Opera Philadelphia

2019

Denis & Katya, O19 Festival

Production Supervisor
Librettist/Stage Director: Ted Huffman
Composer: Phillip Venables
Co Creator/Dramaturg: Ksenia Ravvina
Music Director: Emily Senturia
Scenic & Lighting Designer: Andrew Lieberman
Projection Designer: Pierre Martin
Sound Designer: Rob Kaplowitz
Costume Designer: Millie Hiibel
Associate Lighting Designer: Chris Frey
Stage Manager: Brett Finley
Assistant Stage Manager: Samantha Dugan

Unique Elements:

  • World premiere and co-production with Music Theatre Wales.
  • We did not have a conductor. Instead, all 4 cellists and 2 singers had in ear monitors with click track and individualized instructions. We had them thru rehearsal so everyone could get use to them (including the A1).
  • All sound cues, projection cues, and lighting cues were run off Logic/Millumen and time code.

2018

Ne Quittez Pas (A Reimagined La voix humaine), O18 Festival

Production Supervisor
Music Director & Pianist: Christopher Allen
Director: James Darrah
Production Design: Tony Fanning
Costume Designer: Chrisi Karvonides
Lighting Designer: Pablo Santiago
Sound Designer: Rob Kaplowitz
Wig & Make up Designer: David Zimmerman
Stage Manager: Janet Neukirchner
Assistant Stage Manager: Sara Prince
Assistant Director: Corinne Hayes

Unique Elements:

  • Director James Darrah took french art songs and wrote dialogue to create a story that loosely tied into La voix humaine, using some of the same characters and setting it in the same location and evening. Therefore the piece was constantly changing and growing thru the entire process, up until opening night.
  • Worked with opera legend Patricia Racette in La voix humaine.
  • Performed at a touring rock concert venue where we loaded in and out daily 4 different shows in rotation over 2 weeks.
  • I worked with the production manager, scenic designer and box office to create audience lay outs for each of the 4 different shows and then researched and rented a combination of folding chairs, tables, high top tables and bar stools for the run.

Queens of the Night, Opera Philadelphia, O18 Festival

Production Supervisor
Writer & Director: John Jarboe
Music Direction & Arrangements: Daniel Kazemi
Costume & Production Design: Machine Dazzle
Martha Costumes: Max Brown
Lighting Designer: Drew Billau
Sound Designer: Daniel Perelstein
Stage Manager: Bee Reed
Assistant Stage Manager: Tara Bowler

Unique Elements:

  • A series of Cabarets staring Philadelphia’s most loved Drag Queen, Dito van Reigersberg (Martha Graham Cracker), and renown mezzo-soprano who has performed at the Metroplitian Opera every year since her debut in 1995 and Stephanie Blythe (as Blythely Oratonio).
  • Queens of the Night were 3 different cabarets (one a remount from a previous season) that hall tied together in theme but with different scenery, props, costume, ad back up singers.
  • The venue was in downtown Philadelphia on a 1 way street with no loading dock. I had to work with the venue (and city) to coordinate each delivery (props, lighting, scenic, chair rental, costumes) down to the minute to make sure we never blocked traffic.

2017

War Stories, O17 Festival

Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, Monteverdi

I Have No Stories to Tell You, Lembit Beecher and Hannah Moscovitch

Production Supervisor
Director: Robin Guarino
Assistant Director: Andreas Hager
Conductor: Gary Thor Wedow
Stage Manager: Brett Finley
Design Consultant (Scenic): Andromache Chalfant
Lighting Design: Mary Ellen Stebbins
Sound Design: Dan Perelstein
Costume Design: Kaye Voyce
Unique Elements:

  • Performed in 2 location (The Cloisters and Great Stair Hall) at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
  • Had 2 hours to load in and 1 hour to strike the show (including lighting and sound) every night.
  • Museum Conservationist had to approve anything that touched the ground (ie light fixtures, props, furniture) and the level of light shining on art or the walls.
  • Daniel Perelstein worked closely with Lembit Beecher to create a soundscape for his piece, to include sound cues created by Beecher, and to mic singers in order to make them sound more naturalistic within the Great Stair Hall.
  • Part of Opera Philadelphia’s (very successful) inaugural O17 Festival.
  • Production was sold out before we even started rehearsals.