La Perichole
Wow, last week was a whirlwind. Final rehearsals for "La Perichole" took up every spare moment of my non-working awake time, but it was worth it. We had a solid dress rehearsal last Thursday evening, and three energetic shows over the weekend. It's funny to think that the production is concluded, and that I won't be working with my castmates in that show again. Well, at least for awhile.
Did you miss the show? Well, if you'd like to see some pictures,
check out the website of our very talented photographer, Angie Barttels, to check out the gorgeous costumes and sets. There are oodles of pictures that really tell the story quite well.
I have a week without rehearsals, which I will use to prepare for the next production I'm in with
Puget Sound Concert Opera. By prepare, I mean nap on the couch with the dog, watch some Olympics, and translate the French text. :) No seriously, I need a couple days of lazy evenings to get my energy level back, but I am looking forward to learning some new music after singing the same pieces for so many weeks in a row.
As if singing weren't enough to occupy me, I signed up for the STP over the weekend. Well, actually the BF signed us up. We have been talking about it for the last 6 months or so, and registration is filling up fast, so we decided to go for it. For those of you who haven't heard of it, the STP stands for Seattle-to-Portland, a 200+ mile bicycle ride that happens every July. My Dad rode it a few years back and had a positive experience, and it will be great motivation to actually use my gym membership and road bike. So far I've only been on a few rides this year, but I have my training schedule printed out and will start knocking out my training rides this week. It sounds like a scary endeavor, but the training schedule for two-day riders (I will not be one of the people attempting to ride that far in one day) seems very reasonable, as long as you stick to it.
So, lots going on around here. What's new with you?
Labels: Theater Life
Cabaret premiere
Sunday night was the premiere of
Cabaret, my first and last time performing that show for the Coburg public, and my final premiere at the Landestheater.
My costumes in this piece are a little more provocative than my other costumes, so consider yourself warned.I played Texas, one of the Kit Kat girls, and this was my favorite costume of the show. I really like the roaring 20s look and this dress was not only comfortable, but also light and airy and helped cool me down after the fast costume changes from the first part of the musical.
And here she is, folks. Let me tell you, the first time I went in for a costume fitting I almost passed out. I knew from the staging rehearsals that I was going to look like a prostitute, considering my role IS that of a prostitute, but I'm still definitely not used to showing this much skin for hundreds of strangers. The good thing is, with a wig and lots of make-up, it's actually hard to tell who I am.
And let me tell you, singers really do have to know how to act. Because a lot of the time onstage instead of feeling like the sassy American dominatrix that I was supposed to be, inside I felt like doing this and running for my bathrobe.
And here comes the mother of all shocking costumes. Never, ever, in one million years, did I ever think I would be asked to wear a costume like this. Oh my goodness. It's like the 1920s version of Brittney Spears. Yikes.
This costume actually leads me to the closest call in my costume change history, and possibly my most embarassing moment at the theater. I wore this costume under a nun costume for a musical number called "Don't tell Mama." At the beginning the kit-kat girls are dressed as nuns, but run to the side stage, strip off the nun costumes, and re-emerge in these schoolgirl costumes for the remainder of the number. The costume change is not only fast, but is also in the middle of about five fast costume changes at the beginning of the musical. Since I missed the two first dress rehearsals from being sick, I had only practiced the costume changes once and was feeling pretty jumpy.
So, when the nun portion of the song was over, I ran backstage and stripped off my nun costume. And in my confusion and stress, I also took off most of my schoolgirl costume. All at once I realized I was standing backstage with only a bra and skirt on and didn't really know why. Thankfully one of the costume ladies was backstage with us and noticed what I was doing. She freaked out and helped me get my blouse pretty much back on in approximately 1 second before I had to run onstage for my next entrance. The sparkly tie had to be left out, though, because in my stress and confusion I had broken the clasp. It's actually amazing that I managed to finish the number without anyone realizing just a few seconds before I was standing backstage, half-naked and confused about my next entrance.
I think it's safe to say that I invested more time and energy for that one performance of
Cabaret than any other show in Coburg. But I survived, the show is getting rave reviews, and now I only have three performances of
Wildschuetz left before the end of the season! Woo hoo!
Today Simone and I are headed to Sesslach with Garrie and Maggiee for some tasty schnitzel and a little shopping. I'll post pictures of our trip to Bamberg in my next entry.
Labels: Costumes, Theater Life
The show must go on
I got food poisoning that hit very early Monday morning, making it impossible for me to leave my apartment to go to work. It was the first time I had ever called in sick since working at the Landestheater, and it was my understanding that I had the right to call in sick for three days before I needed an official note from the doctor.
That's why it surprised me so much that when I called in this morning to say I needed to stay home this morning so I would be up to singing a Wildschutz performance tonight, the theater called me back to say that was unacceptable. The rehearsal I missed yesterday morning was the first dress rehearsal for Cabaret, and the rehearsal this morning is the second dress rehearsal for Cabaret, and apparently the director was extremely vocal about his displeasure at people missing a dress rehearsal on Monday. I was told by the intendant on the telephone that I needed to come to the theater and talk to someone about the fact that I was sick, which seemed a little strange. He was also very short with me and when he decided the conversation was over, abruptly hung up on me. So even though I still felt pretty weak, I was angry enough to go the theater to show whoever needed to see that I was too sick to perform.
When I arrived at the theater, the director for Cabaret wasn't there and the rest of the theater administrators were in a meeting and could not be disturbed. I had to wait for 45 minutes until the director arrived at the theater. When I spoke with him, he told me he never said that I would be forced to come to work sick, he was just worried about his show and how bad it looked for him when people were missing from the stage. And when the intendant was finished with his meeting, he refused to speak with me, telling his secretary he had nothing further to say to me. The Chef Disponent, another administrator, also refused to talk to me, saying I should talk to the intendant.
I went back to the intendant's office to speak with his secretary and ask her what I should do. I told her that I was under the assumption that it was my right to call in sick for up to three days before I had to get a doctor's note, and then she corrected me by saying that was not the case. Apparently if the theater decides the activities at the theater are important enough (like a dress rehearsal), then the perfomer has to present a doctor's note on the first day of being sick. Which no-one had told me. The intendant did not tell me that, the Chef Disponent did not tell me that, my co-workers did not tell me that. So, I went to the doctor, got a sick note that also went retroactive to include Monday's dress rehearsal, and went back to the theater to drop it off.
When I dropped off the note the Intendant was talking to the Chef Disponent and his secretary, but he shut his door when I came in so he wouldn't have to talk to me. I told the Chef Disponent and the secretary that I felt mistreated and said someone should have told me from the beginning that I needed to get a doctor's note. And I told them it was also upsetting that the intendant told me to come to the theater to tell the director I was sick, when that actually wasn't the correct protocol at all. The two just told me that dress rehearsals were very important and since they are being photographed, all the performers should make every effort possible to be there.
What I learned from this whole experiece is that there are many people in the theater business who do not treat their performers as people. So as a performer, I have to look out for myself and protect my right to stay home when I am sick by immediately going to the doctor and getting a doctor's note saying I am not able to come to work. I falsely assumed that since this was the first time I had ever called in sick that the theater would automatically understand that it must be something serious.
The way I was treated at the theater today made me feel almost as bad as the food poisoning itself.
Labels: Theater Life
Go ask your father
Today was the first dress rehearsal for
Der Wildschuetz. In the piece I play the role of Nannette, who is the best friend and servant to a Baroness. At the beginning of the opera the Baroness decides that we should dress ourselves up as men before arriving at her brother's castle so we can survey the situation at the castle without being recognized. This means a costume change onstage, where we take off our girl clothes and put on boy clothes. Our boy costumes are complete at the end of one of the Baroness' arias, when we both stuff socks down the front of our pants.
After we were done with that scene, I was waiting backstage for my next entrance when I was approached by one of the little girls who sings in the children's choir in the opera. She had seen our changing clothes scene from the side stage and didn't understand why we had to change our clothes to look like boys. I explained to her that we wanted to arrive at the castle undetected, so we dressed ourselves as men. She then got all serious and asked, "Well, why did you put something in the front of your pants??" I tried to gently sidestep the question by saying, "Well, so we'd look more like boys than girls," to which the little girl replied, "But why do you have to put socks down the front of your pants to look like a boy?"
