Squeeze goes to the Opera
Over the past several weeks, I've enjoyed playing in a different playground. I got the clown around with the Atlanta Opera. Doing this work was a special treat for me. It was my second opportunity to work with the Atlanta Opera. Three years ago, I did two shows with the Atlanta Opera. These shows were at the height of the Covid pandemic. When we did these shows in 2020, we were in the deepest part of the Covid pandemic. We were months away from the first COVID-19 vaccine. The show in 2020 had lots of Covid precautions. I had to wear a mask and keep a distance from everyone. Several of the performers in the show were singing inside plexiglass booths. Plus, we were performing in a tent in the middle of a college baseball field. So, being in this show at the Cobb Energy Center under normal circumstances was great.
Whenever I think of the opera, I remember how one of my theater professors talked about how opera brings all the artistic elements into one work. So, it's about as complete of creative expression as possible. It was such a pleasure to play in this environment of normalcy. Once again, I got to work with Jim Maltman, an excellent clown. Matt Baum joined us to finish off our clown trio.
One of the greatest pleasures of this performance was working with other artists in a non-Covid world. I got to see people's faces and interact with them more, and our clown work was much more personable and engaging.
It was also great to be involved with so many other production people, from the other performers, chorus, dancers, opera singers, supernumeraries, stage managers, and costume crew, as well as having an orchestra in the orchestra pit. Being in this larger group was pleasurable. I do much of my other work as a solo artist or in a small team of performers. In this show, I played a minor role that was far from the main focus of the performance. However, the clowns were still a valued part of the production. Below, You can see pictures and some promotional videos featuring me and the other clowns.
A video that includes me in a short interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH-nwhPQrEo
Here's a video showing many of the people involved in the production and three juggling clowns