North Stage Door

Prompters:Ever wonder what was going on behind that wooden hood at the edge of the stage? That little box is the domain of the prompter, a musician who does much more than help performers remember their lines. Conductor and pianistRobert Molliconedemystifies the art of opera prompting and describes the responsibilities that go with sitting in the best seat in the house (producer: Jody Gage).

Opera on the Road:San Francisco Opera has a distinguished history of touring outside of the Bay Area, moving personnel and productions from city to city by plane, train, bus and even dog sled. Mezzo-sopranoDolora Zajick, a tour veteran from her days as a young artist with the San Francisco Opera Center, adds her perspective to this chronicle about taking the show on the road (producers: Jeffery McMillan and Barbara Rominski).

Supernumeraries:The dictionary defines the word ‘supernumerary’ as a person or thing in excess of the normal or requisite number. In opera, though, supernumeraries are entirely necessary. Former San Francisco Opera Rehearsal and Facilities ManagerTrey Costerisanrelates how the Company casts supers and where he found stilt-walking jugglers when a production required them. Testimonials on the lure of the stage are offered by San Francisco Opera supersHelen LewandKarsten Guthridge(producer: Katherine Baltrush).

My First Opera: What was your first opera? That is the question that San Francisco Opera Music LibrarianMichael Braggasks hisNorth Stage Doorand Company colleagues. Whether it wasLa Bohème,Das RheingoldorThe Rake’s Progress, the responses reveal how first encounters with opera inspired awe, curiosity, love and, eventually, careers in the field (producer: Michael Bragg).

With its new production of Fidelio scheduled to open October 14, San Francisco Opera released a new episode of its podcast, North Stage Door, featuring stories centered around Ludwig van Beethoven’s masterpiece. Fidelio director Matthew Ozawa, former US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, San Francisco Opera Chorus Director Ian Robertson, participants in the Prison Arts Project at San Quentin State Prison and other guests discuss Beethoven’s music and the themes of love and liberation in the composer’s only opera.

(3:04) The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Cosí fan tutte and Don Giovanni are three of opera’s most well-known works. San Francisco Opera’s new production of The Marriage of Figaro premiered in 2019, and despite his familiarity with this opera, the production left a profound impact on Company Music Librarian and North Stage Door producer Michael Bragg, who shares his story along with production cast members Nicole Heaston (Countess Almaviva), Michael Sumuel (Figaro) and San Francisco Opera’s Director of Diversity, Equity and Community Charles Mc Neal.

(14:34) Mozart and Da Ponte never intended for these three operas to become a trilogy. So what the… General Director Matthew Shilvock and Michael Cavanagh, director of the Company’s new Mozart-Da Ponte Trilogy—set in an American house across a 300-year timespan, and continuing this season with the premieres of his new productions of Cosi fan tutte (Nov/Dec 2021) and Don Giovanni (June/July 2022)—explain.

(24:34) San Francisco Opera Assistant Stage Manager and North Stage Door producer Rachel Garoon has a confession….and gets through it with the help of Dr. Kristi Brown-Montesano, chair of Music History at the Colburn Conservatory of Music and author of “Understanding the Women of Mozart’s Operas,” stage director Shawna Lucey, and marriage and family therapist Kathleen Shiltz.

(37:02) Did you know that Mozart was one of many composers who borrowed music from other operas for his own shows? San Francisco Opera Public Relations Director (and jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan biographer) Jeffery McMillan take us on a musical quotation treasure hunt.

(49:02) How would you have written the end of Don Giovanni? North Stage Door executive producer Molly McBride talks to Bay Area-native Daniel Handler—author of seven novels, including Why We Broke Up, We Are Pirates, All The Dirty Parts and, most recently, Bottle Grove; and who, under the pen name Lemony Snicket, is also responsible for the thirteen-volume A Series of Unfortunate Events—about writing, music, opera, and his relationship with all three.

Step into the world of opera through North Stage Door, a new podcast that takes you into the swirl of creativity, stagecraft, and performance at San Francisco Opera. You’ll hear lively stories and insightful interviews with Lucas Meachem, Pete Docter, Patricia Racette, and Craig Kausen. Open a window into the complex inner workings of this vibrant company, and the many aspects necessary to make a rich, multi-faceted art form come to life. Luminaries of the field, including opera stars, composers, directors, writers, craftspeople, and musicians from the pit to the stage, will be showcased in this series, featuring company insiders as your guides. Visit sfopera.com/northstagedoor for more information.

North Stage Door is supported by the Creative Edge Fund and by an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. We want to thank our labor organizations whose members, artists, and craftspeople bring our operas to life.