At this point I realized the conversation couldn't really go any further without giving out more information than I was comfortable with about the anatomical differences between boys and girls. And since her father sings in the opera chorus and was also somewhere in the theater, I simply told her, "Go ask your father, he'll have the answer for you." :)
Labels: Theater Life
Random post
Hi there. My blog has been pretty quiet for a few days, so I thought I'd stop by to say hello and just sort of let my random thoughts run amok. :)
Coburg has been hit with a heat wave that caught me off guard and has wreaked havoc on my productivity. Apparently I am not capable of functioning well in a top-floor, non-air-conditioned, afternoon-sun-receiving apartment and have been forced to flee my home for the greater portion of each day to keep from wilting. I'm getting smarter as the days go by and have started to wash my dishes and cook my meals for the day in the early morning hours when my kitchen is a reasonable temperature. But even though I'm coping, I have come to the realization that I am a born-and-bred Olympia girl. I don't do well in this kind of heat, and when it gets this hot there needs to be some kind of large, cool body of water for me to hang out in until the heat wave passes.
The first dress rehearsal of
der Wildschuetz is tomorrow. I haven't told you much about the show, but the director has been a dream to work with and I really like the (teeny tiny) solo role I have. I'll tell you more when I have pictures to help explain the story. It will be worth the wait. :)
Coburg had its semi-annual flea market this past weekend and I managed to sell my old laptop and some other things, which officially starts my big clean-out leading up to my move on July 24th. The flea market is really a wonderful thing here. About two days beforehand, people start marking out spaces on the main streets downtown with chalk or tape. Then on the day of the flea market, you go and sit on your marked-off area to guard your territory against someone else nabbing it. As of 6:00 p.m. you're allowed to sell stuff and then a security guy comes buy and collects the fees for the space. A flea market plot costs 7 Euros per meter for adults, and 3.50 per meter for kiddies. This fee pays for the street cleaners that come through after the whole shebang and make the city look gorgeous again. The *very* cool thing is that the flea market always starts on Saturday night and goes through Sunday afternoon. And that means continually. There are people who actually man their tables through the night and you can see shoppers wandering around the stands with flashlights and lamps at 3 in the morning. Totally weird and cool. Germans must love their bargains.
My replacement at the theater has been found. We held an audition last week for a girl whose resume we really liked a lot and it turns out she is just as great in person as she was on paper. We offered her the job immediately and she replied by telling us that she had also received a job at a bigger theater closer to her home town and needed a couple days to think over her decision. The choir ladies seemed pretty despondent, so I put on my Ann Taylor Loft salesgirl hat and went to work. I piped up and gave her a little speech about how our choir has a very exceptional working relationship and that when she considers where she wants to work she should keep in mind that her colleagues make up a huge portion of job satisfaction and even though Coburg is small, it's a great place to work and the experience is second-to-none. And the next day she called our director and accepted his offer. The choir ladies patted me on the back because they are convinced my speech won her over, but then I told them that the potlucks and dressing room gab has been the most cherished part of this whole theater experience, and I didn't have to exaggerate one bit about how great they all are. I am really *really* going to miss that room full of crazy, vivacious ladies.
But no matter how super my colleagues are, I am very excited to return to the United States. I am more homesick than I've ever been and really want to see my Mom and Dad, my two great sisters, and Joe. And after that I want to see my friends and speak English and become reaquainted with my favorite country in the whole world. There is really and truly no place like home.
Labels: Theater Life, This and That
Everyone's a critic.
Being a singer is hard. Although singing in high school choir is good, and performing karaoke for your friends is super, I am not talking about that kind of singing. I am referring to classically-trained, voice degree-holding, in-foreign-language-singing performers. Today we held auditions for my position at the Landestheater and it reminded me how much I hate to audition. Hate it enough to never recommend this profession to anyone. Except maybe to my enemies. Or people who like to freely dish out criticism.
I don't really know how people can call classical singers divas. Sure, singers sometimes get dressed up in sparkly gowns and curl their hair and put on bright lipstick. But in order to climb the ladder high enough to earn a living from their art, singers will have to endure hearing dozens upon dozens (
upon dozens) of people criticizing them in one way or another. Sometimes it has to do with vocal technique, but a performance critique can also cover vocal color, language ability, repertoire selection, acting and movement, and even general aura and presence. And the most frustrating thing of all is that these are mostly subjective critiques that are often made within the few short minutes of a vocal audition. If anything, I think a singing "diva" earns that reputation from having to build up a protective shield against so much criticism in order to maintain her own techniques and methods in spite of all this subjectivity.
Of course, some critiques are constructive and not meant to damage a singer's psyche, but rather assist them in becoming more successful in the future. But the bottom line is that professional singers have to put themselves out for repeated criticism in order to get anywhere. And unfortunately, getting a job does not end the criticism. Once you get to a theater there are vocal coaches, repertoire coaches, voice teachers, and directors all ready to further mould and shape you to fit each operatic role. And once you perform a role there are performance reviews from the media. I actually had my first negative critique after my "Kuechenlieder" Concert last month, when a reporter wrote that my voice was too big and operatic for the kinds of songs being sung on the program. Huh.
At the auditions today we had three very different ladies sing for us. While I won't get into the nitty gritty of their performances, we as a group decided to consider one of the candidates, and call the agencies again to get another batch of singers for another round of auditions before we make a final decision. And the singer we are considering was not as vocally strong or as poised and confident as another candidate, but according to our subjective requirements for our specific choir, we decided in favor of her anyway. It was strange to be a part of the audition process and to offer my own critiques of the singers after we had heard all three. And it was a bizarre experience to agree with my colleagues that the best singer and performer was actually not the best candidate for my position. And overall the whole experience left me exausted and a little frustrated that I actually contributed to the cycle of subjectivity that I hate.
Labels: Theater Life
The other side of the table
Tomorrow five singers are coming to the theater to audition for my position in the Landestheater opera chorus. During our performance this evening we all sifted through the application packets of the candidates. It is a very strange feeling to be the one on the picking end, especially because the last time the ladies chose a female singer, I was the one chosen, and that wasn't all that long ago. So I couldn't help but pay extra attention to the fact that every woman in the choir carfully read each application and pored over the information given. And I remembered back to the resume and headshot that I sent in. And how I sent in an 8x10 black and white glossy headshot, which is normal by American standards, but is really
really "look at me" huge by German standards. And I tried not to think about the hand-written cover letter I included that probably had a million mistakes, but by that point in my audition tour I couldn't be bothered to spend the time finding a computer with Word and printing out something better. Sigh. I had no idea that the entire women's choir would have access to that information.
But all that is neither here nor there. I got the position and now it's time to find someone to pass the torch to. I hope she's a nice lady with a strong personality. And I secretly hope she fits into the chorus and makes all the ladies happy, but not quite as happy as I make them. :)
Labels: Theater Life
Why I don't shop for clothes
I love shopping, especially for bargains. And I love clothes, especially when they're on sale. But lately I haven't been in the mood to shop for clothes, even if they're on super clearance, because it would mean trying them on. And I'm getting pretty tired of changing my clothes.
The reason is I end up changing my clothes several times a day for work, and when I don't have to work, I also don't want to have to change my clothes. That may sound a little silly, but let me put it into perspective for you. In the 11-day period between May 7th and May 17th we are performing nine shows:
May 7: Glueckliche Reise
May 8: Faust
May 9: Glueckliche Reise
May 10: Wizard of Oz
(1)
(2)
(3)
May 11: Wizard of Oz
(1)
(2)
(3)
May 12: Faust
May 14: Glueckliche Reise
May 15: Wizard of Oz
(1)
(2)
(3)
May 17: Glueckliche Reise
That's 14 costumes. But for
Wizard of Oz I have to put my Munchkin costume on at the end for the applause, meaning I have 17 costumes. And then if you take into consideration getting dressed in the morning, getting dressed for bed, and also changing into workout clothes in the afternoon (on a good day!), that adds up to a whole lot of changing. So for now I think I'll keep window shopping and wait to visit a dressing room until our performance schedule slows down a bit.
Labels: Costumes, Theater Life
Weird
The lifestyle of a professional singer is weird. It's weird because I grew up in Olympia, Washington. It's the state capital and about 50% of the people who live there work for the government. My parents are/were both state employees, and when it was time for me to get my first job, I also got a job with the state. I worked in the Human Resources Office of the Department of Revenue on and off from 1997 until 2003, when I went to graduate school in Seattle. And, of course, when I looked for work in Seattle, I got a job at the state-run University of Washington, in an administrative position that has a lot to do with Human Resources. Big surprise.
