It has been anything but a “normal” process getting to the streaming premiere of this year’s fall chamber opera, which takes place online on Friday, January 8, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
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This double bill, featuring Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins and William Bolcom’s Lucrezia, was programmed in early spring. At that time, just two weeks into the pandemic, no one had any idea what things would be like in the weeks and months ahead. From the beginning, Director Amanda Smith and Music Director Peter Tiefenbach embraced the challenge of mounting these works, in whatever format they would end up taking.
Roles were assigned to students in early summer and while their individual preparations followed a fairly normal process, the concept of “normal” was changing on a daily basis for the creative team, which by then had expanded to include lighting, costume and projection designers.
Throughout the summer, while Toronto was moving from one phase of reopening to another, changing public health regulations were having an almost daily impact on the choices being made for almost every element of the team’s work. “Normal” now meant planning for and evaluating multiple scenarios for the production – each one being expertly co-ordinated by GGS Orchestra and Opera Manager Kaitlyn Smith.
As it became clear that safety protocols and audience restrictions would not allow for live performances in Mazzoleni Hall, the team made the pivot toward film. Even once that decision was made, further regulations around the use of impermeable barriers for singers led the team to move away from the livestreaming of a single performance to a process similar to more traditional filmmaking – shooting smaller scenes, out of order, with as few people in the room as possible.
Baritone Noah Grove (BMus ’19 / ADP ’21), Baritone Jordan De Sousa (ADP ’22), Mezzo Ariana Maubach (ADP ’21) and Mezzo Chelsea Pringle-Duchemin (ADP ‘22) during filming of the opera double bill.
The use of L-shaped plexiglass barriers allowed students the freedom and safety to perform their roles, while also giving the creative team the opportunity to establish a sense of proximity, even while the students were safely distanced. These barriers became something of a symbol for the production itself. When you quite literally are forced to put your performers in a box, thinking outside of one is no longer an option.
Soprano Katelyn Bird (ADP ’22) and Mezzo Ariana Maubach (ADP ’21) during a staging rehearsal for Lucrezia.
During both the rehearsal process and the five days of filming, Kaitlyn Smith ensured that students were able to get the most out of this unique performance opportunity. “This has been a challenge because we really wanted to make sure the performers had that freedom and a sense of safety. In the hierarchy of needs, it really is important that you feel safe, so that you can let the creative juices flow.”
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