Lyric Opera 2018-2019 Issue 7 La Boheme #2

L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O January 10 - 31, 2019 | 33 What is your role here at Lyric, and how long have you held the position? I am the properties and scenic art director and I’ve been here for five years. My role is to facilitate the execution of the props and paint for all of Lyric’s productions. That can mean creating props for new shows, maintaining or repairing used props, or finding/buying specific props for a show. I work with the designers and directors, or with the artists and choreographers, to make sure the props and paint are aligned with the original artistic vision. I then work with the stage crew to bring those ideas to life onstage. What led you to work at Lyric? I was working in Chicago for awhile doing props for other theaters when I heard Lyric was looking for someone to work in the props department. I knew opera had a reputation for doing everything on a grand scale, so it seemed like a great opportunity to work at a place with such amazing technical elements. What’s a typical day like for you? I usually begin each morning by checking in with different backstage departments to see what they might need. If there was a rehearsal the day before, we usually have notes from the stage manager letting us know what the director and singers might need, or what’s working and what’s not working. If specific props are being built for a production, my team might have questions they need answered from the designer, so I serve as the liaison between the designer and the stage crew. If the designers are here in town, for example during the summer tech week, we make props collaboratively so we can understand their vision firsthand. What’s the most challenging aspect of your job? The props and paint departments are often juggling many things at once on a tight deadline. Creating props and painting them in a timely fashion and on budget, all while maintaining a high-quality product, can be really challenging. If there is something we need to create but there isn’t enough time, we have to find new strategies to make it happen. For instance, the design team for Jesus Christ Superstar wanted more of the palms used in the “ Hosanna ” scene. We originally thought we didn’t have enough time for so many additional palms, but after some brainstorming I found a way to get the pieces here faster, and our spectacular props carpenter figured out a way to make them in less time. We were able to get all 28 palms made on schedule, but we’re always dealing with that type of challenge. What keeps you committed to the work you do? There are some really incredible people that I work with on a daily basis. What amazes me most is their willingness to learn new things, improve their skills, and keep up with the changing technology. Working backstage can be hectic and chaotic, but seeing them all so dedicated to their craft makes it an enjoyable place to come every day. What’s something about your job that people might not know? One thing people don’t know is that we often paint costumes. For example, in the Troy scenes of Les Troyens we needed the costumes to look dirty and disheveled, so we used paint to accomplish that. There are also several different techniques to make costumes look old and broken down, including the use of a cheese grater. The audience probably doesn’t know that whenever a flame will be used on stage, we spray a fireproof chemical on the costumes, props, scenery, and wigs as a safety measure! Favorite Lyric moment? Lyric offers backstage touch tours for patrons who are blind or have low vision. On one of these tours before a performance of Così fan tutte , one of the stars of that production, soprano Ana María Martínez stopped by, as she caught wind of our touch tour. She started talking with the tour group, and offered to let them touch her throat and diaphragm while she sang. They were so amazed; most people don’t get the chance to hear an opera star singing that close to them! Her incredible kindness and willingness to share her craft was really inspiring. Many of the patrons had been subscribers for years, so to learn something new and experience opera in a different way was very cool for them. Beyond opera, what are your other passions? My husband runs a company called Step Up Chicago Playwrights, whose mission is to go out into the community and get more plays made about Chicago. I enjoy getting to see a lot of theater with him and figuring out how to bring cool art to the city. I also like to cook, in particular the science of cooking. It’s exciting to figure out what different things you can add to a dish to make it better. I watch cooking shows and get obsessed with them! BACKSTAGE LIFE: Maria DeFabo Akin