Lyric Opera 2021-2022 Issue 3 The Magic Flute

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 72 WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT LYRIC? I am Vice President of Lyric Unlimited - Learning and Creative Engagement. WHAT LED YOU TO WORK AT LYRIC? I was leading an engagement-related department at a west- coast theatre festival; we were doing really innovative work exploring the intersection of 360-degree filmmaking, theatre, and location-based experiences along with digital, virtual, and community-centered artistic exploration. The pandemic hit, and I was responsible for downsizing my department; it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Ultimately, I also was released as part of a departmental shuttering. As it’s said, when one door closes, another opens. A friend and colleague knew of this opportunity at Lyric, told me about it, and forwarded my name to the search firm. The rest is history. This time of pandemic and cultural challenge has especially prompted us to watch out for each other and consider how we define form, art, access . . . everything. Working in the arts involves examining the arts and how it defines and presents itself. As an arts practitioner who has spent a significant time exploring and advocating for this kind of consideration, it’s pretty wild and beautiful to see. I would have hoped this kind of change would have been prompted by less devastating events, but we will definitely look back at this moment from a personal, artistic, and organizational point of view and say, “Wow, what a moment that prompted change.” I know I will. WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY LIKE FOR YOU,AS YOU BEGIN MAKING PLANS FOR THE LEARNING AND CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT DIVISION? I don’t know if I have a “typical” day. Every day has been different and filled with interesting explorations and challenges. I start every day by asking questions, listening, and observing in order to analyze and receive information to inform the visioning process of Lyric Unlimited. There is a part of that daily work that is individualized, but a large portion of it has involved convening with staff to evaluate the current program portfolio. This has been really great because it allows me to get to know folks; be a part of a vital information-gathering and sharing process; and learn important organizational details, such as how to avoid getting lost coming from the opera house back to my office. YOU’RE EARLY IN YOUR TENURE AT LYRIC. WHAT’S THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF YOUR JOB RIGHT NOW? Our stated intention with Lyric Unlimited is to bring the department from its adolescence into young adulthood. The fiscal, programmatic, and collaborative work required to support that intention is challenging at any point. Plus, we are undertaking this process during a global pandemic, in which all the pieces seem to be moving in very different ways. So, suffice it to say, I am constantly thinking and planning dynamically. It definitely keeps the work engaging! WHAT’S SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR JOB AND THE NATURE OF ENGAGEMENT-RELATED WORK IN GENERAL THAT PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW? Most people don’t know that, at their best, engagement departments are concentrated production spaces. On both sides of the work—education and engagement—you come up with an idea, find out how to create the content, and then produce the work across disciplines. It’s why in most performing arts spaces, engagement staff are some of the most multi-disciplinary and multi-talented professionals that you’ll come across. They create, produce, and operate content across modalities that range from a lecture-demonstration to a short-form performance across myriad art forms, as well as all kinds of exploration and innovation in between. ANY FAVORITE LYRIC MOMENTS TO SHARE SO FAR? Hearing a Macbeth rehearsal from the mezzanine. The purity, clarity, and power of the sound was stirring. BEYOND OPERA, WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER PASSIONS? Creating content across different platforms, a good opening night across any art form, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. People of Lyric Rob Goodwin - Vice President, Lyric Unlimited - Learning & Creative Engagement