thy name is steampunk

more inspiration boards for tonight.

halloween flicks

sure the above images are not your typical "halloween" movies, but they're the halloween movies which inspired my costume.

halloween dressing

my inspiration board for my halloween look.

the animal whisperers

did you know there are places in vancouver where you can go hang out with horses? there's a little area called southlands, down by sw marine drive and blenheim, where you'll find all these private horse-riding clubs. and go any direction, you'll come across clippity cloppity horse hooves and their student riders, sharing the road with you.

it seems like everyone that lives down at southlands owns a horse or two. there were so many palatial homes and wide expanses of backyard/frontyard with posh golf courses and driving range facilities nearby.

i didn't even know this place existed but sean used to bike here and since we wanted to hang out with animals that day, he decided to bring me here. much better than my idea of a day at the aquarium. and it's something i've never done before.



there were so many horses just hanging out in their own backyards that all you have to do is walk up to them at the fence and hope that they're in the mood for some human company.

most of the horses we came across were friendly and docile, but there was one that absolutely loved us. he was an older horse and he couldn't get enough of sean and i petting its nose and neck. we just hung out with him for almost half an hour. it was a wonder the owner didn't come out and chase us away. aww. horses are such wonderful creatures.



to continue our day of animal therapy and being that there's a limited amount of sunny and warm days before the rainy season sets in, we thought it would be nice to take jonesy to the park.

jonesy's been outdoors a few times since we got her the harnass but she's still very bewildered at the world at large. she was glued to sean on the walk there and when we found a spot to sit on. get jonesy outdoors and all of a sudden, she's no longer the kitty who tears up and down sean's hallway, meowing to be played with and making a ruckus with her jingle balls.



jonesy probably enjoyed the sun on her back but the little peanut could not get close enough to sean. at one point, she tucked herself inside his jacket and tried to crawl up his armhole. we don't think she's afraid cuz she wasn't meowing at all. i think she's still kinda shy and unsure of being outside. it's cute seeing her try to make herself the smallest she can be.



we didn't stay out too much longer and as soon as sean scooped jonesy up onto his shoulder, she was the cuddle bear again. safe and secure in her human's arms. still taking in the world at large.

business in the front, party in the back

anyone who grew up in the 80s and in canada will remember the spoons. i thought this new romantic band from ontario were the bee's knees back then. remember romantic traffic? i use to crush on singer gordon deppe big time. (mullet hair and all)

i don't know, maybe living with all this lillian alling, which is written and composed by canadians, i'm feeling rather wistful about good ole' canadian music that i loved from my youth.

speaking of business in the front/party in the back mullet hair, i also hearted platinum blonde in a ginormous way. this new wave band from ontario was known as canada's version of duran duran. i used to think singer mark holmes was sex on a cracker.



one of these days, i want to check out the mod club in toronto, co-owned by mark holmes. he's also one of the resident djs, going by the moniker DJ MRK and spins britpop and electronic indie hits. and to go with that look, he's rocking the paul weller/noel gallagher hair.





and looking like he's made some sorta pact with the devil. i know these are "nightclub" shots where usually everyone looks good until the ugly lights come on, but holy cow, has he's done exceedingly well holding off the aging process. rock star.

lillian alling send-off

stick a fork in it, lillian alling is done!

months and months of hard work and prep. a record-breaking 133 blog entries written on just one opera. a whirlwind past couple of weeks. not to mention school too.

thought i'd never surface.

and now although i'm a little sad that we packed this baby up tonight, i gotta say i'm relieved. i'm in need of some serious downtime.

oh wait, we have lucia di lammemoor opening up in 6 weeks.

giving you more access

when you come to lillian alling, you may notice a sign in the theatre lobby with 4 QR codes. you may also come across these codes while at your seat, flipping through the house program.

so what's behind these 4 QR codes?

once scanned with a smartphone, theatre patrons would be directed to personal video messages from general director james w. wright, Lillian Alling librettist john murrell, composer john estacio, director of production terry harper and soprano frédérique vézina.

for those who don't have smartphones, here are the videos:









kinda like easter eggs in a DVD, but not quite so hidden, we hope these small features help enhance your experience at the opera.

it was a big surprise!

fabulous. amazing. phenomenal. wonderful. a big surprise!

and boy was everybody surprised by the world premiere of lillian alling. we love it!

very emotional. i even saw some ladies walking out with tears.

the singing, the staging, the story - everything was just tremendous.

it was a fabulous production. it was just wonderful. a real credit to everyone who's been involved in it and a tremendous credit to vancouver opera.

it was a wonderful story and i loved the way it was produced and set. it was very imaginative.

it really just put a different twist on modern opera altogether.

the visual effects just blew me away.

the music was so gorgeous and not at all what you'd expect from contemporary opera.

i think it was the best modern opera that we've ever seen in vancouver.


video by bombshelter productions

get your tickets now! only 3 performances left! call 604-683-0222 to speak to our box office.

see you down at the theatre!

