[This is a guest post by Jennifer Pugsley, media relations manager at the Canadian Opera Company. Jennifer is joining David Feheley and many others from the COC for the U.S. premiere of The Nightingale of Other Short Fables at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). This post was written Feb. 26.] 

It was another busy day of rehearsals at BAM. With the theatre being dark on Sunday, Saturday’s sessions are that much more important. After all, Monday is our dress rehearsal.

Today was pool day. One needs to look no further than the puddle print trails in the hallways and on the stairs for proof. I managed to get a few pictures of the water works as the crew and the acrobats sorted out how to place various props in the pool without puncturing its lining. A fair amount of the water also got on the stage, hence the need for a little mopping up every now and then. The acrobats were in good spirits the whole time and I caught up with them backstage during a quick break to snap this picture of them in their robes (with wetsuits on underneath): (l-r) Sean Robertson, David Bonneville, Andrea Ciacci, Martin Vallaincourt and Noam Markus.

 

Here are some photos from the pool rehearsals:

 

Plenty of work was also happening on dry land. It’s incredible what can get done in a few hours. On Friday night, the dressing rooms were empty with everything stored away on the third floor. Today, everything was in its proper place with each singer’s make-up station and dressing area perfectly laid out.

 

Sharon Ryman, the COC’s wig and makeup supervisor, had a meeting with her 11-person crew here in New York. These artists are from the New York area, many of whom have worked for Broadway shows and/or New York City Opera. One freelance artist just wrapped up doing makeup on the Metropolitan Opera's Nixon in China, which led to some quick swapping of stories about makeup on the COC’s production. The wealth of talent that was in this meeting was astounding and it’s incredibly thrilling to think that they are all going to be working on our show.

 

It was interesting to be a fly on the wall for this meeting and really get a sense of all the preparation that goes in to creating the makeup design component of the Nightingale production. Sharon took the group through the makeup charts and looks of every character, discussed the type of makeup used for singers who will stay dry versus those who will take a dip in the pool, answered questions about how to modify applications for certain singers, showed some of the character wigs and reviewed special details of how they are attached, and even went over the stencils that have been created to allow for quick and consistent drawing of eyebrows. Everyone looked excited to get to work and start re-creating the unique looks that help bring the story of The Nightingale to life.

All photos © Canadian Opera Company