Berkshire Opera
Life has a soundtrack.

Talk about Uncharted Territory… when was the last time you ever saw the Production Stage Manager in the spot light? Have you ever even seen a Stage Manager? Do you really even know what a Stage Manager does?

I usually try to keep a low profile. I’m one of those behind the scenes people that Ryan and Kathy keep talking about in their blog entries. The title, stage manager, seems pretty self explanatory - the person that manages the stage. Most of the time, I’m just that - the gal behind the curtain. I’m the one coordinating the lights and the set changes and the cast, making sure that all of the pieces of the puzzle that have been put together by the Conductor, Director and Designers, continue to stay together once the show is open. But what have I been doing this week working in the office in Pittsfield? That’s what Ryan has charged me with writing a blog entry about.

While the director and designers have been brain storming the direction of this summer’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro, and Ryan and Kathy have been building the programs for our concerts and recitals, and Marianne has been putting together contracts for the artists and orchestra musicians and technicians - there’s a whole lot of information that’s floating around out there that needs to be organized and shared. Yup, organize and share, that’s me!

That’s pretty much what Stage Managers do. We are the disseminators of information. During rehearsals for a production, we’re the ones that make sure the cast knows when they have to be where each day. I coordinate musical coachings, staging rehearsals, costume fittings into a daily schedule and make sure that artists can be all the places they need to be in a day and still have time for a lunch break. While I’m watching a staging rehearsal, if there is a new prop added to a scene or Susanna needs a pocket in her apron to put that prop, I make sure that information is shared with the Prop Master and the Costume Designer in my daily rehearsal report. When the Tech Director and the Set Designer need to move the wall of the Countess’s bedroom upstage 3 feet because the Lighting Designer needs to hang a light in a new location, I’m the one who makes sure everyone that will be affected by that change knows.

This week I’ve put together the first draft of the season’s master calendar. I made arrangements for the Lee Middle-High School to be used as our rehearsal space for all of this summer’s productions. Marianne and I started putting together contact sheets that will keep the artists and staff involved in this season’s 2 concerts, 4 recitals, and 1 fully staged opera communicating with one another when they join us here in the Berkshires this summer. Best of all, I sat in on the first face-to-face meeting of the design team for Le Nozze di Figaro. Being able to sit down with artistic minds while they are in their creative process is one of my favorite parts of my job. A lot of information can come out of a meeting like that. Now I get to share it with everyone.

Did I mention I’ve also been given the new title of Education Programs Coordinator? This summer will see the return of programs like “Behind the Velvet Curtain” - a week long opera camp for children co-produced by Berkshire Opera and Berkshire Music School. We are also creating new programs like Family Opera Festival - a hands-on Sunday workshop designed for families attending the matinee performance of Figaro on Monday 8/18. Perhaps the education side of me is another blog entry entirely…

I really love my place behind the curtain. I connect with opera in a way that not many people get a chance to do. When the backstage elements come together smoothly, then all the artists you see on stage perform at their best. If you enjoyed a beautiful performance and had no idea that the technical side was a challenge, then I’ve done my job well. One of my greatest skills is the art of not being noticed from the audience. It’s a skill that I take great pride in.

And no Ryan, you cannot put a picture of me up with this blog entry… a gal has to keep some air of mystery about her!

- Laura R. Krause, production stage manager
education programs coordinator

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 5:08 pm and is filed under General Info. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.