What Understudies Do Nowadays

Image via WikipediaThis is an article about Arizona Opera understudies and how they spend their time while waiting to perform on the main stage with the Arizona Opera:


Arizona State University’s LYRIC OPERA THEATRE is pleased to present a new production of the Engelbert Humperdinck’s delightful fairy tale opera HANSEL AND GRETEL (sung in English), which will be performed on March 3, 4, 5 at 7:30 pm and March 6 at 2:00 pm in the Evelyn Smith Theatre in the ASU School of Music. Based on the classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, the opera is a charming confection of tuneful melodies, spiced with suspense and humor when the children Hansel and Gretel fall in the clutches of the Wicked Witch! For over a century, audiences have fallen under the spell of this magical work, which has been called “the perfect introduction to opera for children of all ages.”

Featured in this all-student cast are several participants in the new Arizona Opera STUDY COVER PROGRAM, in which ASU students have been engaged to learn and cover roles for Arizona Opera’s mainstage season. This year’s Study Cover participants include: Robyn Rocklein (Hansel), Christina Rivera (Gretel), Christine White (Witch), Suzanne Rovani (Mother) who were Study Covers in Arizona Opera’s production of Carmen, and Rachel Hastings (Dew Fairy) who was a Study Cover in The Pirates of Penzance.

To purchase tickets ($8 - $23) by phone, please call the ASU Herberger Box Office at 480.965.6447 or online: herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/events/tickets. 

The non-profit arts patrons organization, Arizona Five Arts Circle is a proud sponsor of the 5 major arts organizations in the Phoenix metropolitan area....including Arizona Opera!

Life as a Costume Manager

This is a story about a day in the life of Corinna Bohren, the Costume Manager for Arizona Opera...........

The costume shop is always a busy hive of activity!



On any given day AZO has as many as ten people (wigs, milliners, drapers, stitchers, crafters) preparing the singers to look their part on stage.  Most of our costumes are rented from other opera companies, which gives us the challenge of taking someone else’s design and fitting it to our singers and sets.



An average day during a show run will find me in the office at 7:30 a.m preparing paperwork and anticipating the needs of the next production and season.  By 12:00 p.m., I am in the theatre with my assistant ironing and steaming all of the garments you see on stage (usually upwards of 200 pieces) and laundering all of the skins (costume lingo for undershirts).   By 5:00 p.m. my crew arrives and they check their dressing rooms, distribute shirts, socks and any other laundered items.



We buzz around helping with zippers, calming nerves, soothing illness, checking that everything is being worn correctly and setting up any quick changes that will occur during the production.



After the show is done for the night, we pick up the laundry from each room, tidy the spaces and review how the show went. 10:30 p.m. usually finds the staff gone and by 11:00 p.m., I have done a final check, started the laundry and am saying goodnight to the security guard . . . all in preparation to come back the next morning and do it again!

Happiness Rules at Ballet Arizona!

WHAT: Don Quixote

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 10, 7PM

     Friday, Feb. 11, 8PM

     Saturday, Feb. 12, 2 pm and 8 pm

     Sunday, Feb. 13, 2 pm

WHERE: Symphony Hall WITH THE PHOENIX SYMPHONY

Ballet Arizona’s first offering of the New Year Don Quixote, may just be the perfect ballet for everyone—even people who don’t know anything about ballet. Perfect for Valentine’s weekend is the story of a retired gentleman who spins into the realm of fantasy after reading too many tales of chivalry. Convinced he is a knight, Don Quixote, along with his sidekick Sancho Panza, embarks on a journey of adventure that also includes a love story. The object of Don Quixote’s affection is a young woman named Kitri, who is in love with a poor barber. But Kitri’s father wishes her to marry a nobleman named Gamache. And so a lover’s quadrangle is formed…

Ballet Arizona’s production of Don Quixote is upbeat, delightful, and full of passionate dancing. Here is a love story without an accompanying tragedy. No curses, spells or dying swans. The ballet puts aside the satire and darker social commentary to make room for good-natured fun and energetic dancing. From the bravura dancing of the fiery matadors to the colorful caravan of gypsies, the stage explodes with one show-stopping dance after another.

