Old McDonald Had An Opera

So I’m working on our Bohème program when lighting guru and friend of the blog Mark Gabriel DeBell drops by our office. He’d come by to check out some photos from last February’s The Barber of Seville – he did the lighting design for that and is getting ready to teach a class on lighting design and wanted some examples.

We get to talking, and I decide I should definitely interview him for the blog.

But not today. Today I’m sharing a really interesting video he told me about. It’s called “Sing Faster: The Stagehand's Ring Cycle.” Directed by John Else, the film tells the story of San Francisco Opera’s Ring Cycle – from the point of view of the stagehands. Here’s a clip.

The idea for the film was first pitched in 1988 and was originally going to be a four-minute film about a scene in La Traviata. Like most films, the concept evolved and nine years later, the documentary was complete. All that hard work paid off – the film won the 1999 Sundance Filmmakers Trophy! Learn more about the film here.

Ciao for now!
AriaGirl