Insider Rehearsal Report: Gluck Staging, Week 2

Demons, a tragic accident, a trip to hell and an enduring romance. No, it’s not Hollywood’s latest blockbuster. It’s Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice.

The second week of rehearsals is well underway and the exciting story is coming to life, guided by director Lillian Groag’s artistic vision.

With only three days left until the first rehearsal on Glimmerglass’s Alice Busch Opera Theatre, the schedule is becoming increasingly intense. Actors must be available all day for music rehearsals, costume fittings, and stagings. Staging rehearsals take place in a school gymnasium, creating an interesting juxtaposition of the school’s wrestling mats and pieces of the real opera set—in this case, large broken chunks of Greek architecture. Groag, choreographer Nicola Bowie, and conductor Julian Wachner share responsibility for running rehearsals, dictating new blocking and movement, correcting old staging, and polishing the music, both for expression and accuracy. When it’s rehearsal time, singers often rehearse in front of as many as 10 staffers—the director and assistant director, choreographer, stage manager and assistants, conductor and assistant conductor, chorus master, rehearsal pianist, and various production staffers. Fortunately, these singers are used to performing in front of an audience.

Stagings this week are all about what works and what doesn’t. Coming up with creative, believable staging is all about experimentation. Groag often allows her leads, Michael Maniaci (Orphée) and Amanda Pabyan (Eurydice), great freedom in their blocking, letting them determine how best to physically express their character and tweaking where she sees fit. Other times she has very specific ideas of what she wants from them, even giving exact measure numbers when blocking is to occur. Still other times, she decides to wait until the staging rehearsal to see how things look on the big stage.

With an opening on July 8th, the cast is well on their way, but a number of elements still need to be added to this dramatic production—set, lighting, titles, costumes, orchestra, and of course, the audience!

To see more photos from Gluck rehearsals, click here.

To visit the Glimmerglass website with ticket information and more, click here.