Growing up I had always been so fortunate to live in, what I considered to be, a very beautiful place. Unfortunately, this sort of circumstance can lead us to take nature’s beauty for granted. I think that Portland may be one of those places where people are surrounded by so much exquisite nature that they may not realize all the beauty the State has to offer. So to those people, may I encourage you to take the trip that POGO took last week to Bend and Prairie City to soak up some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. We took off last Sunday morning on a route that took us around the base of Mt Hood (US-26) and upon our return from Prairie City we made our way though the expansive landscapes of the US-395 (up to I-84) back north. WOW. While I could go on and on about the beauty of the drive alone, we had a job to do.
We spent our first few days in Bend on location at McMenamins Old St. Francis School, performing by day and taking dips in the semi-enclosed, and beautifully tiled, soaking pool by night! (and sometimes just taking a dip any chance we could get!) We all lived as roomies and neighbours as we shared 2 homes located on McMenamins property with a conveniently located quaint Irish pub literally in our backyard! (by the way, the McMenamins shows have been a blast and there is only one left! If you haven’t seen it yet, please join us at the Olympic Club this Friday!)
We visited Pine Ridge Elementary and Amity Creek School, both with the kids and grownups alike as delighted as ever. We are so lucky to do such a self-serving job.

It never ceases to amaze me how each audience reacts differently to our opera.  We have presented The Elixir of Love to kindergartners, children, teenagers, and adults of all ages, including an audience at a senior living community.

Sometimes the reactions are predictable: adult audiences tend to react to the things we say, while young children react to the things we do.  Other times, a particularly resonant or reverberant acoustic causes the words to be less distinguishable.  And in a few cases the lighting in the venue is so low I wondered whether we could even be seen at all.  Then there is the exciting opportunity to perform in the beautiful theater at Eastern Oregon University, complete with stage lights and a hyper responsive audience. But even with without all these variables, it seems that watching an opera can mean wildly different things to our audiences.

I feel extremely fortunate to be an ambassador not only for opera, but for all the performing arts.  So often it seems that performing arts organizations struggle to encourage people to attend.  There's some sort of barrier between people's lives and a seat in an auditorium.  We create new ways to get people to buy tickets and market our productions.  But we often forget the effectiveness of going to our audience instead of asking them to come to us. 

I believe in miracles. Especially the theatrical miracle. Over and over our LaGrande residency has proved that the theater owner in "Shakespeare in Love" was right when he answered the desperate question, “How will it be alright?” with, “I don’t know. It’s a miracle.”

Last week, POGO loaded up into the van on Monday morning and drove to Eastern Oregon University in LaGrande. The plan was to arrive early to mid-afternoon, check into the hotel and have time for a deep cleansing breath before I headed over to the university with David, our accompanist for our first rehearsal with the children’s choir for the second act of La Boheme. Oh, did I forget to tell you? We were going to stage the entire second act of La Boheme in just under 4 hours. As Christopher Mattaliano, our GD told me when he heard that that was my plan, “You do realize that that is the most difficult 20 minutes in all of opera to stage, right?” Well, Chris, I do now. But, then fools rush in where angels fear to tread, and, while I don’t think I am a fool, I am no angel!

Anyway, the Grande Ronde Community Choir, the children’s choir, three of the university students (thank you, Keil, Renee and Jon!), one university professor (thanks, Peter!) and the intrepid cast of POGO pulled it off. I cannot believe we did it, but we did. Granted, I pulled the principals into about 4 hours of rehearsal away from the chorus, but still. I was very impressed with the hard work and dedication that made it happen.  

And I need to give a huge thanks to Michael Frasier—he pulled together the minimal props and built me a platform so I could get some of the bodies off of the floor. His efforts were heroic, and I appreciate him more than I can say!

Greetings all.

Eight shows this last week, includes Woodmere Elementary, Jackson Middle School, Portland Jewish Academy, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, the double bill at Hotel Oregon in McMinnville, 3 shows on our home turf at the Hampton Opera Center, and all the while busily preparing ourselves for the week ahead.

Somehow, I've acclimated to the pace. A typical day might be to rise before dawn, drive in good humor a good distance, splash the set in place as the space allows, don our costumes and watch each other make our entrances with the same vibrance found in those near forgotten days of dress rehearsal, only to exit, reload the truck as quickly and gracefully as we arrived, to do it all yet again often the same day for yet another room full of unsuspecting and subsequently delighted children and children at heart. It remains hard work, but it isn't hard to do, if you know what I mean. We all know the drill now, Elixer is solid and flexible. We are supported by each others professionalism and dedication to the discipline, and we are fueled with the gratitude of our audiences. It is an honor to be a part of.

Erik Hundtoft

First of all, I love my job…I love my job….I love my job.  I really do.  But 6:30 am is too early to be driving to a gig.  I keep asking myself over and over, “Who the [blazes] booked this thing???!”  And then being forced to answer, “Oh.  I did.”  

Portland Opera To Go is in full swing and we have been experiencing terrific success, both in schools and in our various McMenamins venues.  I couldn’t be more pleased or proud of the magnificent and heroic work ethic and professionalism exhibited by my cast, and their ability to pull a brilliant performance out even when the evening performance is 12 hours after our initial call.  We did that this week.  I am telling you—we are Opera Peace Corps, the toughest job you will ever love.

