[This is a guest post by Jennifer Pugsley, media relations manager at the Canadian Opera Company. Jennifer and technical director David Feheley have been blogging about the COC's tour of The Nightingale and Other Short Fables to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).]

Not only is contralto Meredith Arwady a fantastic opera singer, giving a commanding turn as Death in the COC’s The Nightingale and Other Short Fables, she’s also a really fun person to hang out with backstage at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House.  During the dress rehearsal of Nightingale on Feb. 28, she let me photograph her transformation into this frightful character.

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[This is a guest post by Jennifer Pugsley, media relations manager at the Canadian Opera Company. Jennifer and technical director David Feheley have been blogging about the COC's tour of The Nightingale and Other Short Fables to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).]

In an earlier post, I mentioned how the group with The Nightingale and Other Short Fables is spread out over five floors at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. Space is in high demand backstage, especially during intermission when no one is allowed on the stage because of the extensive set change that takes place to get ready for the second half of the production. At the same time that no one is allowed on stage or in the immediate side stage area off the wings, the hallway leading to the stage is quickly filled with over 80 members of the orchestra waiting for the signal to take their position. 

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[This is a guest post by Jennifer Pugsley, media relations manager at the Canadian Opera Company. Jennifer and technical director David Feheley have been blogging about the COC's tour of The Nightingale and Other Short Fables to the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).]

You can’t have an opening night without an opening night party, and BAM did not disappoint. Cast, crew, chorus and orchestra wasted no time in getting the festivities started once the curtain came down on the opening performance of The Nightingale and Other Short Fables on Tuesday, March 1. A standing ovation deserves celebration!

BAM Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo opened the party, thanking everyone who made this production possible, before passing the mic over to COC General Director Alexander Neef, who was equally proud of the night’s achievement. Then the group was set loose on the dance floor and to enjoy the nibblies and refreshments that BAM had arranged for the opening night reception.

Among the guests in attendance at the party was a familiar face: former COC chorus master, and now chorus master for the Metropolitan Opera, Donald Palumbo was there to celebrate with old friends and colleagues. Some new faces in the crowd that had people buzzing were Cheryl Henson, daughter of puppeteer Jim Henson and a puppeteer herself, and renowned British actor Alan Rickman.

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