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Behind the Scenes at Lyric Opera’s Opera in the Neighborhoods
by Becky Brett
Submitted: Saturday, December 06, 2008
How many people does it take to put on an opera outreach performance? In the case of this year’s Lyric Opera of Chicago Opera in the Neighborhoods production of The Magic Flute, it takes 15: A cast of 6, 1 pianist, 1 stage manager, 2 stage hands, 2 wig and makeup ladies, 1 wardrobe mistress and 2 front of house staff.
This year’s production was Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Performed in 40 minutes and translated into English, this show was probably the best-received of the four operas in Lyric’s OIN repertoire.
It takes a LOT of people and time to put something like this together. From working with the performance venues to booking the schools to making sure everyone gets to their seat. The key, though, is to have a cast that understands how outreach performances are different from “regular” performances, and we hit the jackpot this year. Many of the cast members had done outreach shows before, so they knew exactly what the students would respond well to.
For example, one frequently asked question during the Q & A was “Who played the monster?” In this production, we had two people split the role, due to their other on-stage commitments, so the cast made a game out of getting the kids to figure out who the monster was. It was tremendously fun and interactive and the kids felt super smart by figuring it out themselves.
A cast like this is incredible to work with, and can make the difference for these kids between just seeing a nice performance and having an unforgettable experience.
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