Insider Rehearsal Report: Principals at Play

The rehearsal process involves many different types of rehearsals: choral rehearsals, technical rehearsals, dress rehearsals, etc. Early rehearsals with the principals take place away from the theater, but are important in allowing principals to develop their characters in the context of the creative team's concept of the production.

In Thursday's Glass rehearsal, the focus was staging the scene in the opera that is most like a sitcom--when Orphée and Eurydice come back to their home from the underworld and Orphée is not allowed to look at her. The scene is chock-full of rapid dialogue over orchestration composed in a cellular style, with phrases of music are repeated again and again. There are also timing issues to tackle, such as Orphée casting near-glances at Eurydice without actually looking at her and making the whole thing look accidental, yet natural.

Director Sam Helfrich began by talking through the scene with singers Philip Cutlip (Orphée), Caroline Worra (Eurydice), Jeffrey Lentz (Heurtebise) and conductor Anne Manson. Discussion jumped to character conceptualization, pivotal points in the work, and interpretation of Glass and Cocteau's work. As they talked in the school gymnasium, the group lounged on the set.

Working with the principals also allows Manson to work in-depth on the music in the scene. Working on music is essential for any opera, but especially a piece that is not in the standard repertoire. Often, all the music is new to the singers until they are cast. Since the singers learned the music and words before they arrived, only small adjustments--a word here, an entrance there--were needed. Even when the singers were just sitting and singing, they were still rehearsing facial expressions and the occasional gesture.

Helfrich's excitement often mirrored that of the principals', lending an air of dynamic creativity to these rehearsals. "I have such a good way for you to get back from the underworld. I'm dying just to do it and watch it."

For more rehearsal photos from the Glass, click here.

Insider Rehearsal Report: A Blank Slate for New Orphée

Beginning work on any opera is exciting. However, beginning work on a modern opera that's only been staged 3 times in North America--that's a landmark moment for any company. The opera in question is, of course, Philip Glass' Orphée, which premiered in 1993 at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Glimmerglass rehearsals began Monday. Director Sam Helfrich created a open atmosphere by using the first meeting to share his conceptualization of the show and encourage discussion amongst the cast and crew.
Artistic and General Director Michael MacLeod began the rehearsal by introducing himself and the idea behind the season-- why Orpheus? To follow the distinguished 29-year tenure of Paul Kellogg, MacLeod searched for an imaginative way to make a mark on the company for his first season. To his surprise, three of perhaps the most famous operas based on the Orpheus myth had never been done at Glimmerglass, and it only seemed appropriate to do a season of Orpheus in 2007, the 400th anniversary of the first widely-recognized opera, Monteverdi's L'Orfeo. "The four operas complement each other perfectly," he said. "You can't ask for a wider range of style."

Unique style won't be a problem for Helfrich, who is directing the only modern opera of the season. Glass' Orphée is based directly on the 1950 film by French director Jean Cocteau, which integrated modern film techniques such as reverse footage. Helfrich and the show's designers made a conscious decision to move away from the staging and scenery of the film version. "It's a beautiful movie, and with beautiful movies, it's easy to get lured into aesthetics. I thought, we have to get into this piece in some other way."

The piece, as well as the movie it's based on, presents a host of puzzles. Helfrich touched on this, discussing the second to last scene in the opera, where the Princess lets Orpheus go, supposedly for some greater good. "That's a huge question without an easy answer," he said. Conductor Anne Manson pointed out similar challenges with the score. "One of my first frustrations in looking at the score was that the orchestration reveals so little about the inner lives of the characters. The music doesn't give you clear answers."

Fortunately, with no clear answers, the potential for creativity in all areas of the production process is nearly limitless. For Helfrich, rehearsals are a mental process, complementing the physical process of staging. He encourages the actors and the audiences to talk about these questions. "This piece will be a success to me if I leave the audience not only asking what just happened, but dying to talk about it."