I have always been accustomed to this lifestyle, because it is what my family life was structured around growing up. 40-hour work weeks, one-hour lunch breaks, 15 minute coffee breaks, having evenings, weekends and holidays off, and striving for a friendly, professional rapport with my co-workers is something that has always seemed natural to me.
That is not the world I live in now. Oh no. No no no no no. My life is much different. It's weird.
At the theater the schedule is ever-changing. I have no idea if I have a rehearsal tomorrow morning, because tomorrow's rehearsal schedule won't be posted for another 30 minutes (at 2:00 p.m.). I work evenings, weekends, and every major holiday. When I get a day off I usually spend it doing laundry and cleaning and slounging around my apartment, because I'm never quite sure when the next day off will roll around. And when I have an unexpected morning off, like today, I sometimes become so overwhelmed with all the things I could do with my "sudden" free time that I become paralyzed, and instead resort back to washing dishes and updating my blog and slounging around my apartment.
My relationship with my coworkers is also weird. In general we all have a friendly rapport, but I am much closer to my female colleagues than I would ever be in an office job. This is because I have seen them all in their underwear. Or less. And they have all seen me in my underwear. Or less. Not only that, but if I happen to be wearing underwear that they haven't seen before, I may be subject to closer inspection and commentary/opinions. This is also true if I have lost or gained weight, gotten a tan, etc. And depending on what show we're doing or how fast costume changes happen behind stage, I might be changing clothes in front of my male colleagues as well. Needless to say, personal grooming for work takes on a whole new meaning at the theater.
The different personalities that are found at the theater also exist in the office world. There are whiners, do-gooders, lazies, and nit-pickers in every job everywhere. But sometimes I feel like our particular venue makes it easier for these personalities to come out. For instance, as a choir we mainly function as a unit. We are co-dependant on each other to produce our product, which, in our case, is a good performance. And if a nit-picker sees a lazy not pulling their weight, you can believe they are going to say something. And if a whiner is jealous of a do-gooder, yep, you're going to hear about it. There isn't a lot of water cooler whispering going on or running to the manager or boss. It pretty much all gets thrown out from all sides. And that is weird.
Of course, "weird" doesn't always have to mean negative. I think it's weird that I get paid to put on pretty costumes and wear make-up and sing and dance for people. I think it's weird that I get six weeks of paid vacation in summer to make up for not having much of a life the other 10+ months out of the year. And I think it's weird that a large chunk of the funding for this whole enterprise comes from the federal government of Germany. But that stuff is all great, too, and I'm going to definitely miss it when I am gone.
So for now I'm just soaking in the weirdness, but I'm also secretly looking forward to a new set of coworkers in an office somewhere. And I hope I never see their underwear. Or vice versa.
Labels: Theater Life
The sound of silence
My apartment is blissfully quiet. It is Sunday morning and if I were to open my windows, the only noise pollution I would hear would be coming from the birds that hang out in the trees around my building. I crave this kind of silence and rarely have music playing when I am away from work.
That might sound a little silly coming from someone who makes her living as a singer, but it's actually quite logical. When I am at the theater I am surrounded by sound. During a rehearsal I take in three hours of singing, piano playing, instructions, corrections, or chatter. When I'm learning a new score and don't have it quite memorized, I have to concentrate on every musical cue that comes my way. And when staging makes that process even more complicated, I can feel that my senses are all heightened to take in the sights and sounds around me so my spacial memory conceptualizes the combination of music and movement.
A performance isn't necessarily as hectic for the senses, but my ears do stay completely alert. This week we had a rigorous performance schedule and have not only performed all four shows on our roster at least once, but these evening performances have been juxtaposed with morning rehearsals for a fifth show. This means mentally switching gears every few hours and re-tuning my ears and other senses to recall the music and choreography for each show.
After so many months of learning and performing these trained responses to the music in each piece, I have become acutely aware of the physical and mental reaction I have to music. Music has the power to change my mood and energy level, for better or worse. And after hours of that every day at work, I want to turn off those knee-jerk responses when I go home. So when I have free time, I enjoy the silence of my apartment and maybe the chirping of the birds outside. And then the sound of silence becomes real music to my ears.
Labels: Theater Life
Basketcase
It seems fitting that I finished my
Basketcase socks this afternoon. I feel quite a lot like a basketcase, so hopefully wearing these warm, squishy wool socks for the rest of the day will help calm me down.
After Saturday's premiere of
Faust we had one day off and then jumped right into stage rehearsals for our next show. The stage director seems nice, but our choreographer is a bit eccentric. And since there are only 2 1/2 weeks until the premiere of this show and everyone else has had three extra weeks of rehearsal (when the choir was still working on
Faust), he is pushing us through our choreography at a record pace, which is quite stressful.
Ah, but who can be stressed while looking at these socks? Isn't it neat how the pattern really looks like a woven basket? So smart!
I can also practice a little yoga in my socks to help me focus for an upcoming concert in just 1 1/2 weeks. I have what seems like a mountain of German text to memorize and sometimes I feel like I just won't get it done and will fumble my text in front of the German audience. Sigh.
But to distract myself from that potential embarassment I can just take a break from memorization and admire the "Eye of Partridge" heel stitch, which is a kind of reinforced stitch so the socks are extra durable. Such a good idea!
Anyway, I'm not totally convinced that some cute socks are going to save me from feeling like a basketcase, but at least they'll keep me warm!
Labels: Knitting, Theater Life
Faust Premiere
On Saturday night we had our premiere of Gounod's
Faust. The audience was not sold out (only 380 tickets were sold) but the applause for the singers was very warm at the end. The music in this opera is very beautiful and the singers and orchestra really gave their best efforts and sounded great. However, when the stage director came out to take a bow at the end, half the audience applauded and the other half booed him.
I'm not kidding. There was really a very loud, resonating group of people who shouted "BOO!"
It was weird. I have never been onstage under those circumstances and even though it wasn't directed at the choir, it was a very surreal, and not very pleasant, experience.
The reason for this mixed reaction is due to the director's interpretation of a very traditional German story. Actually, it is fairly safe to say that Goethe's "Faust" is the most famous story in all of German history. And it was apparent that about half of the Coburg audience didn't like the way our director messed with it.
I have quite a bit to say about his adaptation of the opera, but it's kind of a long rant and I'd rather cover that in another post, so for now let's take a look at my costume!
All the women in the house and extra chorus wear the same costume and wig and the men all wear black slacks with a white shirt and black tie. With all 50 0f us together onstage we make quite a striking group.
My colleagues have told me that I was made to be a secretary since my costume fits my body type so well. Hmmmm...
See that wicker basket to the left there? There's lasagne in it. We really like to eat in the women's choir and we take turns cooking for one another. Someone else is cooking dinner this Friday night. Yummy!
Here's a close-up of my fluffy wig. Take a really close look because this may be the only time you see me with short hair.
I took one more picture really close up so you can see how our wigs are constructed. The wig designers start with a mesh form that has been sewn to the exact measurements of our head. Then they take real human hairs and weave them through the mesh. If you look close you can see the tiny knots where each little bunch of hair has been woven through the wig form.
Once the hair has been attached to the form, the wig is then cut and styled to fit the piece. Each singer at the theater has their own set of wigs. Even though I've only been at the Landestheater for about 18 months, I already have six or seven wigs that are meant for only me. After a production is completed, the wigs are brushed out back to their "natural" state and stored away for later.
Labels: Costumes, Theater Life
Exhausted
Tonight was our 28th performance of
Kiss me Kate. Yes, 28th. It was supposed to be our last performance, but tickets are still selling so well that the theater has added four more performances, meaning the show will run until the middle of June. That's a really great run, considering the premiere was on December 1st.
Tomorrow we do our 10th performance of
the Wizard of Oz. It is also selling strongly and the theater has already added more performances to the roster this season. I also wouldn't be surprised if it is brought back next season because of its instant popularity.
Overall, the chorus has done 90 performances so far this season. The premiere of
Faust is a week from tonight and we're knee-deep in end rehearsals for that show. And then comes another operetta. And then an opera. And then a musical. Yep, that's four more premieres before the end of the season.
