Lyric Opera 2021-2022 Issue 4 Florencia en el Amazonas

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 72 WHAT IS YOUR ROLE HERE AT LYRIC,AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU HELD THE POSITION? I am a stage manager, and have been part of the production department since August 2000. I work with directors and creative teams during the rehearsal process to ensure that they have everything they need for their vision to be realized on stage. I also run the rehearsals for a handful of productions each season. In that capacity, I make sure everyone is in attendance, monitor the scenes to track if singers have the props they need, mark the performers’ entrances and exits from the stage for follow-spot purposes, and take notes from the directors and designers on what they might want changed or adjusted. I distribute those notes to the necessary parties, all the while making sure that the production is on track to be ready for its opening performance. WHAT KEEPS YOU COMMITTED TO THE WORKYOU DO? I see opera as a team sport. Working backstage at Lyric, I’m surrounded by so many unsung heroes who are incredibly talented and passionate about their crafts. Their commitment and integrity to creating the best possible work keeps me moving forward and doing my best work. Even though we’re not on stage singing or in the orchestra pit playing an instrument, that’s still our work up there, and that’s amazing to see. WHAT LED YOU TO WORK AT LYRIC? Music has always been a big part of my life. My parents put a guitar in my hand when I was five! I was a Lyric season subscriber during college and would sit in the last row of the upper balcony thinking, “I need to be a part of this somehow.” I loved the spectacle of opera and the way that even in such a vast theater, directors could create an intimate moment for 3,600 people. I majored in piano and vocal performance and was working at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra when I was put in touch with Marina Vecci, who works in Lyric’s rehearsal department. I was eventually hired as a rehearsal assistant and learned all about the company and how I could contribute with my interest and abilities. That led to me becoming an assistant stage manager, and then a stage manager a few years later. WHAT’S SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR JOB THAT PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW? As stage managers, we know everyone in the company because that’s a necessity. We’re familiar with the stagehands, dressers, wig and makeup crew, chorus and orchestra members, and most of the administrative staff. My job is one of the few at Lyric that touches every single department. We also are the ones who work most closely with the designers, directors, and creative teams, because we are the liaison between them and the rest of the company. A FAVORITE LYRIC MOMENT? After two decades at Lyric, I have had many favorite onstage and offstage moments. I greatly enjoy projects that are off the beaten path. Chicago Voices was one of the more rewarding performances in my career. It was a long 20-hour day, but being an integral part of the process and helping to create such a meaningful and fulfilling concert that people still talk about 3 years later is very rewarding. Jesus Christ Superstar is also another big highlight. One of my favorite offstage moments was in a lighting session before we added the cast for an onstage rehearsal. We were trying to get the timing correct for one of the numbers, and instead of pulling up the music on an iPhone, we all started singing the song…the whole song. I have to say, for a bunch of tech people, we sure can hold a tune! WHAT’S THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF YOUR JOB? Communication. It’s the job of the stage managers to synthesize the notes we receive during the rehearsals and get those notes to the correct people. If a director or designer decides to change even a tiny detail, that change can affect four or five different departments. I have to make sure those notes are being communicated accurately. BEYOND OPERA, WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER PASSIONS? Because I spend so much time in a dark theater, I enjoy being outside as much as possible outside of work. My husband and I have two sons and a rescue dog, and we love being active: anything from hiking to swimming to basketball and everything in between. Spending time together around a firepit at night is our idea of fun. We’re an extremely energetic bunch! People of Lyric Rachel Tobias - Stage Manager