[This is a guest post by Jennifer Pugsley, media relations manager at the Canadian Opera Company. Jennifer is joining David Feheley and many others from the COC for the U.S. premiere of The Nightingale of Other Short Fables at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). This post was written Feb. 28.]  

The big day is almost here. With opening now just one day away the mood backstage has noticeably changed. The whole group has been in good spirits all the way along, but now there's this crackle of energy in the air. Before tonight's dress rehearsal, I was chatting with COC Ensemble Studio member bass-baritone Neil Craighead (who is a member of the Japanese Envoy in The Nightingale) about this very thing. Tonight's rehearsal is the first time in New York that all the elements of the production will come together for a full rehearsal, and before a small audience made up of staff members from the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It's terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Neil and I both agreed that it's absolutely fantastic. Nothing beats the rush of live theatre!

 
As you can imagine, there is a lot of activity going on backstage before a dress rehearsal. Here's a bit of a glimpse of what everyone was up to:
 

Here are two members of the COC Ensemble Studio: (l-r) mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta and lyric coloratura soprano Teiya Kasahara getting their makeup done for part one of The Nightingale and Other Short Fables. They sing Pribaoutki and Two Poems by Konstantin Balmont, respectively.

The transformation is almost complete for COC Ensemble baritone Adrian Kramer as he gets ready to become a member of the Japanese Envoy for the Nightingale portion of The Nightingale and Other Short Fables.

 

Ensemble bass-baritone Neil Craighead (at left) and bass Michael Uloth are seen here as they are turned into a member of the Japanese Envoy and the Bonze, respectively.

Seen here are a few members of the chorus ((l-r) Catherine Tait, Victoria Pinnington, Eve Rachel McLeod) taking a moment to check e-mail and review their music before heading in to makeup.
 

Here are other members of the chorus ((l-r) Victoria Pinnington, Wendy Hatala Foley, Ingrid Martin, Karen Olinyk) having just come out of makeup and now heading up to their dressing room to wait for their call to come on stage.
 

(l-r) Wallis Giunta (now in costume as a member of the chorus), Ensemble Studio graduate Teiya Kasahara (still in her peasant garb from Part I) and lyric soprano Laura Albino (The Cook in The Nightingale) pose for the camera in their dressing room.  Teiya is just about to get out of costume and sneak out to the front of house to watch the rest of the show, but Wallis and Laura will be going on stage about 20-30 minutes after this picture was taken.

Onstage, the orchestra is getting ready for Part I of The Nightingale and Other Short Fables.
 

Backstage in the loading dock area, clarinetist Todd Palmer warms up for the incredible solo he is about to give.
 

Downstairs, directly beneath the stage actually, the rest of the orchestra starts unpacking their instruments and warming up for the second half of The Nightingale and Other Short Fables. Seen in the centre is bassoonist Elizabeth Gowen.