Acis and Galatea becomes the FIRST fully-staged opera to appear on the Jay Prtizker Pavilion

Posted by DCA Theater on August 4, 2009 in Other, Summer Opera

Submitted by Stephen Raskauskas, Production Dramaturge
Photos by Kathleen Donovan Warren

Galatea (Amy Conn) has used her divine powers to transform Acis (John Zuckerman) into a flowing river.

John Zuckerman and Amy Conn (center) end “Happy We” with a kiss, as the chorus—Brian Hoffman, Brad Jungwirth, Scott Brunscheen, Susan Nelson, and Caitlin McKechney (from left to right)—congratulates the newly wedded lovers.

The Summer Opera production of Acis and Galatea in the Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park was a huge success.

Luckily, the morning rain cleared up just in time for the cast and crew to begin set up.  In fact, the weather was fantastic, and over 4,000 people arrived to experience some beautiful music, clever staging, and a bit of Chicago history; Acis and Galatea was the first ever fully-staged opera on the Pavilion! 

Susan Nelson, Brad Jungwirth, Caitlin McKechney, Scott Brunscheen, and Brian Hoffman (from left to right), end the opera just the way it starts; a dazzling, five-part chorus.

Acis (John Zuckerman, left) and Polypheme (Wilbur Pauley, right) prepare to fight for Galatea’s affection.

The intimate production translated remarkably well onto the gigantic stage after some slight alterations, and amplification allowed everyone in the park to experience the glory of Handel’s music.  (Before August 3rd, some of the singers, like most opera singers, had never sung with microphones! )

Audience members enjoy the opera from the comfort of the Great Lawn

If you didn’t get a chance to see Acis and Galatea, be sure to catch next year’s performance, as well as the many free and fantastic offerings at the Chicago Cultural Center and in Millennium Park.

Opening Night!

Posted by DCA Theater on July 29, 2009 in Other, Summer Opera

Submitted by Helen Vasey, Acis & Galatea Producer

All of our planning finally came to fruition last night in a wonderful first performance. It was so exciting to feel the energy of the crowd and I know that the cast were eagerly anticipating the chance to share all their hard work with an audience (and here they all are, minutes before “curtain”).

We were well supported by many friends, family and colleagues who came out in force to see the show. Here, the show’s tenor cover, Drew Duncan, is accompanied by our ever-glamorous colleague Alex Subbarao from Chicago Opera Theater.

And of course, here’s a taster of some production shots from the performance:

Photo by Nadia Oussenko

Here, Amy Conn, our Galatea, reads on, oblivious to Acis’ (John Zuckerman) attempts to pluck up the courage to approach her!
I’m sure I’m not giving too much of the story away in a sneak peek of how successful his advances prove…..

Photo by Nadia Oussenko

Our mischievous 5-part chorus play a central role in moving along the action. In this scene they persuade their “boss” Polypheme to join in the fun.

(From left to right: Scott Brunscheen, Brian Hoffman, Wilbur Pauley, Susan Nelson, Brad Jungwirth, Caitlin McKechney)
Photo by Nadia Oussenko

The one little sticking point of the evening was the member of the public who somehow managed to get backstage as our stage manager gave the performers their final call, and take one of our props. The musicians among you may have noticed our play on words with the pitch “pipe” brandished by our Polypheme in place of the stolen tobacco pipe!

As we’d managed to fit in a few extra chairs we were able to accommodate everyone who walked up on the day. So, if you didn’t manage to snag advance tickets and want to come to one of our Cultural Center shows, there are still a few tickets available for Thursday and Saturday – come and join us.

The Answer to the Backdrop Puzzle

Posted by DCA Theater on July 25, 2009 in Other, Summer Opera

Submitted by Helen Vasey, Producer

The last pieces of the puzzle are finally falling into place in preparation for our final rehearsals. The flip side of producing an opera in such an amazing setting is, well, producing an opera in such an unusual setting! Luckily we have a great team of people behind us, coming up with creative solutions to the interesting problems we send in their direction. Putting up a backdrop in a normal theater may be a rather standard procedure but it certainly wasn’t business as usual for two of our facility management staff on Friday night. Brian Dunne and Jason Roberts carefully wrestled 40 ft of canvas backdrop (x2!) to create the gorgeous stage set we’ll be unveiling on Tuesday night. No small feat given the many delicate chandeliers dangling by their heads, and the fact that nothing can be attached to our priceless mosaic tiled walls and ceiling.

Putting it all together…

Posted by DCA Theater on July 20, 2009 in Other, Summer Opera

Submitted by Stephen Raskauskas, Production Dramaturge

Rehearsing is a bit like getting dressed; first you start off with the basics, and slowly add accessories.  The past few days rehearsing Acis and Galatea have been about adding details, particularly since more items have been added to the stage as Production Designer Chelsea Warren completes certain props (see below). 

Slowly, the world of Acis and Galatea that we’re creating acquires layer upon layer of detail, until the final dress rehearsal when all elements will be in place.

Conductor Francesco Milioto has been visiting rehearsals regularly to make sure that as the staging acquires more pieces to the puzzle, the singers aren’t forgetting about important musical details.

Checking in With Chelsea

Posted by DCA Theater on July 17, 2009 in Other, Summer Opera

Submitted by Stephen Raskauskas, Production Dramaturge

Production Designer Chelsea Warren has begun fitting the singers for costumes for Acis and Galatea.  Below, tenor Brian Hoffman tries on shoes just after his pants have been fitted. 

Of course, Chelsea wouldn’t be able to complete her work without her assistants.  Below, Craft/Speciality Items Assistant Gwen Smuda (right) and Props & Paint Assistant Katherine Greenleaf (left) are busy constructing a costume element out of pages from a book.  The details in their work are truly astounding; a wedding dress made out of books which Chelsea mentioned in an earlier post, for example, uses pages from a 1950s manual on motherhood!