Don Quixote is accompanied by The Phoenix Symphony playing the score by Ludwig Minkus. The music is lively and full of expressive melodies perfect for this festive romantic comedy and Valentine treat of a Ballet!

Tickets are available for $17 - $121. Discounts are offered for seniors, students, children and groups. Call (602) 381-1096 or online at www.ticketmaster.com/baz

Members and corporate partners of the Arizona 5 Arts Circle will be attending this wonderful performance and loving every minute of it!

New and Exciting Direction for the Private Conversations Blog

Image via WikipediaStarting next week, the Private Conversations blog is taking a new and interesting direction......

First, imagine that you love symphony music and wonder what it would be like for the conductor five minutes before he/she takes the stage for a performance.  Next thing you know, you are standing in a hidden corner of a symphony hall and you just happen to overhear the Maestro talking to a friend as he's walking up to the stage.......and you can hear every word!

Well, that's exactly what we plan to have happen on this site.  Interesting people talking about interesting topics that you would not necessarily get to hear....unless you were eavesdropping on them!  Guests from all walks of life will share some of their private conversations on the subjects that are near and dear to their hearts.

Hope you like it!

Obama and Jindal Talk Like Second-Graders

I so sick and tired of all the political news, I am about to scream. Everything about last night's speech and rebuttal was hilarious. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I was a second-grader, because that was where they were directed.

First, we hear all day from television commentators exactly what President Obama would be saying even down to how he was going to say it. To myself, I was laughing; Obama will do better than that, I thought. Then he swaggers out to the podium like an actor might do on a Saturday Night Live skit. I am already in stitches. Then, the President proceeds to say his speech exactly the way the TV commentators said he would.

Hilarious.

And what's wrong with Nancy Pelosi? Her persona has got to be one of the most annoying I have ever seen. Did someone put a gooser on the seat of her chair? All she needed was a pair of pom poms. I started to throw up once watching her jump up to clap and cheer, but I held it in so it wouldn't land on my suit and end up looking like...Nancy Pelosi's suit!

Finally, the fluffy, cheerleady speech had come to an end. Next, it was the Republicans turn with their rebuttal. Charles Gibson tells us that it's not really a rebuttal but a prepared speech Jindal had written earlier. To myself, I was laughing; Jindal will do better than that, I thought. But no, Jindal starts giving a speech that seems totally disconnected to Obama's speech and I am seriously pissed off now. As he goes on and on I am reminded of a Indian Mickey Mouse. Is this the best we can do? What little I do know of this guy, he's smart and a good fiscal conservative. So why is his speech so lame?

Well, I am speaking for at least some of the Americans when I say, "We are not going to take this crap anymore"! The very least, there should be two versions of speeches: one for people who like second-grade material in their speeches and one for those of us who know what's going on, understand the complexities of a massive stimulus package and appreciate words that have more than one syllable!

Tackling the Sleepless Routine

It's 4 am and do you know where your Mother is? Well, if she's my age (51), there's a good chance she is up and roaming the house. One of the most dissatisfying aspects to growing older is the inability to sleep through the night. While some people resort to sleeping pills and other possibly addictive medications, I prefer a more natural approach.



First, set a plan for what you'll do if you wake up in the night before you go to bed. Perhaps you will fold laundry. Maybe you'll write thank you notes. I often plan to write a post. I find that if I say this plan out loud before I go to sleep, it eliminates confusion when I wake up. Also, if the plan is so dismal, I can accurately force myself back into sleep.



Second, wind down slowly. Take time in your beauty routine before going to sleep. Remove all make-up, moisturize and pamper in slow fashion. It'll be good for your face and body as well as help you lull yourself to bed.



Finally, I like taking Melatonin with a glass of water each night. This is a natural supplement consisting of melatonin and vitamin B-6. There are some warnings on the bottle but the print is too small for me to read (just kidding), but as always, you should know what works for you.



As any baby boomer or empty nest parent knows, it's not the waking up in the middle of the night that's the hard part. It's functioning properly the following day that's hard! Performing some of the easiest functions can be challenging without a full night's sleep. But planning your wee hour time, unwinding slowly before bedtime and possibly using a product like melatonin may help you avoid that fuzzy daytime existence all together.