Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Good morning readers. Well, we did not have any bear visits, but we
apparently have a Sasquatch in the house. At least that’s what it sounded like
at 1:00AM. I looked to my bed guardians for protection as I heard footsteps
loudly tromping around and doors slamming. After some investigation, it turns
out it was only a nocturnal potty break. After grabbing what additional sleep I
can, I decide to get up and start the day. As I walk into the living room, I
see Leah curled up on the couch. Brett and Taylor are also up and Katherine
appears shortly thereafter. Next up is
Andrew and then Daniel. This would not be a group I would refer to as a morning
bunch. Coffee is prepared and slowly, eyes begin to open and, gradually, speech
becomes part of the equation.
We get things into gear and head down to the theater to get ready for
the first of two workshops with the students of the Lake City Community School.
I have my plan in place and will tailor each session to how the students
respond to the first activity. While we wait for the first group to arrive, we
begin to load out some of the set pieces. Our first group is here; 4th
and 5th graders with a couple of middle school students as well. I
make introductions and go over what we’ll be doing as well as cover the rules
for today’s class. Interactive workshops are something that I tried out on tour
last year and it was a big success. We’ll be doing 4 workshops on tour this
year, so it seems to be something that’s in demand.
I start off with a game called the “Name Game.” This is an icebreaker so
we can get to know each other a little better and I can get them outside of
their comfort zones in a fun way. It works liked I was hoping it would and we
can move on as I had planned. We play another game called “Machine” that’s
designed to help students collaborate and be creative; another game where they
have to guess each other’s emotions using facial expressions; we even do a game
where we talk about eye contact and how to introduce yourself. These are all
performance skills that we, as artists, apply on a daily basis. They are skills
that anyone can utilize in their lives. That’s one of the things I love about
the performing arts. They naturally teach you skills you need to know.
We move into the theater and the students participate in a vocal
session. We do warm ups, talk about breathing, do some diction exercises and
tongue twisters. We get them signing with some fun scales and they’re doing
really well. Katherine does an exercise with them that is always a favorite
with kids. It’s called a siren. You start in the lowest register of your voice
and you slide up to the highest and then back down. It sounds… well… like a
siren. Their faces light up when Katherine does the example for them and then
they get more excited when they themselves get to do a siren a few times. Next,
Daniel and Katherine perform for the students. In contrast to what we do with
adult audiences where I explain the piece before they sing it, I don’t tell the
kids anything about what they will hear. I tell them I want them to watch and
listen and then tell me what they think the piece is about. I love doing this.
It’s amazing how much they grab by just watching. This is a great game to use
the next time you hear someone say that you can’t understand opera. They are
pretty surprised when the Young Artists tell them what they were actually
singing about and they see just how close they got. The kids were great to work
with. I was especially proud of a young man we had who is on the autism
spectrum. He participated in every game; even came up and shook our hands at
the end and said thank you. His teacher said it’s the first class he’s ever sat
through without having to leave. Way to go young man! It’s not something that
surprises me though. Music, specifically opera, connects with people in ways
you may not expect. I’ve seen it time and time again.
The first workshop ends and we move on to our next item, lunch with our
host John Smith. We’re able to spend time talking about the community and its
history and getting to know a little more about John himself. Leah and John
quickly bond when they discover they’ve both spent a lot of time in Houston.
They talk about their favorite restaurants, best places to relax; you know the
important things. The food is good, the company is friendly and best of all,
the atmosphere is relaxed. You’ll never know how much we appreciate times like
this. Often, when we’re at receptions or dinners, we’re so busy talking about
what we do, we don’t always get a chance to relax and enjoy the time we have
with the people we’re meeting. John
snaps a group photo before we head off to our second workshop and he tells us
just how much our visits mean to this community. He says that we add value to
their lives. We were the very first opera company to perform here six years ago
and that relationship has continued.
