I recently was part of the Operagasmic production of The Marriage of Figaro for someone’s dissertation which attempted to make opera more appealing to a wider audience. A team of directors were on board with many other singers to direct and produce a set of scenes each which make up the opera. And I was one of them.
Operagasmic - The Marriage of Figaro
This being the first production I’ve ever directed, it was like pushing a child in the deep end of a swimming pool. But with a truly amazing set of casts, nothing went wrong. Opera isn’t as daunting as I initially thought. OK, I agree that it has elements of music and drama (the definition of opera being drama through music) which may complicate things a little, but with some knowledge of both, one can pull it off. Through a set of rehearsals for both casts that I was directing, the scenes began to emerge and before we knew it – there was our finished product ready to take the stage.
Or perhaps not…
The Operagasmic production was set and performed in the bar called Orgasmic in York (hence the Opera-gasmic name). The reason behind the production was to make it more appealing to a wider audience, and so elements of the opera were modernised (introducing texts and cars) and set in a bar in which an audience not typical of an opera may indulge in a Bacardi Breezer or two. It was also sang in English so it was easier to understand, and featured an expert of the opera to compere.
A challenging feat that I am proud to be part of. Thankfully it went well!