I am so tired.
When I tell people I'm a professional singer, I usually get a really positive reaction. Many people are interested in hearing more about what I do, and sometimes I hear stray comments about how great it must be to get paid for something that isn't really like work.
Let me tell you, right now this feels like work.
Getting home from the theater at 10:30 p.m. only to be expected back at the theater at 10:00 the next morning is work. And performing every weekend and on every holiday is work. And yes, I don't have to work eight hours in a row and I don't necessarily work 40 hours every week. But when we're in the middle of such a hectic rehearsal and performance schedule, six hours of being "on" when onstage can sometimes feel like double that.
I guess it goes to show that every job, no matter how cool it seems (and believe me, I do realize how cool my job really IS), is a job. And sometimes it just drains you until you're just exhuasted.
Labels: Theater Life
The aftermath
This is what I look like during a performance of
Kiss me Kate. Stage makeup looks very heavy-handed under normal lights, but onstage I actually look very natural, like I'm hardly wearing any.
I get kind of used to seeing myself with all that makeup on, so sometimes it's shocking to wash up and be faced with the aftermath. Here's what my face normally looks like after a Kiss me Kate performance. That line on my face is from my microphone, and those blemishes are from the heavy foundation we wear so we don't look washed-out under the bright stage lights. This is the negative aftermath of a performance.
But don't get me wrong. The aftermath to a performance is sometimes really good. In Kiss me Kate I don't wear a wig, so my hair isn't up in pin curls. But for all the other productions my hair is up in 100+ pin curls and when those are taken out, my normally straight, boring hair is transformed into this lush, shiny mane. I have to admit that I've gotten into the habit of washing my hair right before a performance and leaving it a bit wet so the curls last even longer. And then when people look at me they notice my pretty hair and ignore the weird red line and pimples on my face. ;)
Labels: Theater Life
Signing on the Dotted Line
Yesterday I gave my official notice that I will be leaving the Landestheater at the end of this season to pursue performing opportunities in the Seattle area. Today the official announcement was made to the choir, and I signed a kind of "end of relationship" statement that takes effect August 31, 2008.
I was curious how my choir colleagues would react to the announcement, and it was very positive overall. Several people approached me to wish me well and inquire what I'll be doing next season. And some others didn't really acknowledge the news at all. A few told me they figured it was coming because it seemed like I've been really homesick for Seattle, and a few said it was a good move to come to Germany to get some experience and that should win me plus points when I look for work back in the states.
Speaking of work, last week in Seattle I had an informational interview with the Early Music Guild and an audition with Puget Sound Concert Opera. The Early Music Guild won't be casting singers in an opera until 2009, but the coordinator of the program was very helpful and gave me some names and contact information to broaden my network of musical contacts. And the Puget Sound Concert Opera audition went really well, and I have been invited to be in two productions with their company next season. The details are still being worked out, but I will be involved in Mozart's
La Clemenza di Tito in September and Puccini's
Suor Angelica next spring. I'll let you know the specifics when they become available. :)
A friend of mine once told me that the four most stressful events in a person's life are starting a new job, ending a job, a family member/loved one dying, and moving house. Hopefully no-one in my life will die in the next several months, but the other three are all going to apply to me soon. I'm starting to feel a bit of that stress now that my move back to the United States is imminent, including giving up the security of my full-time job and my medical insurance, which probably means you'll be seeing even more posts about knitting and crafy things in the near future. Knitting is great for letting my brain slow down and work through all my existential questions and worries while keeping my fingers busy. And it sure is great to have something cute to wear after my brain has worked through all that stress!
Labels: Theater Life
Modern Minnesaengers?
Yesterday we packed up shop and headed south about an hour to Erlangen for our last performance of Frau Luna. The theater in Erlangen reminds me of a dollhouse because everything is so small. But good things come in small packages: check out how beautiful the inside of the theater is!
Frau Luna is a silly operetta in which a man from Berlin dreams of going to the moon in a hot air balloon. In the scenes in Berlin I wear this outfit, which is quite snappy, if I do say so myself.
As the story progresses, the man ends up falling asleep and dreaming of actually getting to the moon with a few of his buddies. When he arrives, he finds the moon sparkling clean, thanks to the moon cleaning ladies, as beautifully performed by the women in the choir in these fetching uniforms:
Trust me, they look even more ridiculous in person, especially when there are a dozen of us all together onstage.
Moon denizens speak a little different than those from Berlin; namely we purse our lips out and look like blowfishes sucking for air. Although it's not a very attractive look, it really can't be any worse than the costumes or fake metal wigs.
And here is are arsenal all lined up backstage and waiting to go. Pretty high quality, huh?
The cutest thing that happens on the moon is a performance by the moon calves, who live on the milky way. They use these little plungers and are dressed as cows with pink udder caps and do a dance that really steals the show. The people at the theater learned quickly that since there is no ballet this season, they had to be replaced with something equally cute, and these girls are absolutely adorable.
I think we performed Frau Luna around 20 times and I am not at all sad to see this production come to an end. In my last post I wrote about disinterested directors and lackluster performances, and that seems to describe Frau Luna in a nutshell. So we say goodbye to the silly operetta and hello to Faust! And another silly operetta, premiering in April...
Labels: Costumes, Theater Life
The Real Puppetmaster
When I was in college I didn't have a lot of experience working with a variety of directors. Usually the opera director at the school was the same person for every production and it became fairly obvious after a time who the director's "favorites" were after cast lists were posted semester after semester. I was never one of those favorites, so I never really had a chance to work closely with directors, or to realize what a profound influence they have on an entire production.
Since coming to Coburg I have worked with six different directors and another handful of choreographers, and am now starting to realize that the director is really the puppetmaster of this whole business of doing shows, for better or for worse. Although there are musical directors, set designers, costume designers, light designers, choreographers and many others who are all responsible for a part of the production, the director is responsible for acting as the glue that puts it all together, with the singers, to achieve a staged of version of their original concept.
Right now we are in beginning stage rehearsals for Faust and the director has a long-standing reputation at the theater as being very precise, organized, and direct. And the results of this are very provocative, intriguing operas that people talk about at the theater for years afterwards. I experienced my first glimpse of this organization and precision last night and was extremely impressed. We were a very large group of about 50 people and our director was able to stage two different scenes in the opera while holding the attention and interest of all involved for the entire three hours. And what's more, he was so specific about each movement we made and WHY we were making it, that the staging directions were that much easier to follow and internalize. I used to dread this first week of staging rehearsals because it usually feels like uncontrolled chaos, but with this director it seems that everyone knows they are in good hands and are willing to attentively follow his every direction without question.
I feel like sometimes directors come into a production with a concept for a show, but only general idea of what they physically want to see onstage, which makes staging rehearsals a complete nightmare because the director either relies completely on the choreographer to do the staging, or the singers are left to their own devices until the director sees something he can comment on. And dealing with large groups of people (like an opera chorus) is also another telling sign of the director's planning and organization. For several productions in Coburg the chorus has been plunked down onstage and told to stand, sit, congregate, or basically just fill up the empty spaces as moving set pieces without any kind of explanation for why we are there, how we contribute to the scene as a whole, etc. Granted, each singer should be responsible for a lot of this back story (we do have text to sing, after all), but a large group of people onstage needs a leader to unify the mass and give us a communal purpose.
What I find the most interesting about directors for operas is that the less interest the director takes in getting behind the actions and movements to reach for a deeper meaning, the less interest the singer shows in working for him. And the result of that mutual disinterest is a very boring show with lackluster singing and staging. Believe me, I am singing in a couple of these shows right now. But I doubt very much that Faust will be boring, and I can honestly say that I am looking forward to my next staging rehearsal with this director so we can all keep working together towards a great production and premiere.
Labels: Theater Life
A bit of this, a bit of that.
Today was our second dress rehearsal for the Wizard of Oz. The process of end rehearsals and premiere preparations reminds me of the lyrics to "Another Op'nin', another show," which is my song at the beginning of Kiss me Kate and describes the weeks leading up to a premiere:
"Four weeks you rehearse and rehearse. Three weeks and it couldn't be worse. One week will it ever be right? And out of the hat, it's that big first night!"If you follow the timeline, right about now we are all asking ourselves, "Will it ever be right???" Hopefully the answer is yes, but our production is very complicated and still has a lot of kinks to be worked out before Saturday's premiere.
