N.B. We are currently unable to confirm if a similar open day event will be taking place at Glyndebourne in 2009. Please check this website in the summer for updates.
It's not often that Glyndebourne’s backstage team are given centre stage, but at our recent Open Day our dedicated staff made the most of their chance to shine. David Pickard, Glyndebourne's General Director, introduced the event and gave a flavour of what was to come. “Everyone who works at Glyndebourne is really committed to do the best that they can. We are all passionate about this place and this is an opportunity for us to share this with you”, he said. Visitors were about to see that there is much more to Glyndebourne than what goes on stage.
Chorus Master Tom Blunt kicked off the day in operatic style by leading a chorus of hundreds of visitors in a Carmen Sing-A-Long. After a little vocal gymnastics, enthusiastic singers of all generations were ready to raise the roof with renditions of the Torreador song from Carmen. Gareth Hancock at the piano, and singers Sarah Lilley, Charne Rochford and John Mackenzie all in fine voice, gave the event professional polish and dramatic florish.
Deborah Wickes, who came to the Open Day with her husband Matt from Herstmonceux, thoroughly enjoyed the experience and was especially impressed with her first peek inside the auditorium. “The acoustic was wonderful and Tom was brilliant. He really got everyone involved”. Their children, Jess and Isey, were equally inspired by the performers adding: “The singers had really good expressions, and were really loud”.
For visitors who wanted to hear more singing, there were two staged performances during the day by Glyndebourne Youth Opera. These productions were the culmination of two terms' of regular meetings and creative endeavour from Youth Opera 1 and 3.
Ali Campbell, the director of Youth Opera 1 which involved children from 8 to 11, described what made it special for the kids. “From what they sing and perform to how it looks, the big thing is that they take ownership of all the elements that go into making opera.” For Matthew Turbett, who starred as the witch in Bread and Pebbles (an adaption of Hänsel und Gretel), it was a great end to his first year with the group. “My Dad has acted at Glyndebourne and he found out about it for me. I really enjoyed it” he said.
Throughout the day there were plenty of takers for the guided tours of the costumes, props and wigs departments. It was a rare chance to see the detailed craft skills that go into all elements of Glyndebourne productions. Staff were also on hand to answer questions alongside sets, costumes and props in the backstage area where visitors could even walk on the stage itself.
Younger visitors who wanted to be more hands-on tried some mask-making, face painting and dressing-up. For Poppy, who came with her parents Charles and Emma, it was the best part of the day. “Trying on the wigs and making the masks was great fun and getting scars in make-up was really good. The sets that looked like stone walls but were hollow inside were just incredible”. Sporting some frighteningly real-looking gashes created by special effects her brother, Edward, thought that the larger-than-life lollipops and latex body parts in props were “very cool.”
In the relatively calm atmosphere of the Old Green Room, a series of presentations were laid on to give visitors insights into the on-going work of the Company. David Pickard gave a fascinating talk about the epic endeavour of planning the Festival, from booking singers to ensuring a balanced repertoire. The five year preparation period required means that he has already started working on the 2013 Festival!
For Katie Tearle, Head of Education, it was an opportunity to talk about Glyndebourne’s pioneering education programme. Over the last 22 years she has worked on numerous projects, from commissioning youth opera to working at Lewes Prison. “I was really passionate about music and especially new music theatre and still am”, she explained. Now she heads a department of four organising a wide range of activities spanning performances for schools to community operas and study events.
As a final Open Day treat, visitors again headed for the auditorium where the stage crew gave visitors a ‘flying’ demonstration. This was, of course, ‘flying’ in the Glyndebourne sense, meaning lifting and lowering sets from the fly tower, but the audience was not disappointed as the stage crew performed a seemlessly choreographed scene change from Act 1 of Carmen. The host, Lighting Manager Keith Benson, then demonstrated the variety of special effects which will be used when the production is performed this summer. He is about to embark on his 36th season at Glyndebourne but his enthusiasm is evidently undimmed as he presented a demonstration of special effects, spotlights, computerised equipment and smoke machines.
Kate Coppard from Lewes had never been to Glyndebourne before but she summed up the day perfectly: “Today has been a wonderful experience", she said. "We had driven past lots of times and always wondered what was inside. It's a fantastic thing for Glyndebourne to do.”