But, of course, even the toughest job has its perks.  For instance, watching Stacey Murdock as Dr. Dulcamara turn on the bubble machine in his cart and watching the kid sitting next to me gasp and bounce, exclaiming, delighted, “Now, THAT’S cool.”  Or having an octogenarian taking the usual place of a kindergartner delivering a “telegram” in the show, and having him be as full of joy as a five-year-old to help us out, even as he gave me a knowing wink.  Or getting to actually say, “Yeah, we are playing The Crystal tonight.”  Or seeing our pianist, David, sitting on an amp at the keyboard on the sidewalk at 14th and Burnside in the middle of the night as we loaded out of the Crystal Ballroom.  

Sunday is generally a day of rest, but not for Portland Opera to Go We performed our first of eight McMenamins shows at Grand Lodge in Forest Grove, OR. The audience was packed and enthusiastic as our singers performed “The Elixir of Love” on a vaudevillesque stage. Our second act consisted of favorite selections from opera and musical theater. In all, it's a two hour program, and the audience was with us 100%. We repeated this performance later in the week at McMenamins Sandtrap in Seaside, OR. Again, we had an appreciative audience and helpful McMenamins staff. How can you go wrong? Great food, great drinks, and great music!

After spending Sunday night at Grand Lodge we were off to the coast. Wheeler on the Bay in Wheeler, OR, became our homebase for the next 3 days and nights. Owners Pat and Tracy couldn't have been more hospitable if they'd tried. Each room is decorated differently. I stayed in the “Chinook Room” which had a queen bed, dinette, and fireplace. Alexis had an in-room spa! She deserved it. Breakfast? Tracy takes care of it. Video rentals? Free! Pat and Tracy have an entire room of movies that are complimentary for guests. I am no longer stranger to “Casablanca.”

Elementary schools that week included Nehalem, Cannon Beach, and Tillamook. I hope these kids realize what a beautiful area they live in! And music is thriving in these schools. It's reassuring to meet dedicated music teachers who are giving their students the opportunity to see opera. I was 25 before I saw my first opera!

Week one of touring is off to a …start…
We have already completed 7 shows (8 by tomorrow), had 4 successful class room chats from us first-timers, 3 fake air plane crashes, 3 wrong turns, 2 artfully executed 187 point turns in a Penske, and an airplane in a pear tree? Not to mention a record setting less-than-25 minute set up!
We have been delighted by the ooh’s and aah’s of children from Scio to The Dalles with Belcore’s plane crash into a tree accompanied by the squeals of delight over Dr. Dulcamara’s bubble blowing cart.

Rehearsals have begun for The Elixir of Love with Portland Opera To Go, and we are so excited for our first performances next week! There’s lot of things to look forward to with this show for me, like a great opera, a creative adaptation, generous and talented colleagues, and the mother of all tours throughout Oregon. But I want to tell you about our SET. When we walked into the door to see it the first time, we all just gasped! It is so beautifully designed and executed.

The set for this production was conceived by our director and librettist, Kristine McIntyre. She took her inspiration from a painting from 1934 by American artist Thomas Hart Benton. This is the painting:

Kristine told me that only when she saw this painting did she realize that it would be possible to set this opera in the USA in the 1930s.

After Kristine’s inspiration, the set was designed and created by Polly Robbins, with support from members of the Portland Opera technical staff. It is so beautiful and whimsical. 

The morning of Jan. 11th, 2011 began cold, gray and damp, with the threat of snow. Inside the Camerata Room at The Hampton Opera Center it was warm and inviting. The artists and tour managers were introduced to each other over coffee and bagels. Before the meeting had officially started we were honored with a visit from General Director Christopher Mattaliano. He told us of his love for education and outreach, and how important Portland Opera to Go is to him and the company. He truly inspired us to dive in head first.

After that treat, we were able to meet our director, and creator of this version of Elixir, Kristine McIntyre. We dove in and started singing. The music is timeless, and coupled with the witty translation by our director, incredibly funny! Singing through the score was a treat! Our accompanist David Saffert is amazing!, and singing with Erik, Dan, and Ainsley is awesome! What a group of talent.

After lunch (pulled pork sandwich at Tennessee Red's, Located at 2133 SE 11th Ave) we were able to spend some time exploring our amazing set. I think Dr. Dulcamara’s cart is my favorite prop piece! This set is a visual treat, and great fun to play on! We started staging that very day. We are all looking forward to performing for thousands of kids all over Oregon and Washington. Also, thanks to McMenamins for being the sponsor of our tour!
 

Till next time,

Stacey

Well, the countdown continues!  Today I went to the warehouse to check on what I might need to bring with us and got a wonderful preview of our set.  The folks at the warehouse were excited to show me all of the bells and whistles, and I have to say, it may be our cutest set ever!  Not only is it adorable, but it is beautiful and painterly, based heavily on the artistic style of Thomas Hart Benton.  

More important to me while wearing my tour manager hat, is the amazing and ingenious ease with which it has been designed and executed.  No tools are needed in the set up or strike.  Our shop has truly outdone themselves.  Kudos to Jim Sisemore, Jonah Stagg and Linda McGinnis for a fantastic set and an enthusiastic and informative introduction to it—I cannot wait to see the cast’s faces when they see the world that has been built for them!