Week 3: Orchestra and Learning

We’re finally in the auditorium! We’ve said our goodbyes to Rehearsal Room 2 and we’re into the beautiful Donald Gordon Theatre.

This has been a busy week. The creative team was completed this week, with the arrival of Paco Azorín- the set designer, Albert Faura- the lighting designer and his assistant David Bofarull and finally Franca Squarciapino- the costume designer.

This production is based in a kind of 1930s dancehall, and the lighting, set and costume coming together onstage has really moved the whole thing up another notch, and the ‘magical gardens’ I have heard Luis talking about are taking shape and do indeed, look magical.

As a result of the uniting of the difference elements, Lluís now has various things to look at and assess at all times. It’s a test of my Catalan theatre vocabulary when he is questioning why a particular bracket has been used to hold two pieces of rostra together. I’m learning so much myself throughout this process!

On Thursday the orchestra was also added to the mix (I quite like the cooking analogy. Adding the ingredients in order to bake an opera). This was a hard day’s work for the singers and conductor, Michael Hoftstetter. It was the day for the dynamics to be established and ensuring the correct balance was struck. I never realised microphones weren’t used, the singers use nothing but their voice to narrate the story to over a thousand people!