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.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
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!
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!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
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! ;)
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! ;)
Saturday, October 06, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
(Hopefully) the end of a set of three...
I'm sure you've heard that bad things usually happen in sets of three. I try to stay positive about smallish, irritating events that can occur on any given day, but it seems like they all jumbled together over the course of the last three days.
On Monday I had an extra 30 minutes to kill before our evening rehearsal, so I ran to the grocery store to pick up some things. I ended up buying more than I intended and left the store with a fairly heavy sack of groceries. After rehearsal I tried to sling the grocery bag over my bike handles to ride home, but one of the sack handles broke along the way. Since riding my bike involves two hands and carrying my now-broken grocery bag required two hands, I had to leave my groceries, walk my bike back to the theater, lock it up, and carry my groceries home on foot. It was a little irritating, but I worked up a good sweat and then didn't feel guilty about all the chocolate I had eaten earlier in the day.
Tuesday was laundry day and, since my bike was still chained at the theater, I carried all my washing to the laundromat on foot. After I worked up a very good sweat (two loads of wash, soap and softener get pretty heavy after a mile or so) I arrived only to find all of the washing machines being used. So, I had to carry my laundry to the theater and leave it there during my Tuesday yoga class. After yoga I successfully did my laundry and was home a little over two hours later (this time on my bike, yaay!)
Anyway, since I had yesterday evening free, I went out with my friend Verena for a drink. When we walked home later and I arrived at my door, I couldn't find my keys. Turns out I had left them in my apartment, and the way German doors work, they always lock from the outside when they are closed, so I didn't notice it until then. So I walked down to Verena's house and we started calling locksmiths. But since it was late (almost midnight by that point) and the next day was a holiday in Germany, the prices we were quoted were high. Very, very high. Ranging from 150-200 Euros and up high. Additional 19% sales tax on top of all the hidden fees high. But we finally got in touch with a locksmith who could come by the next morning after 8 a.m. and the price was a bit lower than the others, so I decided to sleep over at Verena's so I didn't have to wait until 3 a.m. to get into my apartment. This morning I went to get cash from the bank (locksmiths don't take plastic on holidays, apparently), and was luckily inside my own apartment by around 10 a.m. And it only set me back 140 Euros. Oy.
I guess on the bright side, I'm lucky to have a nice place to live, food, clean clothes and friends who let me sleep over on no notice. Oh, and a bit of extra cash to pay emergency locksmiths. But needless to say, in the future I'm buying sturdier grocery sacks, doing my laundry during off-hours, and keeping extra sets of my keys in a better place than inside my apartment. Because really, I would have much rather spent 140 Euros on a really cute pair of boots I found than to gain entry to my own apartment. :)
On Monday I had an extra 30 minutes to kill before our evening rehearsal, so I ran to the grocery store to pick up some things. I ended up buying more than I intended and left the store with a fairly heavy sack of groceries. After rehearsal I tried to sling the grocery bag over my bike handles to ride home, but one of the sack handles broke along the way. Since riding my bike involves two hands and carrying my now-broken grocery bag required two hands, I had to leave my groceries, walk my bike back to the theater, lock it up, and carry my groceries home on foot. It was a little irritating, but I worked up a good sweat and then didn't feel guilty about all the chocolate I had eaten earlier in the day.
Tuesday was laundry day and, since my bike was still chained at the theater, I carried all my washing to the laundromat on foot. After I worked up a very good sweat (two loads of wash, soap and softener get pretty heavy after a mile or so) I arrived only to find all of the washing machines being used. So, I had to carry my laundry to the theater and leave it there during my Tuesday yoga class. After yoga I successfully did my laundry and was home a little over two hours later (this time on my bike, yaay!)
Anyway, since I had yesterday evening free, I went out with my friend Verena for a drink. When we walked home later and I arrived at my door, I couldn't find my keys. Turns out I had left them in my apartment, and the way German doors work, they always lock from the outside when they are closed, so I didn't notice it until then. So I walked down to Verena's house and we started calling locksmiths. But since it was late (almost midnight by that point) and the next day was a holiday in Germany, the prices we were quoted were high. Very, very high. Ranging from 150-200 Euros and up high. Additional 19% sales tax on top of all the hidden fees high. But we finally got in touch with a locksmith who could come by the next morning after 8 a.m. and the price was a bit lower than the others, so I decided to sleep over at Verena's so I didn't have to wait until 3 a.m. to get into my apartment. This morning I went to get cash from the bank (locksmiths don't take plastic on holidays, apparently), and was luckily inside my own apartment by around 10 a.m. And it only set me back 140 Euros. Oy.
I guess on the bright side, I'm lucky to have a nice place to live, food, clean clothes and friends who let me sleep over on no notice. Oh, and a bit of extra cash to pay emergency locksmiths. But needless to say, in the future I'm buying sturdier grocery sacks, doing my laundry during off-hours, and keeping extra sets of my keys in a better place than inside my apartment. Because really, I would have much rather spent 140 Euros on a really cute pair of boots I found than to gain entry to my own apartment. :)
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
A little facelift
After nearly a year of looking at my Gumby green blog template, I decided this new format might be a little more pleasing to the eye. I hope you enjoy it!
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