a Routine
A theater has a very different schedule than I’m used to, so settling into a daily routine has been just one more thing that I have needed to adjust to in the last couple weeks. Our daily schedule is based on a few different calendars. First, we have a long-term calendar that has all of the theater performances listed for a three-month period. Second, the choir receives a monthly calendar each month that shows when our days off are and what is tentatively scheduled for each morning and evening during that month. And third, a specific daily schedule for the following day is posted at the theater at 2:00 each afternoon, as well as e-mailed to all theater employees. This lists specific times and locations for each rehearsal and who needs to attend.
A normal day could play out like this:
10:00 - 11:30 Choir on rehearsal stage 1 for Hello Dolly
11:30 - 11:50 Break
11:50 - 1:00 Choir in chorus room for musical rehearsal of Falstaff
1:00 - 6:30 Break
6:30 Call for performance of Bettelstudent
7:30 - 10:00 Performance of Bettelstudent
There are approximately three to four performances a week for the choir, which means that on some days we have the evenings off, and on some days we have rehearsals in the evening. Typically the choir receives about 6 full days off every month and ½ days every so often. The choir members are especially well-protected from long-running rehearsals and long-winded directors. There are no marathon 4-hour rehearsals here without any breaks. Thank goodness my days at UW are over!!!
The good thing about this type of morning/evening breakdown is that there are several hours in the middle of the day to accomplish tasks like grocery shopping, cleaning, etc. I can also find a rehearsal room to practice in fairly easily. The bad thing about this type of schedule is that days off are rarely scheduled together, meaning that a full day off may only come once ever 9 or 10 days, making it hard to plan visits or vacations. Also, when I don’t have to be at the theater until 10 a.m., I find it extremely difficult to accomplish anything before the rehearsal, although most stores and businesses open at 8 a.m. But, I guess if I’m in rehearsals or performances until 10 p.m., I shouldn’t always be expected to be up at the break of day, right?
Labels: Theater Life
Learning the ins and outs
Since this is my first theater job, I am learning a lot more than my staging and music! This week has been full of firsts, including my first wig fitting, costume fitting, contract signing, and of course musical and stage rehearsals.
The wig fitting was a lot of fun! The people who work in the wig shop can put all of my hair in pin curls in about 5 minutes, which is a feat! After trying on 6 or 7 different wigs, they found a few that are a perfect fit for my head and now they will be styled according to the piece and I will have another fitting next week to see how they turned out. A theater wig actually looks pretty scary before it has been styled. It is a basic piece of mesh that is sewn into the shape of a head and it doesn't stretch like most Halloween wigs. Then, the hairs are inserted one by one by the wig-makers. After that is done, the hair is styled according to the piece. That means that the wigs not only look natural onstage, but they are almost 100% personalized for each head!
My costume fitting was fairly uneventful. After two months of eating cheese and sausage I am glad that I wasn't able to understand my sizes since centimeters mean nothing to me. Just about every part of my body was measured and written down and next week I will try on costumes for the four operas I am singing in.
Signing my contract was a little stressful because it actually extends until August 31, 2008, but obviously nothing is ever set in stone. I was glad to have a German-English dictionary handy so I could translate the parts that were confusing. But, I am glad I signed it and I think the next year or two here will be a great learning experience. I was also happy to see an addendum that I can also be engaged as a soloist at the theater if they need someone, which would obviously be really exciting!
The staging and musical rehearsals have been like baptism by fire. There are two operas already in production (Martha and Der Bettelstudent) that I will be participating in, which means I just go to every performance and watch what the women in the choir do. But, there are no staging or musical rehearsals for those, which means I have been trying to learn my part and quasai-staging on my own.
The rehearsals for Hello Dolly have been going on for a few weeks already so I have just been thrown into all the choir numbers. There is a LOT of choreography and dancing in this piece, so it takes a lot of focus. There aren't any musical rehearsals for this piece anymore, either, so during staging and dancing I try to sing as much as I remember, and then later I find a practice room to review the music and start memorizing.
The premiere of Falstaff is over a month away and the choir is only in the third act. That means it is pretty laid-back at this point and it probably won't be much of a strain to learn the music. But, Verdi was a bit of a pill with his writing and some of the music is a bit crazy.
The people in the choir continue to be open and welcoming and very friendly. I am by far the youngest member of the ensemble, which seems to be working out fine. We are having a Christmas party on the 18th of December, which will be a good opportunity to get to know some of the people better and see more of the group dynamic.
Labels: Theater Life
First day on the job
This morning was my first day in the Coburg opera chorus in Coburg, Germany. My first rehearsal began at 11 this morning with a staging rehearsal for Hello Dolly. The premiere is on December 31st, which means that will be my first premiere. The rehearsal itself was fairly uneventful. During that particular scene I just sit at a table and fraternize with a fellow and at one point order pudding. No singing or anything. But that will come soon, I'm sure...
The other operas that I will be involved with are Martha and Der Bettelstudent, two German operettas. Carmen is in production as well, but since there will only be two or three more performances of it after my official start date, I won't be participating.