Right now the biggest problem for the choir is the microphone situation. We sing several passages from backstage and therefore have a monitor to see the conductor and a microphone for the sound to carry out to the audience. But since the sound guy isn't that familiar with the piece, all of our entrances sound botched or too quiet, we aren't synched up with the conductor (and therefore the orchestra) and it just plain sounds wrong. And the other choir scenes onstage are also not going well because we as a choir are mostly singing without microphones, which makes it difficult to match the volume and tone of the soloists who are all on mic.
To make matters even more complicated, we have a lot of costume changes and very strange costumes. In this show I am a Munchkin, a Tree, a Poppy, an Emerald City chick, and (the voice of a) Flying Monkey. Except for the Monkey scene, I have a different costume for each entrance and they are also a bit difficult to work around. And since we only get three dress rehearsals to do the show with microphones, costumes, sets, staging, and music, it's a lot of getting used to in a very short amount of time.
In between dress rehearsals for Oz, we are also rehearsing for our next opera, Faust, and a children's concert in which we will sing the Jungle Book. (Let me tell you, if I thought Wizard of Oz was weird in German, it's nothing compared to the Jungle Book.) And dashed in here and there are still performances of Kiss me Kate. We actually had a really great audience for Kiss me Kate last night, which is always nice.
When I am not at the theater, I am still knitting quite a bit. Now that my sweater is finished I am working on some top-secret knitting projects that I unfortunately can't show pictures of since they will eventually be gifted to people who may read this blog. :) But I am planning on starting a vest for myself and will show pictures of that when it gets going.
Labels: Theater Life
Wishy Washy
About a week and a half ago the General Music Director at the theater approached me after a performance and asked me to sing a solo in an upcoming opera. It's a fairly small role, but Gounod's Faust is a beautiful opera and it would be a great resume-builder. I said I would be happy to sing the role, but I told the GMD that I was flying to the US for a week in March and would not be available to rehearse during this week. I wanted to make sure he knew because I already heard that the director for Faust was already peeved that he would have to go a week without the chorus (we get a week off in March because of all the extra rehearsals and performances we have had to do so far this season). I asked him to tell me either way if that was going to be a problem, but in the meantime I would get to work learning my part.
Since I never heard back from him either way, I just kept practicing and figured if I wasn't going to sing the role, he would have told me by now, especially because staging rehearsals begin on February 25th. Well, when I arrived at rehearsal tonight one of my alto colleagues came up to me and said that the General Music Director offered HER the role in Faust just this afternoon. She told him that she was under the impression I was singing the role, but the GMD told her that I had turned the role down because I was going to have to miss a week of rehearsal.
What??
Anyway, my colleague is also planning on leaving town for the week in March, so it looks like the director won't want to work with either of us and the theater may very well have to pay a guest singer to come in from out of town to do the role. Who knows. As far as I know, though, I am not going to be singing the role that I had originally been offered. Oh right, but according to the GMD I turned it down anyway, so the last 10 days of extra time I've spent practicing to learn the role was my mistake.
The other women in the choir were really angry when they heard the story. However, they also said that this is a fairly common occurrance at the theater and that the bosses at the theater are horrible at communicating and often do such back-handed things when casting for shows. But of course, this was the first time it has happened to me, so I was naturally upset.
In all honesty, I'd rather have a week in the United States than a solo role in Faust anyway. I just wish the GMD had been more direct with me and had kept me in the loop before asking one of my own colleagues to sing the same role without giving me a head's up. And also, I wish he had been honest to my colleague instead of feeding her a story about me turning down a role that I accepted. Sigh.
Labels: Theater Life
Which performance should I attend?
A great thing about the Landestheater is that the people in Coburg have lots of opportunities to see our shows. Our theater has about eight musical theater productions a season (opera/operetta/musicals) and we normally perform each show between 15 and 25 times during its run. To compare, Seattle opera normally has about five musical productions a season and each show is performed about 9 or 10 times. With so many performances running throughout the week (and the season), I've started to notice that our audience is different depending on where we are in the week, as well as the run of the show. Here are some observations that might influence what performance you choose to see in the future:
Opening Night:
This show is just as much about being seen as watching what's happening onstage. The audience for this performance wants to be the first to share their opinion about the newest entertainment in Coburg. The people generally come with a good, positive attitude and are ready to be entertained. In turn, the people onstage have almost explosive amounts of energy from all of the anticipation and rehearsals leading to the premiere. Even if there are a few kinks in the production in the form of missed light or sound cues, the audience is vocally responsive to what happens onstage and there is a lot of applause at the end of the piece.
First performance after opening night:
This is generally the worst-attended show of the entire run. The newspapers have run the critiques and the people at the premiere have shared their opinions with their friends. The performers are usually exhausted after a strenuous rehearsal period and may still be struggling to master dialogue, choreography or a hard musical sequence. But even if the piece received good reviews and the premiere was without visible faults, this is not normally a great show to attend because the audience is not as peppy, and the energy after the premiere really has no place to go except under.
A weeknight performance:
Since our "work week" at a theater is all over the board, our energy level isn't normally affected whether we perform on a Tuesday or a Saturday. But the audience during the work week is typically much quieter and more subdued than a weekend audience. They usually don't clap in between numbers, they don't laugh outloud at jokes, and the applause at the end is pretty brief compared to a weekend crowd.
A holiday performance:
During the Christmas season the audience is pretty rowdy during the first half, and then kind of quiet during the second half. We joke that they spend a bit of time at the Christmas market before the show, toss back a few glasses of Glüwein and then fall asleep after intermission. In reality, our holiday shows are usually only well-attended on a holiday itself. For instance, the couple days leading up to Christmas we had low numbers in the audience. But Christmas Day and New Year's Eve were sold out weeks in advance. The people who come to a performance on a major holiday normally don't go to the theater (i.e. they may have received opera tickets as a Christmas gift) and sometimes it shows in the form of a quiet and very reserved audience.
Closing night:
These performances are usually wacky. I wrote a blog entry last season about having to be on my toes on closing night because usually there is mischief waiting around every corner onstage. But generally this is all in good fun and really keeps the energy level up for the final performance. The audience for closing night is typically very appreciative. I'd say a lot of people attending closing night are seeing the show for the second (or more) time.
So I guess if I had to recommend the best time to attend the theater, I would say ty pically a Saturday-night performance on a non-holiday weekend would be best. Of course, I have ignored several things like how many other performances the singers have already done that week, health, who's conducting, etc., but for a general recommendation, that's my pick.
Labels: Theater Life
Hey Mom, I'm a Tree!
Stage rehearsals for "The Wizard of Oz" began this evening for the chorus. In addition to being a Munchkin and whatever else the chorus is involved in, I have also been cast along with five other women in the chorus as trees. We will be divided into groups of three and sing every-other performance as a cute little tree trio. When I told my Mom about the casting, she was about as proud as when I was cast as the second little pig in my school's second grade production of the Three Little Pigs. :)
At first it does seem pretty hokey. I mean, here I am touting myself as a professional singer in Germany, and then I write home to say I've been cast as a tree in the Wizard of Oz. It doesn't just scream high art and culture at first glance, in any case. But I do think it will be a ton of fun. First of all, we are introduced when Dorothy discovers the Tin Man rusting in a forest. When she comes into the forest we will be bedecked with apples, which Dorothy will try to pick off of us. Then I guess we have some dialogue and we will start throwing apples at her. After the Tin Man is discovered, we have a cute trio to sing and then have our own dance number. I'm very excited about that part.
Anyway, since our theater does not have an unlimited budget, it means that there are a limited number of portable microphones for the singers. And since we trees need microphones for our solo, it means we have automatically been cast as all the other female solo parts, including the three "lollipop guild" representatives. Of course, since we are doing the show in German (and boy howdy, that's opening up a whole other can of worms), we sing "Lebkuchen Zunft" which is basically saying the gingerbread gang. Ha! There is also going to be a do-wop number during a Jitterbug scene near the end of the show where we tree ladies will once again be featured.
So, although being a tree seems like a fairly silly way to make a living, it should be a very fun time. The Wizard of Oz will premiere on February 23rd, so if anyone wants to fly over for the premiere, I'll make sure I get you a ticket!