Time again jumps forward and, just like that, we’re greeting our second
group of students; this time we have high school. I am running on empty. Few
people realize just how much energy you have to invest when you’re leading a
workshop; and I haven’t recovered from my Sasquatch interrupted sleep… Brett
takes the lead on a lot of this workshop so that I can focus my energy on
helping the students refine their skills through the games we play. High school
can be tricky. Sometimes they don’t want to participate in much of anything.
This group is not like that. After the icebreaker game, they are all in and
everyone, including us, is having a ball. Brett leads them though “Machine.” In
this game, students build a machine using themselves as the parts. Each person
chooses one sound and one accompanying movement that they can repeat and, bit
by bit, other people join in and a machine is built. It’s a game that teaches
collaboration, non-verbal communication, rhythm, focus and working together
towards a common goal; all skills we use every day in opera. During one round,
the students build a machine in space; in another they create a machine that
works in lava. It was hilarious to watch, but for me, as a director, there are
few things better than seeing creativity come to life. The more the students
get into it, the more excited Brett gets and that helps them to take risks and
try things outside of their comfort zone. The other Young Artists start
participating in the games too and pretty soon, we’ve got a room full of
creative artists.
After a few more games, we move back into the theater space and go
through the vocal portion of the workshop. We’ve got them singing in no time
and we’re giving them bigger challenges than our first group. One tongue
twister proves particularly difficult: “red leather, yellow leather, lavender
leather.” Oh, and you don’t just say it, you sing it on a scale. Taylor then
really gets them working vocally by singing the Do-Re-Mi scale but using
numbers and clapping. It was fabulous. We move on to the Young Artists singing
for the students and this time we talk about the role opera has played in
challenging people’s stereotypes. Katherine sings a pants role aria from Romeo & Juliet and Brett does the
Witch’s aria from Hansel and Gretel. Without
any help from us, the students grab the stories and characters right away. We
end the workshop with a Q&A session and they have more questions than I
thought they would after having just spent an hour with us. “How do we train
our voices like that? “ “Why did we get into opera?” Each answer brings another
question and we run out of time. As the students leave, a lot of them come up
and shake our hands and thank us for coming. We not only had fun, I think we
were able to teach them a few things they can use. I’m even able to give my
business card to a young man who wants to go into vocal performance and said he
just needs someone to talk with about it. That’s another part of what we do.
We’re a resource for people.
After the students leave, we finish loading out and I relinquish my key
to the theater. We head back to the cabin for a break before dinner. Everyone
enjoys their down time while I use the break to get some work done. Break over,
we all load up in the pseudo-Yukon and make the drive to our dinner location.
We’re being hosted by Harvey Duchene. Kathy, Harvey’s wife had to leave town,
so Jasha, another member of the community, jumped in to help.
As we arrive at the house, we are treated to one amazing view after
another. The house sits at the top of the ridge and overlooks the valley, the
river, a mountain pond and all of the snow covered peaks. It’s absolutely
gorgeous. We’re immediately greeted by our host and the conversations begin.
Harvey tells us about the house, his career as a geologist and his love of
green chili. My interest is peaked. As a native of New Mexico, any time green
chili is mentioned, the heart strings begin to flutter. Harvey picks up on that
and says he has something to show me. He brings out something I haven’t seen
since relocating to Colorado – a New Mexico lobos coffee mug. Turns out, Harvey
and I share an alma mater! Leah and Katherine and I talk about traveling and
all of the places we’ve seen or want to see. Brett and Taylor are talking and
laughing, so they’re surely up to something. Andrew and Daniel are talking to Jasha.
It’s a very comfortable, relaxed setting and we feel quite welcomed.
Pre-dinner conversation comes to a close as Harney tells us about the
meal he has prepared. We’ll be dining on food from the Yucatan region tonight.
Harvey then proceeds to guide us all through a lesson on why this culture’s
food is so different and unique from the surrounding areas. It’s fascinating
and I feel like we’re not only getting dinner tonight, but a fabulous show as
well. We give him a well-deserved round of applause and dinner begins. Now,
unless you are a fan of green chili, I can’t quite put into words what happens
next – at least for me. One of tonight’s dishes is New Mexico Green Chili Stew.
