University of Oklahoma School of Music - Opera

Reynolds Performing Arts Center

November 30 – December 3, 2017

Directed by:  William Ferrara

Scenic Designer:  Elise Christiansen

Costume Designer:  Ciara Smith

 

 

The operatic telling of Hansel and Gretel closely follows the traditional German telling of this story.  The two kids are teasing one another and dancing when they are chased out of the house by their mother to go fetch strawberries.  While in the woods they eat all the strawberries and end up lost.  A mysterious sandman shows up to put them to sleep, and angels come to protect them as they sleep.  When the children are awakened by the Dew Fairy, they find a gingerbread house with a witch who seeks to eat them.  The children trick the witch and shove her in the oven.  With the witch gone, the gingerbread statues in the yard transform back into children, and Gretel frees them with the witch’s wand.

 

I began my research for this story with the director’s wishes that this story be light-hearted and lovely by nature.  We could make some dark and sinister moments, but they couldn’t go too far.  I looked at fantasy artwork and artistic representations of the story to gain inspiration for their home in Act 1, the forest in Act 2, and the gingerbread house in Act 3.  The world balanced color and texture with clarity, allowing for trips into fantasy.

 

One of my favorite moments was the journey through the woods in Act 2.  It started with an idealistic wood, dappled warm sunlight streaming through the trees.  To accomplish this effect, I used a split gel with a leaf texture.  By adjusting the focus on the texture, I was able to create a multi-colored lighting effect that bathed the stage in a warm amber/red light.  When things got dark and sinister, the trees were lit with a light that paled them out, and the backdrop became green as imps danced in shadow play.  When the wizard and angels created their ring of protection, the children were highlighted from above with a soft light while a bright magic ring of light surrounded them.

 

The inspiration for the witch was Dame Edna Everage, and the entire interior of the gingerbread house reflected this, as did her costume.  Thus, my lighting sought to enhance this interior, making it almost as if she was doing a cooking show.  When she cast magic upon the children, the overhead lights shifted into kaleidoscopic color changes, freezing them in a pool of light.

 

With such a familiar tale, it was important to me to make the story as magical as possible.  With a great collaboration amongst the designers, this was easily made possible.