I am an idea person. I very much enjoy brainstorming different possibilities and solutions and letting the creativity flow. I remember taking some random personality test years ago, and one of my strengths was coming up with ideas and being imaginative. However, I may be great at coming up with ideas but I don’t always succeed when it comes to the execution. I guess that’s why I like opera so much. There are endless interpretations of and possibilities within the story, character, and music, and I get to actually implement some of those ideas through singing – which I love.
Below is a list of all my thoughts and ideas about what areas and concepts I want to explore through this process of learning Juliette. Of course some of this will morph and transform as I learn more, but I wanted to give you a glimpse of the different categories floating around in my head.
There are a couple different categories to look at such as literary content, musical analysis and historical context. I’ll also include more behind-the-scenes glimpses into the practice and rehearsal space through videos of my solo practice, coachings, rehearsals, and blocking/staging. Another area of interest is how other artists have interpreted this story through visual art, different musical settings, and film.
With each post, I will include four items that must be addressed with each post/session.
- Top focus or goal of the practice/study session
- Any challenges that came up, ideas for how to address
- Topics to explore and look into for the future
- How does what I learned inform my characterization of Juliette
Okay, so here is my laundry list of ideas, categories, and thoughts that I am going to explore to create and become Juliette:
- Literary content
- Read through Shakespeare play and Barbier/Carré libretto
- Discuss and compare/contrast characterization of Juliette
- Has the libretto changed any of the content, if so – what parts, how is it edited, and how does that affect the story?
- Read through Shakespeare play and Barbier/Carré libretto
- Gounod’s setting of the text
- Look at specific arias/duets, etc.
- French language/musicality that matches poetry of Shakespeare
- Musical settings
- Gounod, Bellini, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz
- Contemporary versions
- West Side Story
- Film – 1968 Zeffirelli, 1996 Leonardo DiCaprio/Claire Danes
- Learning the role
- Character study and creation questions
- How to learn music
- French language/diction study
- Physical movement/presence for the stage
- Focus on specific musical numbers/scenes/acts
- Memorization
- Historical context
- Verona, Renaissance
- First performance
- Singers who created the roles
- Public reception
- Scholarship/literature study and reviews
- How is this work and character explored in scholarly & non scholarly literature?
- Learning a musical number of a different character
- This could be an interesting way to really delve deeply into the work as a whole – understanding other characters and the work from a different perspective
- Interview with director Hugo Vera with Lawrence Opera Theatre (or other directors who have done Roméo et Juliette)
- Learn about approach, setting, and style envisioned
- Learn about what he/she wants to see in characters, drama, etc.
- Any other tips on singing, practicing, auditions, staging, etc.
- Specific musical analysis
- Formal or Harmonic: smaller or larger musical numbers
- Connection to text
- Formal or Harmonic: smaller or larger musical numbers
- Romeo and Juliet in Visual art
As you can see there is an abundance of topics to explore on my journey to becoming Juliette. These are just the ideas that I have come up with, but two heads is better than one! If any of these ideas sparked something in you, please share a comment below or an instagram message!
Adieu!