Wagner-size

While 'Das Liebesverbot' is nowhere near as meaty or intense as any of Wagner's other operas, it does rival for length and size. Act one alone is 463 pages.

I brought home my stopwatch with every intention of timing the score but it's now Saturday night and my score still lies quietly closed on the futon with the stopwatch sitting on top, not timing.

I've have been pleasantly impressed with this cast (thankfully, no double cast this semester) and with the director. Working with college students is always a somewhat trying experience, but these students can give some professionals a lesson in motivation. Most are off book, and the voices are absolutely amazing. I am often thankful to be able to sit in a room with talent. This is one of those times.

Not only can these students sing, they can understand, grasp and maintain. In only 4 days of rehearsals, we've staged over 300 pages, and run them.

While I'm all for a speedy staging process, with no ASMs, it is quite exhausting work for me. Setting the stage, cueing entrances, and taking blocking for 37 performers is quite the task. The end of rehearsal seems to find me a tad dazed.

Looks like I need to get into better opera shape. Tighten the bootlaces, brew the coffee and up the protein. It's Wagner Time!