Stage Directing:
Soon after the actors and actresses first came together, staging rehearsals began. That was where they started setting the stage and working on choreography. A wonderful stage director, Omer Ben Seadia, and amazing choreographer, Gina Cerimele-Mechley, worked together at staging, setting out props and objects to really make the story come to life.
Ms. Ben Seadia, whom I had the pleasure of talking to, came in from Oakland to Bloomington for the opera. She is a world-famous director who has done numerous operas, and is also an incredible person. Her interview was so fun to do!
Aleena Haimor: What is the largest responsibility that comes with directing an opera?
Omer Ben Seadia: The biggest responsibility is to build the artistic world where the story takes place, and setting the tone of the rehearsal process, which you share with the conductor.
AH: What’s your favorite part?
OBS: My favorite part is when I convince a singer that they can do something they never imagined they could do.
AH: Any advice for young stage directors or actors?
OBS: You can make as many performances as you want. You don’t need to wait for someone to give you an opportunity.
Thank you so much, Ms. Ben Seadia!!
As you can see, directing an opera is a huge responsibility. The director is in charge of everything the audience sees on stage!
Orchestra Rehearsals:
Actors and actresses aren’t the only part of an opera. The orchestra plays a huge role in shaping the opera’s story!
Alongside the staging rehearsals with the stage director (and the conductor), there are orchestra rehearsals as well. The musicians, like the actors, first discovered they were playing for the opera around May. There are five student orchestras with IU, and the one playing for both shows was the fourth one.
At rehearsals, my dad, Fawzi Haimor, stood at the front of the room at a podium. They would start the rehearsal by reviewing notes and tuning instruments, then move on to doing a run-through of certain parts of the pieces. Since the opera was only 45 minutes long, they performed another piece, Bolero (also by Maurice Ravel) before the opera. Overall, the show was only about an hour and five minutes.
After playing certain parts of Bolero and the opera and making notes, the orchestra would do run-throughs of the entire show.
My dad agreed to speak with me about his experiences conducting where he went to school.
Aleena Haimor: What has been the most difficult thing about working on this show? What was the most nostalgic thing for you, being back at IU?
Fawzi Haimor: I wouldn’t say that anything was particularly difficult, but I’d probably say that the most challenging part is getting to the point where you’re putting all the pieces together: staging, set design, and of course the music. When you work with incredibly talented people, like I did at IU, the whole process actually went rather smoothly.
AH: You’ve conducted many orchestras over your career, what particularly stood out to you about this student orchestra at IU.
FH: I was so impressed by the level of talent these students had at such a young age. They were so hungry to play music at the highest level. They genuinely were enjoying every moment of this experience and I had so much fun working with them over the month-long project.
AH: Okay, now for a general question. What is the best piece of advice you’ve received over your career?
FH: The best advice I ever received was from my father. He said “You were born with two ears and one mouth, try to listen more than speak.”
Thank you to these incredible people for enabling me to write this article!
Actors/Actresses: Sarai Burgos, Leah Nykaza, Chloe Hopson, Kathleen Simunek, Natalie Vong, Pelagia Pamel, Maggie Stall, Kathrine Barbour, Jisoo Choi, Morgan Feeney-Davies, Brynn Jacobs, Nate Paul, Jeremiah Angel, Evan Gunter, Cody Horne, Andreas Psillos, Molly Singer, Cathrine Tamayo, Ana Ambartsumian, Ambriehl Ivy, Nina Royston, Kirsten Tierney, Yixin Yang, and Langelihle Mngxati.
Chorus: Julianna Banfe, Emma DiSanto, Savanna Holley, Laura Looper, Ruby Miller, Sabrina Schubert, Lauren Smedberg, Brittany Weinstock, Issana Yaguda, Simo Brea, Tynan Butler, Robbie Erickson, Lane Harden, Gannon Hays, Xiang Li, Preston Rogers, Stephen Stavnicky, and Tyler Whitney.
Production: Fawzi Haimor, Omer Ben Seadia, Walter Huff, Lydia Spellman, Russell Long, Gina Cerimele-Mechley, Olivia Essebaggers, Virgil Fok, Katrina Keat, Rachel Rock, Jennifer Hong, Miles Swaminathan, Shuichi Umeyama, Chuck Prestinari, Janice Kim, and Elsa Quéron.
Sources:
https://www.eno.org/discover-opera/articles/the-beginners-guide-to-opera/
https://operaballet.indiana.edu/events/lenfant-et-les-sortileges.html
The Lighthouse 