University of Oklahoma School of Music – Opera

Reynolds Performing Arts Center

October 17 – October 20, 2013

Directed by:  William Ferrara

Scenic Designer:  Jon Young

Costume Designer:  Lloyd Cracknell

 

 

The story of L’Elisir d’Amore (Elixir of Love) centers around a young lad named Nemorino in an Italian village who is smitten with Adina, the most beautiful woman in town.  He is too shy to approach her, and has nothing to offer her.  To make matters worse, a boisterous sergeant arrives in town with his soldiers and declares himself for Adina.  Influenced by the story of Tristan and Isolde, Nemorino buys a love ‘potion’ from Dulcamara, a travelling salesman.  Alas, the potion is a cheap wine, and in his drunken state he decides to get revenge on Adina by being aloof with her.  Adina becomes intrigued by this, going as far as to promising the sergeant that she will marry him.  But, when Nemorino does not attend the party, Adina delays in signing the contract.  Nemorino again seeks out Dulcamara for more elixir.  To pay for it, he enlists with the sergeant’s regiment.  Unbeknownst to him, his uncle has died and has left Nemorino with a huge inheritance.  Before Nemorino is to leave, Adina comes to him and confesses her love for him, and the whole town celebrates.

 

Director Bill Ferrara had a simple and straightforward concept for this opera: “Italian Disneyland”.  The story is light-hearted and comedic, and his vision for the story was a happy place.  With a beautiful set designed by Jon Young and gorgeous costumes by Lloyd Cracknell, this made my job as a lighting designer very easy.

 

My research began with beautiful Italian villages, particularly those with a central square.  I wanted to see light cascading across the differently textured surfaces of the houses and shops in the town.  I also spent time researching the countryside skies, building inspiration for the backdrop.  My color choices highlighted the colors of the set and floor, keeping things bright and cheerful, while still allowing for some isolation and emotional expression at the appropriate points.

 

This production was a bit of a challenge when we actually began our tech process, due to the failure of a control module for some of the lighting dimmers.  Regardless, we were able to collaborate on a beautiful production, one of my favorites for opera.