Labels: Theater Life
The Art of Bowing
Taking a bow as a singer is an extremely important gesture. Not only are you acknowledging the applause from the audience, you are also showing your "true" self to them for the first time. As a voice student I had teachers who were very conscientious about the correct way to walk onstage, walk offstage, bow, and gesture to an accompanist. These movements should not look choreographed, but they really have to be in order to present the right impression to an audience. For instance, if a singer bows without lowering their eyes, the audience could interpret insecurity. Also, if a singer throws their head down in an overly-grandiose bow, the audience may very well interpret arrogance.
So how does a singer learn to bow? It actually takes a bit of practice. Women and men have different options for a bow, but a safe, unisex method of bowing is to drop your head gently, lower your eyes to the ground, bend from the waist or hips and say "thank you" to yourself before coming up again. Right, and coming up should be as gentle and graceful as the descent. I find bending my knees slightly as I bow makes it easier to maintain my center of balance so I don't accidentally tip forward.
Group bowing at the theater is another issue altogether. Some shows have a cast of over 30 people, which means the bows need to be choreographed. At the Landestheater we even have shows where we bow to music, which adds another layer of complication. In any case, since we are a large number of people and spread out onstage, it is up to the assistant director for the show to call out the bowing. The director makes an applause list before the premiere and we practice the bowing order at the end of each dress rehearsal. Usually these bowing rehearsals take about 20 minutes. Since sometimes the bowing order can get complicated (like if we are being accompanied by the orchestra and are on a time limit), the assistant director always calls our our bows from the side stage. If you listen carefully the next time you go to a performance, you might just hear the assistant director telling us when to step forward, bow, and step back.
Labels: Theater Life
How to Lose a Theater Job
Don't worry, I didn't find a pink slip on my seat this morning at rehearsal. But in the last several weeks (actually months, if I stop to think about it) there have been numerous people who have lost their job at the Landestheater for a variety of reasons. Since job security at a theater is different than in other careers, let me first explain our employment contract system.
Artists at a theater (singers, dancers, actors) are typically hired with an initial two-year contract, which is two full seasons at the theater. This contract can then be renewed, or extended, for one season at a time after that. This yearly renewal is necessary until an artist has been employeed for 15 consecutive years at one theater, at which time they become fully tenured and have full job security until they retire. I must add that this is an extremely rare occurance. If you think about it, having the same singer at a theater for over 15 years means that the theater will still be paying that singer at age 60, whether their vocal cords still work or not.
There are also a couple other types of temporary employment for artists. For instance, I was hired to temporarily replace a woman out on extended maternity leave, meaning my contract is for less than two years. There are also artists hired as guests, meaning they are contracted to usually perform one or two roles in a season, but are not considered full-time employees of the theater or members of the theater ensemble. And finally there are artists who jump-in for another artist who is sick, which I wrote about in a previous blog entry.
If the theater does not wish to continue its relationship with an artist, they must inform that artist on or before October 15th of their final season. And since our season begins September 1st, that's a really long time before their last day of work. Although it would be difficult to work at a theater for nearly an entire season and know you have been canned for the following year, it does offer some protection to the artist. During that final season the theatre has to provide you with two premieres, meaning you are provided with two good press and networking opportunities. You also then have several months to sing for agents, schedule auditions and try and find another position.
If an artist decides to leave the theater of their own accord, it is recommended that they submit their resignation by October 31st of their final season. This then gives the theater the same protection provided to a terminated artist, giving the theater enough time to hold auditions and find a replacement. Although I know a few colleagues who formally submitted their resignation at the end of October, I did see one or two ensemble members leave last year after giving just a month or two notice.
So, that's the background, but it leaves the question of why an artist would be asked to leave the ensemble. Sometimes it is as simple as a singer not being up to snuff, and sometimes it is as simple as a difference of opinion between a singer and administrator. In the year since I've been here I have seen singers be released for both reasons, with one singer actually being released from her two-year contract after approximately three weeks.
But it's not just the singers who can get the boot at the theater. In a very shocking scandal that hit our theater in the fall, one of our assistant directors was immediately fired after German police revealed that he was downloading extremely large amounts of child pornography onto his home computer. And in another, less shocking event last week, our Intendant was fired (effective immediately) for reasons that are not 100% clear to me. I don't have a lot of good will towards this man, considering he is the one who called me by the wrong name at the premiere of Kiss me Kate and is a rotten stage director, but it does appear that a bit of a witch hunt was happening in the weeks leading up to his dismissal. And 2008 is a big election year in Coburg, meaning that certain powers above the Intendant may be looking for election leverage. In our rehearsals for the Wizard of Oz I find it particularly ironic when we sing the phrase "Ding dong, the witch is dead."
Some of my regular blog readers may notice that I recently put a new link on the right side of the screen. This is a link to a free movie online called "Zeitgeist." It is an eye-opening film about the history of western religion and civilization, particularly focusing on the United States. It is almost two hours in length, but I would recommend beginning the film about five minutes in, after the very long introductory pictoral montage is completed. Please take the time to see this film.
Labels: Theater Life
Being a Woman at the Theater
Growing up a generation after the feminist movement, I never really worried too much about the glass ceiling or equal pay for equal work when I joined the workforce. And since my parents raised me to be self-confident and self-sufficient, I never imagined I would be the target for sexual harassment. However, after a year at the Landestheater, my eyes have been opened and I now realize that a woman's fight for equality isn't quite done.
The rehearsal period for Kiss me Kate specifically has been very interesting, and not always in a good way. Personally, I had my backside "brushed," and had been given hugs and squeezes by our director during various rehearsals. It is common knowledge that this director is an alcoholic and a little wacky to boot, and I was not necessarily threatened by these actions because 1) it's not the first time this has happened at the theater, 2) the director squeezed and grabbed almost as many men as women, and 3) he always did it in the presence of other people. Although my career as a performer lends itself towards more physical contact with my colleagues than other jobs, I have to wonder if greeting a singer for a rehearsal with a hug or a caress on the cheek is really necessary.
In another scene in Kiss me Kate, the chorus and ensemble dance to a number called "Too Darn Hot." It has very risque lyrics with lots of sexual references. At one point in an instrumental interlude, two of my female colleagues have to strip down to their bras and put on a little tease for the men. The scene lasts less than 10 seconds onstage and then the focus of the crowd is centered elsewhere. After one of our dress rehearsals, our (male) director commented to one of the women that she "took her clothes off really well," and then went on his way. My colleague was dumbfounded, but joked saying that it wasn't the first time she's had to whore herself out onstage in Coburg. Very nice.
Finally, singing in Kiss me Kate entitled me to an extra solo wage in addition to my chorus salary because I had extra things to learn and went to extra rehearsals, often when the choir had time off. The choir leader (a female) pulled me aside at one point and said that the female choristers who also sang occasional solos were often paid less than their male colleagues. So we agreed with another male chorister who is also singing a solo role that we should be paid the same wage because our roles are the same size. And after going in to talk to the Intendant last week, his secretary said that would be fine since our roles are the same, and she would clear it with him when he was back in the office. However, I was called into the Intendant's office today when he was back in town and he said that I should be paid 100 Euros less per performance than my male colleague because my role isn't as big. So I had to disagree and explained to him the fact that I have my own solo number and also dance in several other scenes where the chorus is not there, meaning that my role is just as big as my male colleague, and we should be paid the same. In the end the Intendant agreed to keep my wage the same as my male colleague.
I know I'm a strong woman and can take care of myself. I have no problem standing up to my boss and asking to be paid what I rightfully deserve. It's just sad that these things are still happening in 2007, and will probably continue long into the future.
Labels: Theater Life
Who is Hattie??
Hattie is the name of my character in
Kiss me Kate. She is the Garderobierin, or dresser, to the star of the show, Kate. To people at the theater who perform onstage, the job of a dresser is very clear. However, for those who don't spend a lot of time onstage in costumes, the job of a dresser might seem a little hazy, so let me explain.
In
Kiss me Kate I wear the same costume throughout the whole show, but my 11 colleagues all have at least three costumes each. That means three completely different outfits, shoes, nylons, accessories, jewelry, etc. So just for
Kiss me Kate, our dresser (my good friend Verena) has 34 different costumes (including mine) to lay out, put on, take off, hang up, etc. during the show. And with some costume changes, the singers don't have a lot of time in between scenes, meaning someone needs to be there to help us change as quickly and efficiently as possible. Then after each performance, all the costumes need to be re-hung and all nylons and sometimes the costumes themselves must be washed, meaning Verena is also responsible for all the cleaning, pressing, and re-hanging.