It tastes like home. When you work as an artist and move around a lot, moments
like this become pretty poignant. The food is amazing; Taylor informs me that
it’s the best thing he’s ever put in his face. Brett… he’s happy and announces
that he wants the pickled onions in place of salt and pepper for all future
meals.
Once the yummy noises die down, dinner conversation picks up and stories
are shared. I learn some things about the Young Artists that I never knew. For
example, Daniel has experienced a new year’s tradition in Naples. Apparently
they throw old appliances out of windows; and not just toasters or microwaves.
We’re talking refrigerators folks. This “out with the old” celebration isn’t
for the faint of heart but, nothing really says New Year’s better than lofting
heavy objects out of a window onto unsuspecting passersby . I also find out
that Leah has a clear grasp on the obvious. Harvey’s dining room table is made
from the old support beams from the house. They were 8 feet thick and 19 feet
long. Leah stands and attempts to lift the table. She says that it’s heavy.
Yes… yes it is Leah. There’s another story about Leah getting out of a speeding
ticket when she started to cry. OK, a lot of females try that to get out of a
ticket. For our Leah, this was no ploy. She had just been to the dentist and
found out that she had a cavity. When she got pulled over, it all just became
too much and she lamented her fate to the officer. He let her go with a
warning. This story leads to Daniel telling us he got a ticket for jaywalking –
his feelings towards the ticketing officer, “Thanks a lot Barney Fife.” In high school, Andrew once decided to race
an undercover officer. He reduced his speed from 120 to 100 when he got on the
beltway and was then pulled over. The officer asked for his license and
registration, which he produced. The officer responded that he was sure the car
was stolen. He then asked Andrew where he was going in such a hurry. Andrew
replied, “A chorus concert.” He got off with a warning. The stories continue and soon we’re all
laughing so hard that we lose track of where one tale ends and another begins.
During dessert, Harvey tells us stories of the encounters he’s had with
bears and mountain lions on his property. Once he was visited by a mama bear
with her two cubs. The mama bear was teaching her babies how to get into a
house. He also tells us that it’s an honor to be able to have us as his guests
for dinner and he thanks us for bringing art to their town. The honor, sir, is
all ours. We have been welcomed into
this community with open arms and sharing opera with Lake City has been a joy.
Before we want to, it’s time to go. We have a long drive to Carbondale tomorrow
and have a workshop with students and a performance of Romeo & Juliet. We
bid out host goodbye and give him and Jasha our sincere thanks for a very
special evening. I snap a group shot before we load into the car.
On the way down the mountain, Katherine announces she wants to see a
bear. If no bear is available for viewing, then a mountain “kitty” will do. I’m
not sure Katherine has fully grasped the concept of the word “predator…” Brett,
feeling inspired, performs an impromptu piece set to the tune of Swing Low,
Sweet Chariot. He rhymes well. Back at the cabin, everyone gets settled for the
night. Leah, Katherine, Brett, Taylor and I hang out in the living room and
talk while Andrew and Daniel take one last visit to the hot tub. We get on the
topic of state songs and Taylor and Brett come up with a plan for the finale of
the Young Artists Farewell on May 31st. They will write a medley of
southern spirituals and mash that up with the piece “Did You Ever See An
Elephant Fly” from Dumbo. Seeing that I am hesitant, they change tactics,
moving to Romeo & Juliet. Brett
will sing Romeo with a Scottish accent while Leah performs Juliet while
juggling. Katherine, as Stephano, will sing with a southern accent and play the
saxophone. Time for bed!
It’s late and it’s been a long day. Before any more creativity flows
forth, we all turn in. Andrew and Daniel are still in the hot tub, but I figure
if a bear shows up, they can put their speeding and jaywalking experience to
good use.
Tomorrow will be a long day with a lot to do, but we’re looking forward
to taking opera to another community. Time to rest so we can get to it!
Night readers,
Cherity
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