Liz reports:
It has arrived! At last Antony is reunited with his luggage. A phone call at 5pm yesterday said "we are just leaving to deliver your bag". Antony waited and waited and at 10pm could not stay awake any longer. At 11.30pm someone was banging on his apartment door - it had arrived!!
All production work today. Chas is communicating to the principals what he expects. He seems to have arrived with the opera worked out, but is open to discussion.
Bernie Tan-Hayes, lighting designer, was in the rehearsal. Why is he bothering with the lighting at this stage when the production is just developing? Bernie has a score in front of him and is marking up the production cues so he can be thinking about where the action takes place and what he can be doing with the lighting. Lighting is a strange component of the show, get it right and nobody really notices it - it is just the ambience. Bernie is delighted with Chas, Alex and Brad’s design as it leaves him lots of places to hide lighting and lots of potential. Bernie likes the fact that the set concentrates the action down onto the stage so he can bring the lighting rig down and the surtitles down and have greater control than a high set. No towers, so audience members with stiff necks should be comfortable.
Bernie has worked on all Pinchgut productions so far. We are very proud of him.
I cornered Chas in the Green Room for a chat. He is pleased. All is going well. He actually feels spoilt. There is a very high level of professionalism and amazing cast and a great chorus and, well, he could be doing this in the basement of an awful opera company building but he is in Sydney in summer. He cannot describe what a difference it makes to get out of the train at Circular Quay and get the ferry home to his apartment in Neutral Bay. This city has its own airconditioning system in the harbour and the southerly blow after a hot day. He commented on the chorus and how special they are. They form a family and the atmosphere allows for great freedom to create.
(But you all knew that…)
Chas says this opera is like a brand new opera. He does not have to worry that his production stands out from all the others as there are no others. He can create this opera from scratch.
He likes to create an atmosphere of play and laughter so that the singers can go to the dark places that exist in this opera with no fear. He like the process to be joyous so that the singers can also be creative. He knows some directors hurl abuse and still be create great work but that is not Chas’s style. (It is also not Pinchgut’s style.)
He believes, as we do, that treating people with respect leads to the singer giving back to the production more than you expect.
He believes that the audience can feel when the singers are joyous about their experience. Great! We at Pinchgut Opera are all in favour of joy for the singers, the players and the audience.
Isn’t that what we all need right now?
Like Anders, Chas comments on the joy of cooler nights in Sydney compared to St Louis, where he grew up.
I think tonight, looking at the grey storm clouds, he may get a real southerly buster to end the day.
Sara was glad to today learn to stand like a boy. “You put you hands right into your jeans” she said “ not like a girl who leaves her thumbs out.”
This morning Mark Tucker dropped in to see Liz and Ken. Mark is here for the Sydney Symphony’s performance of Dream of Gerontius next week, under Vladimir Ashkanazy. Mark sang with us in L’Orfeo and Idomeneo. It is good to see an old friend. He will drop into the rehearsal tomorrow.
Chas and Erin discuss the score.
Another photo from Anders' walk. He is not sure if this is a rock or swamp wallaby. Can anyone help him?