In addition to
Kiss me Kate, we are currently in production for
La Boheme,
Frau Luna, and
Jesus Christ Superstar, in which we all have at least 2 costumes to wear. More clearly put, that is approximately 72 costumes for those three shows, in addition to the 34 for Kiss me Kate, bringing the grand total to 106 different costumes that our dresser is responsible for. That's no small task!
If 106 costumes and certain time constraints weren't enough to deal with, we in the chorus sometimes physically can't get in or out of our costumes without assistance due to the various snaps, buttons, hooks, or zippers that may be out of our reach. So Verena has to make the rounds of the dressing room every time we have a costume change. Then once we are all changed she keeps watch by the door as we move toward the stage to make sure we haven't forgotten our various accessories like hats and gloves.
It might seem like 106 costumes is an unbelievable amount of clothing to keep track of. But to assist Verena and to ensure that every singer has the right outfit at the right time, she has a very large chart for each show. It is laid out on a grid with each singer's name and then each scene in the show. So, Verena can scan the graph vertically during each scene and see who has a costume change when. And once the show has been in production for a couple weeks, she can also time out the costume changes to be even more prepared.
All in all it is a very amazing feat to keep all of us performers clothed. And just imagine, getting dressed for a show is the last step in the costuming process, which can sometimes last for months at a time from the concept and design process through to the sewing, altering, and fitting process. Although my part is pretty small and I sing and dance more as Hattie in
Kiss me Kate than help the star get dressed and changed, I am very aware that without the dresser, there would be no star.
Labels: Theater Life
La Boheme in Bayreuth
Yesterday we took our production of La Boheme to the pretty city of Bayreuth. Pretty cold, that is. Apparently this region of Germany is also called "Little Siberia" because of the low temperatures compared to cities around with a slightly lower alititude. After arriving in Bayreuth, we dropped off our stuff and headed into downtown to find some dinner before the show started. Since it was already dark and we didn't have a lot of time, I didn't get to see a lot, but I did see enough nice architecture and good shopping that a return trip is definitely now on my to-do list.
I also realized that I haven't taken pictures of any of my costumes this season. How dreadful of me! This is kind of a "before" picture as I put my makeup on for the choir's big entrance in the second act.
I think the combination of hair, makeup and costume is pretty frightening, but the costume lady was also kind of scary and she wanted me to look like a punker chick. The other people in the chorus are dressed in an array of styles, from evening wear to Christmas-themed costumes. Since La Boheme is set at Christmastime, I think our director wanted to show that all sorts of people like to go out on Christmas Eve. And I guess nothing fills an audience's heart more than seeing punkers partying with Santa look-alikes. In any case, the chorus sings behind a pearly beaded curtain most of the time, so I think a lot of this effect is lost, but I still think I make one unforgettable walking setpiece.
The backstage and side stage of a theater is really cool. There are tons of ropes, ties, brackets, clamps, cords, and all sorts of other cool stuff that our technicians need to for the different sets, props, furniture, etc. This is a picture of the side stage in Bayreuth. All those lines you see are for the various flies (flys?). Each rope is connected to a corresponding pocket of ceiling where the technicians can store stage and set pieces vertically. If you stare up into the fly area from stage, it's usually a crazy mix of sets in lots of shapes, textures and colors.
This is my second costume for La Boheme. In the third act the women come out dressed as Turkish housewives who are crossing the train tracks and being controlled by some officers. Since we're onstage for approximately 12 seconds in this act, a photo is probably necessary to even prove that I was onstage at all. No, I take that back. I actually carry a bicycle across the tracks after the lead officer lets us pass, which makes me stand out a little. :)
So tomorrow is Thanksgiving day and I have to work. Not only that, my chorister coworkers have the day off, meaning I won't be celebrating a traditional Thanksgiving like my American friends and family. However, I did volunteer to cook a Thanksgiving-esque dinner for the choir ladies for Friday night's performance of La Boheme. After offering I immediately began to freak out, especially after realizing that I have never prepared a holiday meal before, and definitely not one for 13 women, 4 of whom are vegetarian. So, since German ovens are tiny compared to the US and large, frozen birdies are non-existent at the grocery stores, I scrapped the idea of turkey and decided to plan a menu around my favorite Thanksgiving carbohydrates. My plan is to lay out smoked salmon (thanks Mom and Dad!!) with some crackers and maybe some kind of spread as the appetizer. Then as the main dish I'm going to serve some hearty stuffing and a sweet potato dish. Then for dessert I will make a lattice-work apple pie. Hopefully everything will turn out okay, but I'm about to download all my needed recipes from BettyCrocker.com, so I'm not too worried. Betty's never let me down before. :)
Labels: Costumes, Theater Life
Quit your bitching...and your boasting.
One thing I have learned as a newcomer to the theater is, for your own safety and sanity, you should try and keep your mouth shut as much as possible when it is not being used for singing. (As an unrelated side note, I have actually learned how to say "shut your mouth!" several different ways in German since moving to Coburg.) As a general rule, any kind of untimely or excessive bitching or boasting will not be taken kindly by coworkers, and result in either a direct confrontation by said coworker, or gossip about you and your attitude behind your back. For instance, this morning I overheard two singers backstage complaining about a new tenor at the theater who has been trying to play director (because he apparently already knows everything since arriving here two months ago) and tell other singers what to do during this production, which is a big no-no.
I like to consider myself a good co-worker and try not to complain too much (or brag too much) about anything. But tonight I became frustrated after I arrived unknowingly an hour early to my dance rehearsal. As I have written in a previous blog, our rehearsal schedule for the day is posted at 2:00 p.m. on the previous day, which is what I check very diligently. But apparently this morning the assistant director made an annoucement when I wasn't onstage and moved my evening dance rehearsal to an hour later, but didn't change the daily schedule online or at the theater. So, after several days of early morning and late night rehearsals where I have been called only to be told to sit and wait, sometimes for over an hour at a time, I was ticked after finding out I was an hour too early. Argh.
After leaving the theater and going for a long walk before my "new" rehearsal time, I came back and met a choir colleage in the dressing room before we had to get to the ballet studio. I explained to her my frustration of the endless waiting and shifting rehearsals I have had to deal with all week. She was very patient with me and listened to my rant. And then she gently put me in my place by telling me stories of stacked rehearsals for several different productions at once and the sometimes overwhelming schedule that she has faced over the twelve years she has worked at this theater. And she assured me that the waiting and confusion I've experienced this week is extremely mild compared to what I could be experiencing as a soloist here. In fact, she said, it's a luxury to sit around and wait and still be paid, in comparison to rehearsing four operas at once and singing both as a soloist and in the choir in the same production.
So after our conversation, I made myself lighten up and focus on the fact that I get paid to dance and sing every day. And sometimes also sit around and read magazines or drink tea. And most importantly, I've learned that it's best to keep my mouth shut and try not to complain about silly things like rehearsal times being changed. But I have to admit that at times like these when I just long for better communication and more organiztion, I hear my mother's voice in my head saying, "Well, those are musicians for you, Teresa. You never have been just like them, you know."
Labels: Theater Life
Jesus Mania
No, I haven't been transported to America's bible belt, but a wave of Jesus fever has definitely hit Coburg! After last season's overwhelming success of
Jesus Christ Superstar, the theater decided to bring the show back for more performances this season. There are five performances scheduled in November and December and all five shows are already sold out. That means that on each of those nights, we will again be performing for 600+ fans, including some who have seen the musical several times already. And after the theater found out that the shows were selling like crazy, they scrambled to add at least two more performances in 2008.
It is quite a feat to bring back a show in a new season. In addition to booking the guest soloists (for instance, our "Jesus" and "Judas" are guest artists and only come to town for performances), we lost our entire ballet company at the end of last season. So, three of the dancers were able to come back, but two had to be replaced with new dancers. Then we had to review all the music, staging, and finally have a dress rehearsal. Since the theater is still working on other new shows, we had to somehow wriggle the show in for stage space with the other things going on, meaning that we actually had our dress rehearsal this morning for tonight's premeire. That's a lot of Jesus in one day, let me tell you.
