Lyric Opera 2019-2020 Issue 5 Don Giovanni

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 37 Kyle Flubacker Kyle Flubacker Lyric’s fabulous tour guides Lyric’s backstage tours reveal the magic of opera to audiences of every age. Tours take place from October to May for students and year-round for adults. Thirty-six enormously dedicated volunteers serve as tour guides, and they work tirelessly to make each tour a special experience. The tour’s route usually starts with the orchestra pit, says Karen Genelly, “and then we go to props. We do the dressing rooms, then costumes. We go to the catwalk above the stage, then wigs and makeup, and we finish downstairs with the orchestra lounge. We usually end by going up to the sixth-floor balcony where we recap what we’ve done.” What’s most satisfying about giving tours? “Showing off the beauty of the opera house,” says Karen, “and just sharing our love of opera.” When Barbara Baetzhold Drake speaks to student attendees, it’s especially exciting when “you realize you’ve made a connection with them. It’s not necessarily that they all can grow up to be opera singers, but you can equate their skill set with the tour, saying things like ‘If you love to build things, think about what our stage crew does. There are people here who create wigs and costumes. You could possibly be here – you could do this!’” Whether with adults or kids, “we also get the opportunity to demystify, taking away stereotypes that may still exist. It’s important for everyone to know that opera is accessible.” The idea of imparting new information and making new connections is important to Jerry Goodman: “On an adult tour, a gentleman remembered seeing Maria Callas in the 1950s. He knew a ton about the art form, but he still found things on the tour that he hadn’t expected.” Jerry loves responsive students: “A ten-year-old boy was talking about Shakespeare. He looked at one of those eject-blood knives the tour guides always talk about because it’s one of our favorite props – and he said, ‘This would be really cool in Macbeth if he used it this way.’” Lindy Bloom, who’s been giving Lyric tours for more than two decades, likes introducing herself to the group in the Rice Grand Foyer before bringing them into the Ardis Krainik Theatre, “where you can talk about projected titles, and also sound – the fact that the theater is shaped like a trumpet or a megaphone – and that the singers aren’t miked.” Lindy also enjoys taking people into the scenery-storage area: “With the renovation in the early ‘90s, Lyric had to store a lot of the scenery outside, so it’s fun to talk about how things have changed.” Occasionally on her tour someone unexpected will encounter the group backstage. For example, Lindy recalls meeting Sir Andrew Davis – “I was awestruck!” For more information: lyricopera.org |backstagetours To become a volunteer tour guide: lyricopera.org |volunteer Learning about the Lyric props department. In the scenery-storage area, just a few feet from the stage.