Do you remember Central City Opera's dynamic West Side Story in 2008? The creative team who brought us that fabulous production, as well as 2011's Triple Bill of one-act operas (Director Ken Cazan, Scenic Designer Cameron Anderson, Lighting Designer David Martin
Jacques and Costume Designer Alice Marie Kugler Bristow), have reunited for Vancouver Opera's West Side Story. A recent review proclaimed, "this co-production of Vancouver Opera and Colorado’s Central City Opera can even be said to outshine the mostly brilliant movie version."
The Vancouver West Side Story is artistically based on our 2008 production and indeed uses many of the scenic elements featured previously on the Central City Opera stage. This week, I caught up with Cindy Maupin, Central City Opera's assistant carpenter, who traveled to Canada to assist with the scenic transfer and load-in to the theatre.
Cindy Maupin, Central City Opera's assistant carpenter, enjoying the sights in Vancouver.
Prior to arriving in Canada, Cindy spent several weeks pouring over blueprints, refreshing herself on the intricate details of the scenery and consulting with David "Mick" Jackson, Central City Opera's head carpenter, on what to anticipate during the tech process.
The Colorado scenery was shipped by truck to Vancouver.
Vancouver Opera has a much larger stage than ours in Central City, so Scenic Designer Cameron Anderson expanded the design. The "working" pieces of scenery - like Maria's entrance and Doc's door - are generally pieces from the original Colorado set, but additional elements have been added to fill out the stage.
The original Central City Opera production used one arch; the design has been expanded here.
The tip of this wall came from Central City, but the rest of the diagonal was added for Vancouver.
"Working" parts of the scenery, like the door above, were installed from the
Colorado production, but the rolling wagons on which they were placed
were increased in size. The pieces roll so smoothly, however, that the
crew remains essentially the same size as the one used in Central City.
With Cindy's
guidance, the second wall was smoothly assembled in roughly half an
hour. (It still took a lot of teamwork to get it in the air!)
Compare the photo above to the first design shown in the following video of preliminary designs from Scenic Designer Cameron Anderson. Note the original red paint on the wall and how the design has been extended to our left.
A few mementos of the Central City Opera production remain, including this playful message from crew members regarding a certain performer's offstage ritual before entering the scene.
This was Cindy's first real experience in Canada, other than the brief memory of a trip when she was four years old. She took advantage of her free time away from the opera house, spending time exploring Granville Island and other sights, as well as checking out the local karaoke bars (a favorite pasttime). This original "Gulf Coast gal" particularly enjoyed eating fresh seafood every day, from salmon to raw oysters - a treat she's missed while living in the Rocky Mountains. However, if you ask her what her favorite part was about the experience, it was simply the opportunity to travel for Central City Opera in this position. In a heartfelt moment, Cindy expressed her complete gratitude towards
Festival Production Manager Karen T. Federing and Technical Director Nathan E. Thompson for choosing her. "I cried when I was given this opportunity - overwhelmed that they trusted me."
Cindy considers this trip the pinnacle of her career - so far. Calling herself "just a girl," Cindy first worked with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (Denver Local 7) in January of 1999, straight from being a stay-at-home mom. On Father's Day of the same year she was assigned to Central City Opera. New to the business then, she credits guidance from Mick and her fellow union brothers and sisters for making her a familiar face backstage now in venues throughout the Denver metro area. She has held the title of Assistant Carpenter at Central City Opera for the last four years.
Cindy can't say enough about her fellow union members on the Vancouver
Opera crew (Local 118), either. "They were great - very nice," she said. "I went straight to
the crew room the night of rehearsal and told them so, to which Scott,
their head carpenter, replied, 'Well, we're Canadian - we're supposed to be nice!'"
Vancouver Opera's West Side Story runs through this Saturday, October 29th. Video of the production, showing the completed scenery, can be
found on the Vancouver Opera
website. Compare the finished product with Cameron Anderson's preliminary designs.
Okay, technically it's still officially fall, but WINTER has come to Colorado overnight. Gilpin County Schools in Central City are closed for the day. Down here at the Denver office we're still plugging away, but there's certainly a white layer on everything. Here's a shot from my office window, overlooking Colorado and Alameda Boulevards in south Denver.
Yes, the Denver office keeps working away all year long and things are quite busy around here! Applications have come in for our 2012 Bonfils-Stanton Artists Training Program, so the Music staff is busy sorting through them for our upcoming auditions. (Applicants will be notified if they have been accepted for an audition by November 18, 2011, or October 28, 2011, for Denver auditions.) The Education & Community Programs Department, myself included, has just returned from a mini-tour in Lander, Wyoming, and is prepping for our Opera Rocks the Rockies tour. This yearly collaboration with CU Opera will start off with a public performance in Parker, Colorado on November 4th, then head north to several communities in Wyoming. We're also keeping busy with additional performances like our brand-new school show Eureka Street, visiting community groups with Opera on the Go and a great number of performances of Inside the Orchestra in collaboration with the Junior Symphony Guild. Down the hall, the Development Department is busy writing grants, securing donations and gearing up for Colorado Gives Day on December 6th. Meanwhile, Marketing is working on ad campaigns and artwork for our 2012 Festival and of course the Box Office is busy with subscription renewals.
You can renew your subscriptions from the comfort of your own home, either by mailing in the form you received or calling the Box Office at 303-292-6700...Or, if you want to venture out in the snow today, it's now even easier to find us thanks to the new sign with the Central City Opera logo in front of our building.
That's 400 South Colorado Boulevard, at the southeast corner of Colorado and Alameda in southeast Denver. Look for the blue mirrored building, then use the elevator on the East side of the building (towards the Super Target and Sports Authority) to the fifth floor. The Box Office is Suite 525 and the Administrative Office is 530 (both are connected - we've got two entrances). Stop in and see us sometime!
