Behind the Scenes with Opera North

Guest blogger Sarah Grant gets a sneak peak behind the curtains at Opera North

Have you ever wondered what it takes to put on an Opera or theatre production? Have you ever really noticed that inside your programme are listed not just the names of the singers and performers, but also a whole host of people who work behind the scenes to bring the production to the stage.

This week I had the opportunity to spend some time behind the scenes at Opera North and talk to Company Manager, Jane Bonner about what it takes to get a production from the planning stages through to curtain up. It gave me a fascinating insight into the work involved and also a deeper understanding and respect for each production. Jane has worked with Opera North for over 25years and as her title suggests is involved in many aspects of a production including booking accommodation for the guest artists, overseeing rehearsal and artist schedules and ensuring that the artists needs are taken care of. It seems to be a very in-depth and detailed role but one which I felt she enjoyed immensely and found quite rewarding.

So how does a production begin? The planning team start well in advance of any production and will base their choices around a forthcoming event or an artist they would like to perform for them. Opera North are already planning events for 2013 to mark the 100th anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s birth. At other times, they will have a guest artist in mind and will work a production around them. Once this has been decided, the scheduling sorted, artists booked and confirmed, then the rehearsals get underway. Initially rehearsals for the orchestra and singers are done separately with the singers rehearsing with a piano accompaniment before the period of Sitzprobe where they are brought together to rehearse. During this time there is also the staging and lighting discussions, costume design and fittings and then the rehearsals are brought onto stage for all the departments to work together.

Opera North’s production of Ruddigore is due to open on September 30^th and has been in rehearsal for the past three weeks. This is a relatively short period of time but this is due to the fact that they had previously performed this production in 2010 using the exact same cast and scenery. Another production currently in rehearsal is Queen of Spades which Jane informed me has been in the rehearsal rooms for six weeks already and is due to open towards the end of October. Opera North have two rehearsal rooms of their own and are also able to use the rooms at Leeds Grand theatre and the Howard Assembly Room when not in use for recitals, films or indeed, weddings.

I had the opportunity to sit in on part of the last rehearsal before the final dress rehearsal (opening night was just 3 days away at this point). It was quite thrilling to be sat behind musical director, sound and lighting technicians as well as the performers who came to watch the parts they were not involved in. The production team were in constant discussion and notes were made throughout the performance and although they could stop at any time, it all seemed to be going very well indeed. Considering the number of times the team must have seen the rehearsals they also seemed to be enjoying it and laughed and applauded the cast at various points in the show.

Ruddigore or The Witch’s Curse, is one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s lesser known productions and tells the story of Sir Despard Murgatroyd a man who has inherited a witch’s curse which forces him to commit a crime every day or die in agony. He discovers with huge relief that he has an elder long-lost brother who is actually the true inheritor of the curse (Robin Oakapple). This revelation threatens Robin’s chances with the lovely and very prim Rose Maybud but Robin’s troubles are about to get worse when his crimes drag his ancestors back from the dead. Ruddigore is a comic opera in two acts and is full of the melodrama, paradoxes and fast-paced tongue twisting lyrics that one might expect from a Gilbert and Sullivan opera.

Opera North has set their production in the early 1920’s and the performance starts with a silent movie which sets the scene and tells the audience the back ground story. The curtain then opens to a stage decorated in a beige and brown colour with the characters wearing white bridesmaid dresses. The overall look had a sepia effect to it and was very fitting to the time period.

Jane also said that other enjoyable features of the production were the quick and witty lyrics which in certain parts were adapted to make more topical and also the scene where the ghosts appear which I understand is quite visually spectacular.

From what I saw in the rehearsals, this production looks set to be a huge success. The costumes are stunning, the staging with the sepia effect is dramatic and striking and the music along with the sharp and humorous lyrics is sure to entertain. What I also got from this behind the scenes look was the great camaraderie and sense of team work that goes into each production. Jane had spoken of the company as being like one big family and how that sense of being part of a family was important to the success of any production. Watching the various departments and indeed other performers watching each other and applauding their performances, one could feel the sense of pride and delight that comes when seeing everything come together. I am now looking forward to seeing the production in its entirety and think that the behind the scenes glimpse I had will only deepen my enjoyment of the production, having given me a greater insight into the work involved in putting on such a production.

My thanks to Julia Lumley and to Jane Bonner for their time and help in providing the information for this article