So, most of you are probably wondering what 'official start date' means if I am already here. Well, here is the story. A woman in the choir got pregnant and is on maternity leave, which in Germany can be up to two years after you give birth. But, the girl who originally replaced the lady on maternity leave just got a new job in Braunschweig that starts immediately. But, since she also has a small solo in Der Bettelstudent, the big boss here wants her to stay until December 18th to do as many of those performances as possible before they have to put someone new in. That means that I have until December 19th to learn the music, get fitted for costumes and wigs, and figure out the blocking and choreography. So, I am going to be attending all rehearsals and performances until December 18th, including some extra musical rehearsals with the choir director to get me caught up in time.
But back to my first day. After the staging rehearsal the choir director took me back to the main theater to meet the big boss, get my contract, pick up music, etc. After reading my contract I found out about this whole two-year maternity leave thing, which means my contract continues until August 31, 2008. Wow, that was a bit of a surprise.
I also was taken into the 'Maske,' which is where make-up, hair, and other things like bloody wounds and fake noses are created. I was fitted for a wig, which means the two stylists put my hair in pin curls and then measured all over with a tape measurer. I tried on an extra wig that one woman had made for Hello Dolly but it didn't fit right. So, tomorrow I have to go back so they can see what will work with my head size. It was super fun and I think I am going to have really dark brown hair for Hello Dolly!
Anyway, the whole introduction-rehearsal-wig process took almost 5 hours, and I am going back to the theater later this evening to see a performance of Martha. I saw it on Friday when I was here for my audition, so it will be a little strange to be back there now as an employee (complete with free ticket!)
Other nitty gritty of getting a contract in Germany also involves getting a work visa and a bank account, which I need to do either tomorrow or Monday. But, everyone so far in this process has been very friendly and helpful, so hopefully these two things won't be too complicated!
Tomorrow is a full day of rehearsals including choregraphy for a big dance number in Hello Dolly. That should be fun. I also am going to be measured for my costumes and try out some wigs.
Labels: Theater Life
How I got my new job in the opera chorus
First things first--I accepted the position with the Coburg opera chorus because the opportunity was too great to pass up. The people in the choir are very friendly and the choir director is giving me three weeks of vacation time in January to fly back to the United States, pack up my apartment, and sing in the Tacoma Opera young artist program.
But, some of you may want to know how I came about the job in the first place, so here is yet another Laurel and Hardy-esque audition experience...
When I went in to audition for the choir position, I was supposed to have two arias prepared, and one of them needed to be voi, che sapete, which is one of Cherubino`s arias from the Marriage of Figaro. Well, I have been singing the other Cherubino aria a lot lately and I think I sing it really well, so I started with that aria. After I was done, the choir director asked me if I had anything in German. I was a little thrown off, because I just thought I would sing the other aria that they wanted to hear and then be done with it. But nope, I ended up singing my Hänsel and Gretel aria (that I haven`t practiced in about 2 weeks and that I didn`t run through with the accompanist during our rehearsal time.) So, although it was a little bit of a shock to have to sing it, I still think I did okay. The choir director then said to leave my telephone number and then said I could either wait for their decision or go and then he would call later. I was hungry and a little crazed by that point, so I left.
Of course, I headed straight for the Christmas market in the town square and ate a huge sausage (Coburger bratwurst taste so fantastic that they are going to make me gain 20 pounds!) and THEN went back to my hotel room and drank a fairly large glass of champagne to celebrate my last audition being over. I even took pictures, which I will upload soon. ;) I dropped off my music and then headed back to the town square to look around some more.
My friend Desiree called at this point and we were chatting when I noticed how much time had passed since I left the audition, so I headed back towards the theater to see if they had made a decision. When I got back to the theater and got off the phone with Desiree, I noticed I had a new voicemail. The choir director had called and he wanted me to get back there ASAP so I could sing another aria before they made their final selection. Wha?? Anyway, I didn`t have time to get my music in my hotel room, so I just went back to the audition. The director brought me back into the room and asked what other music I had. Of course, I had to admit that I wasn`t expecting to sing anything else and so I left my music in my hotel room. SO get this, the choir director went out into the hall and asked one of the other finalists for her music, he copied one of the arias that I said I had worked on before (Che faro senza, Euridice), gave me the music and had me sing that. But, of course the music wasn`t in the original language (Italian), it was translated into German and French. I chose to sing it in German because my French is pretty awful. It went well (probably due to the sausage and champagne) and I was asked to go back into the hall. Another girl went in and sang another aria and then I guess they had all the information they needed to make a decision.
After about 7 minutes of waiting, the choir director came out and asked me to go in to the room again. I sat across from the women`s choir, a few guys from the men`s choir, the general music director, and the choir director. The women in the choir were cracking jokes and asking me what kinds of stuff I knew how to bake, when my birthday is, and that kind of stuff. And when the choir director returned from dismissing the other two finalists, he offered me the job!
The details are still being worked out, but I will start rehearsing with the choir on Thursday morning. I guess I need to find an apartment, too, and maybe open a bank account so I can deposit my paychecks somewhere. I guess I need a Visa, too, but I am assuming the Theater will help me with all of that. Whew!
Anyway, I guess if you readers still want me to write about my experiences, I can start a new blog about my life in the Coburg opera chorus!
Audition 11 - Coburg
They offered me the job. More information coming...
