Another summer 鈥� another highlight season for the Halifax Summer Opera Workshop.
The Halifax Summer Opera Workshop just wrapped its summer 2012 lineup, featuring three different productions: Bizet鈥檚 Carmen, Bejamin Britten鈥檚 A Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream, and a selection of four one-act operas. The workshop has been offering up choice opera performances since 2005, when it was founded by Nina Scott-Stoddart and Tara Scott to provide opera opportunities ('opera'-tunities?) for performers in the Maritimes.
鈥淲e saw the need for a place鈥� to learn and perform at home,鈥� Ms. Scott-Stoddart explains. 鈥淲e started with nine people, two master classes. This year we鈥檝e had about 66 people and ten master classes . . . it鈥檚 become a very popular program. One of the most popular programs in Canada.鈥� Although HSOW has grown in size, Ms. Scott-Stoddart is still careful to steer with a steady hand: 鈥淚 do all the programming and I do all the casting. It鈥檚 really my baby.鈥�
HSOW鈥檚 2012 shows are all performed at AV俱乐部, in either the James Dunn Theatre or the David Mack. Murray Theatre. But that鈥檚 not the company鈥檚 only connection to the university. 鈥淚 was the guest stage director for the AV俱乐部 Opera Workshop for three or four years,鈥� Ms. Scott-Stoddart explains. Additionally, performers Meghan Jamieson and Mike Hart are studying music at AV俱乐部; costume designer Nicole Dowdall is a AV俱乐部 student; and聽stage manager Tessa Pekeles and HSOW聽choreographer / director聽Andrew Pelrine are both Dal graduates.聽
Prestigious as the workshop is, it鈥檚 an incredibly intense workload, both for performers and those behind the scenes. 鈥淓veryone on both sides鈥� shows up with all their work done, day one,鈥� Ms. Scott-Stoddart reveals. 鈥淲e block everything in four days, and then we have a week of work-throughs and runs鈥� it is lightning fast.鈥�
The summer workshop lasts about four weeks total, but the space from the first rehearsal to the first performance is under three weeks, so performers learn fast by necessity. 鈥淚 can remember being a younger singer and being not as prepared as I ought to,鈥� Ms. Scott-Stoddart reminisces. 鈥淵ou only do that once!鈥