It's funny how I reacted to this morning's dress rehearsal. Although the costume changes, hair, make-up and staging have remained the same, the piece really got to me again like it did the first time we did our premiere. This is a really powerful show and after 22 performances last spring, I think I got used to seeing things like our Jesus being hung from his ankles while we as the chorus reacted with elation to him being whipped. It really isn't a light-hearted show by any means. But I guess that is a good sign that after several months between shows, it still feels just as electrifying, and horrifying, as it did when we first put it on last season.
Labels: Theater Life
Let me see those jazz hands!
On Monday we began rehearsals for
Kiss me Kate, my first production as a soloist. I've quickly noticed that the staging rehearsals are a bit different for soloists than for the chorus. The soloists can be called for rehearsal between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and then from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., just the same as the people in the choir. During this time the soloists may have small breaks here and there, but the sheer number of hours they have to rehearse just in a matter of a few days is much more than the people in the chorus. The chorus is part of a union that controls work times and ensures that we aren't working too long in one rehearsal or too many hours in a day or week. In staging rehearsals, we either rehearse two hours straight through, or three hours with a 15-minute break. On the first day of staging for my big solo number, I glanced at my watch when the director called for a break and realized that we had worked 2 1/2 hours without stopping.
In addition to the new adventure of being a soloist, I am also really enjoying the rehearsals for Kiss me Kate because we have a lot of dancing. The choreography is very musical theater, meaning lots of jazz squares, flashing jazz hands, and all sorts of silly and wonderful dance moves that I'd never be allowed to do in a traditional opera production. Last night I had a choreography rehearsal for another big dance number in the show. I'm not actually singing in that number, but since we don't have a ballet this season, some singers have to do extra dance duty. One of the final moves I learned I can only described as some kind of unroll, in which after spinning me out and then back against him, my partner dips me to the side and then I spin around and unroll myself onto the ground. I never thought this was in my future when I left UW to find work in Germany, but I have to say it's a lot of fun!
Labels: Theater Life
Ah, a day off!
Tonight the choir received the evening off because we were willing to stay at this morning's rehearsal a little bit longer than normal to get through all of the music we needed to work through. And we also have all day tomorrow off. Since we haven't had a whole day off in 11 (yes ELEVEN) days, I am more than a little excited! But my real excitement tomorrow is due to the fact that my boyfriend arrives tomorrow for a five-day visit--yippee!
In order for him (or anyone else coming to visit) to get to Coburg, it's quite a long journey. For starters, travel to the airport in Seattle can be a bit cumbersome. Then you usually have to transfer planes at least once to get to Frankfurt airport, which is an airport that has pretty affordable flights to and from Seattle. After arriving in Frankfurt, you must then take a four-hour train ride to get to Coburg, sometimes changing trains as many as three times. Between actual travel time and waiting for plane and train transfers, this whole ordeal normally takes about 24-30 hours. Yikes! Let's just say I feel very lucky that my sweetie is willing to do all that to come visit. And my parents are also going to do the same thing in just a few weeks. But Coburg is a great city (with great theater!!) and hopefully all worth it.
Labels: Theater Life, This and That
Jumping In
Being a soloist at a theater like the Landestheater often means juggling more than one role simultaneously, meaning that in any given week during the season, a solo singer may appear in one, two, or even three different shows (just like us in the chorus). And since there are approximately four performances a week involving the music theater staff, it doesn't leave a lot of time for things like getting sick. But since singers are not superhuman, they do sometimes have to miss performances for one reason or another. And when a soloist gets sick or can't make a performance, the theater has to call someone to "jump in" and cover that role for one night, usually with very little notice. This sounds a bit crazy and hectic, but if the theater can't find someone, they have to cancel the performance (in which all the other performers and other staff will still get paid) and refund the tickets purchased for the show.
The logistics of a jump-in are really an amazing feat. Once the soloist calls in sick, the theater then starts reaching out to their network of other theaters and agencies to ask if there is an available singer who has sung that role to fill in for that specific performance. When they find a soloist, the other soloists who appear onstage with them are called in for last-minute staging rehearsals to adjust blocking, teach dance moves, and get the "jumper" familiar with the flow of that particular production. Then the costume department has to find costumes for the singer, the wig department has to get appropriate wigs, etc. Sometimes jump-ins are very entertaining for everyone else involved, if for no other reason than it breaks up the monotony of doing 20+ performances with the same people every single time.
For the people who do the jumping-in, there are many reasons to submit yourself to all that stress and drama for just one performance. Usually jumpers are paid very well, sometimes even a couple thousand Euros for one night if it's a big theater. Also, it is a fantastic networking opportunity and can even launch your career. For instance, one of our soloists in Coburg did a jump-in at another theater (a much larger house) for one performance and soon afterwards was offered a solo contract for the following season!
As I started rehearsals for Kiss me Kate as a soloist, I realized that once I learn that role, I will then also enter the network for jumping in. I don't suppose there are many productions of Kiss me Kate happening around Germany right now, but if a Hattie ever gets sick, the Landestheater phone just may ring for me! ;)
Labels: Theater Life
Pacing out a premiere
The premiere of
Frau Luna is tonight. This is the fourth premiere I've been involved with at the Landestheater and I'm starting to get the hang of how the rehearsals pace out leading up to opening night. Assuming it takes about 6 weeks to put a show together, this is a basic production timeline:
Weeks 1-2:
Musical rehearsals with the choir director in choir room
Initial costume fittings
Conception meeting and introduction of design team
Weeks 3-4:
Polishing musical rehearsals with choir director, complete memorization
Beginning staging/choreography rehearsals on rehearsal stage
If necessary, wig fitting
Weeks 5:
Final costume fittings
Final staging completed
Rehearsals with orchestra on main stage
Week 6:
Orchestra sitzprobe onstage
One dress rehearsal with piano
Two dress rehearsals with orchestra
Premiere
Premiere party!
Usually the first couple weeks of production rehearsal are pretty laid-back. The staging phase can be very trying as the director blocks, stages, and choreographs using the performers as test subjects. But once the show goes into complete run-throughs in weeks five and six, the rehearsals fly by and are usually very entertaining, especially when costumes, make-up, wigs and sets are all put together for the first time.
Considering
La Boheme and
Frau Luna premiered one week apart, this whole process was happening for two shows almost simulatneously. And when we go back to rehearsal next week, we will begin everything again for
Kiss me Kate, as well as musical preparations for a concert next Sunday.
Labels: Theater Life
First premiere of the new season
Last night was the premiere of
La Boheme at the Landestheater, kicking off the 2007/2008 season. The house was packed for the performance, the singers were in good form, and the premiere party following the opera lasted until the wee hours of the morning. Tonight there is a play premiering in the Reithalle, our 100-seat theater, and another play premieres in the big theater Wednesday evening. Then on Saturday is the
Frau Luna premeire, the first operetta of the season. Needless to say, most people at last night's premiere party deserved a glass or two of champagne after all that rehearsing!
I've been able to actually get quite a bit accomplished in the last week between dress rehearsals and staging rehearsals. My red lounge chair came and looks just as wonderful in my living room as I hoped it would.
I also bought a nice flower print to decorate the entryway to my apartment. I think it really cheers up the space, don't you?
After the chair arrived and my painting had been hung in the foyer, I was able to put a "done" stamp on my little apartment, leaving me even more time to play Domestic Diva. I was able to finish up this purse I started knitting after I left Seattle.
I've also been playing more in the kitchen recently and baked some very tasty banana walnut bread using the fresh walnuts I dried and toasted myself a couple weeks ago. The women in the choir really liked it and told me that banana bread is not common in Germany. I also had my friend Verena over for a home-made pancake breakfast yesterday (it was her first time eating American pancakes--how fun!) and today I made my Grandma's famous raisin walnut cookies for a party I'm going to tonight. I think my oven is just terrific and feel kind of sorry for the waistlines of all of my friends and colleagues who will undoubtedly be sampling my baked goods fairly often. :)
I know I've been writing a lot lately about being a "Domestic Diva" and that sometimes I spend more time discussing baking and decorating than life at the theater. Some of you may wonder if I'm actually getting any "real" work done at all! Well, since I've been here for almost a year and most things at the theater to me are familiar and part of my routine, I don't always have new and exciting things to share. But the fact that I'm happily settled into an apartment and am continuing to bake and knit is a sign that things at the theater are going well and I'm not too stressed out. And isn't that what most people look for in a job? :)
Labels: Theater Life, This and That
