Temple University Opera Theater’s The Turn of the Screw in pictures
When Temple University switched to largely online instruction in March, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Temple University Opera Theater began to consider how it would present the piece that had just gone into production: Benjamin Britten’s chamber opera The Turn of the Screw.
Based on the Henry James novella of the same name, the opera is set in the mid-19th century and follows a governess caring for two children who becomes convinced that her charges are being haunted.
Temple Opera’s production was shaped by the pandemic: auditions were held virtually; individual coaching sessions and all initial rehearsals took place online; costumes were chosen from storage, based on previous measurements; the cast were taught to fit and wear their wigs by themselves; and the full performance was recorded for streaming, with the physically distanced singers performing behind Plexiglas screens.
See how the cast and crew staged an opera for the COVID-19 era.
The orchestra was recorded first. Later, the music was played to the cast, who heard it via earpieces as they sang.
The orchestra was recorded first. Later, the music was played to the cast, who heard it via earpieces as they sang.
My first schedule, when we hired the conductor, is totally different from where we ended up, with negotiating what we could do. Timetables changed daily [and] some of the orchestra restrictions were different than what we had thought.
It’s a story that I particularly love. The piece itself, it’s not just a horror story, it’s also about isolation and the need for human connection and those feelings that go along that are so lacking right now. When we first chose that we didn’t know how relevant it would be to the contemporary times.
We could stand, we could sit, we could move within our Plexiglas, but all the things we would typically stage, we had to think of creative ways to communicate that action that did not involve crossing over to somebody and touching them.
Music Director Stephanie Rhodes Russell watched a recording of herself conducting the orchestra, so she could time the singers to it.
Music Director Stephanie Rhodes Russell watched a recording of herself conducting the orchestra, so she could time the singers to it.
The thing about doing opera is: I can practice all I want on my own. I can do all this studying and work. But it takes a lot to actually physicalize it. And having that learning experience to really get a character in your body and connect with other people, I think that’s what makes this experience so fulfilling. And it’s what I learned most from. Getting that experience is what really makes me feel prepared for this career.
I worked with our conductor prior to this summer, and she was telling me that during this time, it’s so important that artists self-advocate. Because if artists don’t want to, if artists don’t push to put on the art, no one else will. And if art isn’t constantly happening, then it will die. I think especially in the United States of America, we have a lot of issues. And there’s a lot of civil unrest going [on]. And if there’s even some help that we can give anyone that’s struggling out there and just maybe help remove them from the harsh realities of life, even if it’s for an hour and a half, I think I’ve done my job.
For me personally, it was so fulfilling to actually get to perform live despite the horrible things going on in the world right now. It was a sense of hope that we will make it through and we are finding ways to deal and perform despite these setbacks.
I hope audiences are moved by the story and get the themes of isolation and the loss of innocence. Because I believe we have now lost, as a society, our innocence of safety. Everything is a little more self-conscious and that’s a big theme in the opera. The music is emotionally challenging, the story is mentally challenging. I hope they come along with us for the ride.
“The Turn of the Screw” will be streaming December 4, 5 and 6 on Boyer’s YouTube channel. See screening times and get tickets.
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