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Lyric Opera of Chicago
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This year's matinee is Donizetti's
"The Elixir of Love." |
The Class of 2011
took the Backstage Tour at Lyric Opera of Chicago.
We thank the tour docents for providing this opportunity to experience the backstage world of the Lyric. It takes many technicians, stagehands and other skilled craftsmen and women to bring an opera to life. |
Enjoy this interactive slide show
of the Backstage Tour
taken by the Class of 2011!
(2010--7th graders)
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The Elixir of Love
March 11, 2010
Ascension's 7th graders had a wonderful time Thursday afternoon at Lyric Opera of Chicago. They attended a special student matinee of Donizetti's The Elixir of Love. We had wonderful seats in the very front rows! |
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The Elixir of Love-- the plot!
Before attending the opera, 7th graders will divided into small groups to "sort out" the characters and plot of the opera.
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Opera Prop and Stage Set Project
Look at the amazing projects this year's 7th graders constructed! Our final assignment was to make a set design, construct a set or construct a prop. Some of our props would rival those at Lyric Opera! The sets represent a scene from The Elixir of Love, and the props should be suitable for use in an opera.
At right, a royal robe, made by the student. |
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Stage sets, drawings, and mirrors. |
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Shields, inspired by the ones on the Backstage Tour of Lyric. |
Prop books made by students. |
Masks! |
Money and treasue! |
The pictures below of the interior or Lyric,and scenes from the Tour,
are from previous years. |
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The inside of the building is decorated in Art Deco style.
Our groups visited almost every part of Lyric Opera. |
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We looked into the Orchestra Pit, and found out that the conductor is always on camera. The picture is broadcast to monitors (see below) so that the performers can always see the beat. |
The monitor shows the girls looking into the orchestra pit, as the camera is always on the conductor.
Then it was time for a walk down
"Peacock Alley."
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We could look onto the stage, but no one can go onto the set. We could see the stage manager's station and other equipment. |
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| This is the infamous catwalk, which turned out to be very safe, even though it is 6 stories above the stage. The ropes on the left control the flies: backdrops and other scenery. The fly space is 12 stories tall altogether. |
This is a look at the fly space where backdrops hang out of sight. Far below is the stage floor! |
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The interior of the theater is lavishly decorated in gold.
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This is the older of two 'wind machines' that make the sounds of storms when needed in an opera.
The weapons room holds guns, knives and pikes for operas of any era. Every weapon must be authentic to the time period. |
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A suit of armor, helmets and crowns were displayed in a dressing room. |
Every wig is hand made, taking over 40 hours to complete. Once the hairs are tied to the netting, the hair is styled to suit the opera. These are sideburns for men, made of Yak hair. |
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Some dresses in the costume area, and in the wardrobe closet. |
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We visited two costume areas. One was an enormous closet, with dozens of costumes hung from floor to ceiling. The other room held costumes that were currently in use.
This dress was from Mozart's The Magic Flute. |
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This is a private dressing room for one of the stars of the opera. There is a private bathroom, huge closets for the elaborate costumes, a piano, the make-up area and a cozy chair. Outside there is a lounge for the "dressers," who assist with getting into the costumes. |
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Below the stage is the lounge
for orchestra members. |
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