COMMUNITY TESTIMONIALS

Opera Doesn't Just Happen!
The testimonials on this page describe the hoops Opera Grand Rapids has jumped through for 42 seasons, producing professional opera without a permanent facility. Written by staff, former Trustees and community leaders, these stories paint a vivid picture of the need for The Betty Van Andel Opera Center.

The Magic On Stage Doesn't Get Its Spark From Spontaneous Combustion Like A Saturday Night Live Skit...
Operas are built in layers of elegant complexity. Timing and staging must be perfect. Any production weaves together theater, dance, orchestration and, oh yes, extraordinary singing.

It's a testament to the talent and commitment of the OGR leadership that the programs staged here have been so wonderful when preparing for them has been so handicapped.
Over the last 25 years, the opera company has used just about that many different rehearsal spaces. One year the ensemble would gather in a defunct fitness center, another in a former greeting card store, or a warehouse or a basement. And gratefully! Enthusiastic community supporters like Robert Grooters Development, Ben Muller Realty or Steelcase Inc. graciously provided these spaces free or at a resonable rent so the shows could go on.

Some years the rehearsal space was the same for two productions in a row. But that didn't mean the costumes, costume shop sets and properties could fit in those spaces, too. Those items frequently had to be moved in and out of separate storage areas and into the staging space before each stretch of rehearsals then moved again to DeVos Hall on the Sunday before the production opened. Sometimes the rehearsal location and the costume storage were miles apart and sometimes when they actually were in the same location they had to share the same space.

Once in a while, all this shifting was further complicated when the space donated to OGR was rented. A paying tenant meant the opera company would get the boot -- even at the last minute. The opera can sing but money talks.

OGR staff and artists have been cast for way too long as the "Pirates of Perseverance." It's time to change the act and it’ll be a “Lulu.”

Mike Lloyd, Opera Board President, 1990-91 Season

DO NOT ENTER – DO NOT OPEN...
The difficulties of dealing with other than our own space were brought home to me during rehearsals for Aida in 1997 – the biggest and most complicated production ever staged by Opera Grand Rapids. The Opera had rented a former women’s apparel store in an area mall. Difficulties arose when a Sunday rehearsal was scheduled, which required special consent because the mall was closed. Permission was granted with the understanding that we use the rear service door, a small employee restroom, and stay out of the rest of the mall by locking the doors into the mall.

The cast was warned the day before to stay out of the mall on Sunday. On that day the deadbolt on the mall doors was activated and signs posted saying DO NOT ENTER – DO NOT OPEN. It should be noted half the cast was from Italy and did not speak English. Shortly before the start of rehearsal the word was out that cast members were loose in the mall!

Naturally, the silent alarm had been activated and there was now a good chance that rehearsals would have to end and we might even lose our space. The production manager got everyone out of the mall, relocked the doors, and then had to do some fast talking minutes later when the police arrived.

As it turned out, it was not one of the Italians but a singer from Michigan who had opened the doors and started heading down the mall to use the restroom followed, of course, by other performers. Problems of timing and usage will be a thing of the past with a new Opera Center.

Kyle Irwin, Opera Board President, 1997-1999 Seasons

Space Heaters Hooked Up To Extension Cords Were Used For Warmth...
When I first joined the board in the mid 1990’s, it became clear to me that space alone was not the only issue. In those days, the Opera had space in the basement of a downtown office building that had no heat, windows or electrical outlets.

In the fall it wasn't too bad. The concrete walls still held the summer heat but the spring was another story. One chilly April space heaters hooked up to extension cords were used for warmth . . . one for the accompanist to keep his hands warm enough to play and one for the cast to huddle around between scenes. During a break, one of the performers turned up the control knob, which blew a breaker plunging the entire space into darkness, shutting down the entire first two floors.

The floor was bare concrete and large pieces of old thread-bare carpeting were used to cover it. The carpet was stored in the same space between productions and frequently either live mice ran out or decaying carcasses were found when it was unrolled for rehearsal.

These experiences just reinforce the need for Opera Grand Rapids to have its own fully-functional, critter-free rehearsal space, complete with all the customary amenities including heat and electricity.

Nancy Douglas, Opera Board President, 2003-2004 Season

A New Home For Opera Grand Rapids Is The Most Important Way For The Company To Improve The Level Of Its Productions!
As Production Manager, I can attest to the acute need for Opera Grand Rapids to have its own fully-equipped rehearsal and costume shop space. Here is just one story illustrating the difficulties we experience trying to find and use inadequate facilities.

The week before we started rehearsal for the 2002 production of Tosca, I still had no space. It was April and my sister's wedding was the Friday before all the singers arrived. I had a place on Wednesday and lost it on Thursday, just before the wedding rehearsal dinner. Friday morning it looked like I might have it again – maybe . . .

It was an empty card shop in a strip mall on 44th Street. I had not been inside and couldn’t get a key before I had to meet the bridal party at the hairdressers. The whole time my hair was being done I was on the phone trying to reach the realtor and getting calls from Artistic Director, Robert Lyall about the show. At the church, 30 minutes before the ceremony, I finally turned off my cell phone and put it out of my mind for the rest of the night.

The next morning I skipped watching my sister and her husband open their wedding gifts in order to help load in the new rehearsal hall. It was very dirty with plaster dust all over the carpet. After we loaded in the costume shop and rehearsal room we tackled the dirt. We rented steam cleaners and worked until midnight to clean the carpet. We had no hot water and the steam cleaners needed to be emptied every 30 minutes.

On Monday we tried to tape out the set design but it would not stick to the still damp carpet. The furnace would not kick on and the room was chilly, so blowers were rented.
Tuesday, the floor was still damp and staging was to start in an hour. We gave up on tape and bought sidewalk chalk. For the next two weeks, everyday we had to redraw the set design outline again – like getting ready for a baseball game. The furnace was finally repaired at a cost of $400.

A new home for Opera Grand Rapids is probably the most important way for the company to improve the level of its productions. The amount of time spent doing things other than actually rehearsing, creating sets, preparing costumes, etc. has definitely had an impact on the shows.

Rosanne Steffens, OGR Production Manager 1997-2007

All Of The Company's Shoes Are Gone!
T h e need for a dedicated costume shop and storage area, adjacent to the Opera’s rehearsal space is critical. Currently all the Opera’s costumes, accessories, and sewing equipment and paraphernalia are stored in my home. My entire attic, basement and two additional rooms house costumes and related gear belonging to Opera Grand Rapids.

These items started to be stored in my home, because prior to that every time we went to gather up our objects from our “secure” storage space, all of the company’s shoes were gone. This was happening for every opera, every time. Not only did this mean long hours had to be spent buying new shoes for each show but budgets went up as well – shoes are expensive to replace. So in order to keep them secure, I started to take them home. Now I have one whole room dedicated solely to shoe storage for the Opera.

After that, it just became the prudent thing to do with all the costumes and accessories. Now everything is stored at my home. However, we do have to move these items four times during the course of a production. First everything – all related costumes, accessories, sewing machines, material, thread, etc. – needs to move out of my home into the newly rented costume shop. Then all the costumes and accessories are moved to the rehearsal hall. Third all the costumes, accessories, machines and materials are moved from the costume shop to an older area of DeVos Hall were a few days later they get transferred to the Hall’s costume room. Finally, all of these items need to go back to my home after the production ends for secure storage. Of course, safe storage is a matter for discussion, such as the time my roof started to leak . . .

The need for the Opera to have its own home that includes the necessary space for a working costume shop and appropriate storage is vital. Plus, I need to have my home back!

Earlene Helderman – OGR’s costume coordinator for 27 years