School shows – Who decides what’s going on the road and how it gets there?
Vancouver Opera in Schools is now in its 39th year of operation, bringing the world of professional opera to school students and general communities throughout the province.
A few years ago, former VOIS Manager Patrick LeBlanc and I thought that we'd like to come up with a 7-year cycle of operas that would be:
a) suitable for elementary school students (i.e., not too violent, not too sexy and not too abstract – as you can imagine, the standard operatic repertoire list was reduced quite quickly!)
b) a mixture of adaptations and original works, (here "budget‟ quickly presented its head)
c) able to be tied into either current curricula or issues/topics being discussed/examined in schools, and
d) able to be done with 4 singers, a stage manager and a pianist, all travelling in vans filled with sets, costumes, wigs and, oh yes, their day-to-day luggage.
After an in-depth analysis of the history of VOIS repertoire, we came up with a list that, if we could pull it off financially, would ensure that students would not see the same production twice during their elementary school careers. (This, of course, is dependent on the education system retaining its policy of not holding back students for a full year, but don't get me started on that!)
So, our list met the a), b) c) and d) criteria listed above and we've been moving forward with that model for the past few years.
This year's school opera is Cinderella, based on Rossini's masterpiece
La Cenerentola; our version is a re-mount of the 45 minute adaptation done by Ann Hodges and Les Dala, (then, VO's Repetiteur) and originally produced in the 2003-04 school year. For this year's tour, we retained the services of Drew Facey (whose talent was witnessed in last year's
Jack Pine) as our Set & Costume Designer, Rachel Peake as Stage Director and Kinza Tyrrell, (VO's current Principal Repetiteur), as Music Director.
It's a terrific show, and already proving to be a winner in the schools! That the run sold-out before our first performance is an indicator of the show‟s popularity, as well as of the trust that school teachers administrators place in the VO's history of outstanding productions.
Once the show is decided upon, Melissa Tsang, (current VOIS Manager), begins discussions with the Stage Director and Set/Costume Designer to come up with a new, interesting and affordable design concept for the show. Next, we enter the audition phase, where the audition panel, including myself and Melissa, listens and interacts with potential cast members to find the best possible combination of singer, actor, 'team member' and all-round good 'roomie' for those long days and weeks on the road driving through our spectacular province!
After checking availability of rehearsal space, performers, music staff and favourable budgets, rehearsals – and the fun – begin. And presto, in a matter of two weeks, we have a brand, spanking new show, ready to hit the road! Of course, there are public relations, advertising, contracts, scheduling, and miscellaneous other paperwork, but they are eventually achieved and the vans leave town with high expectations and ready-and-willing audiences.
To say that the process is complicated is a significant understatement. Given that the VOIS is VO‟s ambassador to every part of the province, it's paramount that the production reflects the outstanding professionalism of our Mainstage productions; we firmly believe we have met that standard, especially given the fact that, as previously mentioned, the entire production, including cast and crew, has to fit into just two regular-sized panel vans!
The other shows in „the cycle‟ in alphabetical order, include:
Barber of Barkerville (adaptation)
Hansel & Gretel (adaptation)
Jack Pine (original)
Magic Flute - Box of Shadows (adaptation)
Naomi’s Road (original)
We also hope to add another original production to the cycle.
If you have any questions about anything to do with VOIS, please contact either myself (604.331.4834) or Melissa (604.331.4835). Thanks for your continued support and interest.
~ Michael Grice, Director of Education
