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GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL

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The Glimmerglass Festival is the second largest summer opera festival in the United States.

 

The festival is located in Cooperstown NY

(also home to the Baseball Hall of Fame).

Each summer Glimmerglass presents a repertory season of three operas and one musical, as well as a youth opera show.

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STAGE OPS

This past summer I was part of the 12-person Stage Operations team for the Glimmerglass Festival's 2024 season. Our main responsibility was to changeover sets on a daily basis for their repertory season. 

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Production photos from the 2024 season: Highlighting the sets in the shows

2024 Season:

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- Pagliacci

- La Calisto

- Pirates of Penzance

- Elizabeth Cree

- Rumpelstiltskin and the

  Unlovable Children (Youth Opera)

Stage Op Responsibilities:​​

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- Initial installation of scenery for four mainstage productions and a youth opera

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- Changeovers for scenery, rigging, and props during our repertory performance and tech schedule

 

- Minor carpentry/props projects/upkeep throughout the season; scenery strike and deconstruction

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- Shop Shuffle: before changeovers, shuffle the scenic units around in our shops and storage to maximize space and shorten our changeover times

 

Bonus Changeover: load in/out the Baseball Hall of Fame stage into our theater to be used for their Awards Ceremony presentation

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- Examples of Changeover duties - laying down and screwing in the show floor, switching flying items to different line sets for either storage or show usage, stacking the Pagliacci crates, setting up the La Calisto accent legs, storing as many Pirates of Penzance props into the ship as possible, rotating the large Elizabeth Cree walls from the shop into the theater, screwing Rumpelstiltskin books into the floor/each other

Shop Shuffle in between the theater and shops

Photo by: Sofia Negron

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Ops moving the Cree wall

Photo by: Sofia Negron

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Ops stacking the Pagliacci crates

Photo by: Sofia Negron

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Bella screwing in the La Calisto floor

Photo by: Sofia Negron

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CHANGEOVER VIDEOS

2024 Glimmerglass Changeover Videos by: 

Sophie Rodriguez (Asst. Technical Director of Stage Ops)

Pagliacci ---> Rumpelstiltskin and the Unlovable Children

Changeover Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

The Pirates of Penzance ---> La Calisto

Changeover Time: 3 hour 30 minutes

La Calisto ---> Pagliacci

Changeover Time: 3 hour 12 minutes

Elizabeth Cree ---> Pirates of Penzance

Changeover Time: 3 hours 9 minutes

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PROP OP:
La Calisto and Pagliacci

On top of my Stage Op duties, I was also one of the Prop Ops responsible for managing the props run crew tracks for La Calisto and Pagliacci.

Pagliacci production photos: Highlighting some props used in the show

Pagliacci work photos

Prop Op Responsibilities:​​

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- Ensure that all props appear onstage in a safe, timely, and useful manner that adheres to the wishes and aesthetic of the design concept

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- Make sure all props are clean/safe/intact, and report to the Props Manager about any repairs that are needed

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- Assign pre-show duties and performance tracks to deck ops and apprentices

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- Transfer props to and from the rehearsal halls and the theater on a weekly basis

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- Examples of my Pagliacci track: blow up helium balloons, stuff feathers into a chicken, hand-off gun and holster to actors, clean up all the props that get thrown around onstage at the end of the show (there was a lot), ensure all set dressing is placed correctly during changeoers​

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- Examples of my La Calisto track: hand off bows, arrows, and quivers, put together pluckable petals on a flower, be"eyes" for the flying elements

La Calisto production photos: Highlighting some props used in the show

La Calisto work photos

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