SMART pics gets a makeover

well, hello gorgeous! the SMART pics photobooth got a make-over! it went from long, tall and monolithic to 3-way mirror-like. with bright lights and autofocus!

different look, but same location. you can find the SMART pics photobooth at the east end lobby staircase.

so marvel at the new SMART pics photobooth and then take a picture!

geek out with lillian alling

everybody, please line up in an orderly fashion. it's fan night this thursday!

join us in the uber-exclusive VIP lounge for the first fan night of the season on october 19 at 630pm. we'll get you all psyched up before the opera begins at 730pm.



our guest speaker principal répétiteur & assistant chorus director kinza tyrrell will be talking about the creation process of lillian alling: from concept to stage. she'll also give some insight into the music you will hear at lillian alling.



we also have some special guests attending the pre-show chat. blogger night at the opera alumni tris hussey and emme rogers will be live-tweeting fan night. feel free to say hello if you're sitting next to them.

we have coffee, tea and bite sized nibblies for you. oh, and access to the VIP restroom. (no sharing with the people 'out there') there may even be some swag.

and a bonus if you're between the ages of 18-29! we have 25 more Get O.U.T.! tickets available for the entire run of lillian alling. tickets are $25 each. call our box office at 604.683.0222 and give 'em promo code 2885.

or better yet, $100 will get you a subscription to the entire season. if that one tickles your fancy, call our box office and give 'em promo code 2875.

see you in the VIP lounge for the pre-show chat! 630pm sharp!

twitter/facebook fan night sponsored by the georgia straight:

in the dark of the theatre

the things people do in the dark of a theatre.

some people sit riveted and try to taking in everything that is happening on stage. others glance upwards and down as they read the surtitles. and others may close their eyes and simply let the music and singing overtake them.

not artist val nelson.

val draws the opera when the lights go down. ever so discretely and imperceptibly that her fellow seatmates do not even know this was happening. val first came to our attention when she drew at madama butterfly last season.

on opening night, she was once again armed with her drawing pen to help us record the world premiere of lillian alling.


act I


act II

if you were at opening night, you may even recognize in the drawings the scenes depicted in each act. if you're coming tomorrow, thursday or saturday, we won't ruin it for you.

thanks val for sharing your wonderful drawings!

news at eleven

i was sean's roving reporter last night at the opera.

the wedding of jen & nate

sean and i attended one of his best friend's wedding at the end of august. i got to see sean don on a tux as he was the best man.

the ceremony took place at the celebration pavilion on top of QE park. this is one for the books: the ceremony was held up because dustin, kristina and i ran late. (kids. in fact, 2 of them were to blame). it was really sweet that the groom wanted to wait for us. heck, even the bride was all ready to go.

we slipped into our seats and the fun began.


jen and nate taking the plunge


i love the picture where i look like a little elf among the tall trees. with heels, i stood 5'5" - so can you imagine how tall sean, dave and allison are? yeah, trees.


i have no recall about what made us laugh so hard, but i like this picture cuz it's kinda silly.

dinner was at seasons in the park restaurant at QE park. with about 40 guests, the reception was very intimate. toasts, roasts, lots of glass clinking, 3 wedding cakes (all of them chocolate), a hyperactive child fueled by too much sugar and some VERY free-spirited dancing made for a memorable night.


nate with his best men. nate with his best woman.


we clean up nicely, dontcha think?

a nice way to close out the summer, seeing 2 friends in love get married. i was happy to have been a part of jen and nate's special day.

lillian alling: the trailer

your first look at the world premiere of lillian alling!

press play or double-click the video to see it directly on VO's youtube channel.


video credit: bombshelter productions

eight principal singers, 60 orchestra members, 40 chorus members, 175 costumes and stunning visual projections.

get your tickets today! Call 604.683.0222 or puchase online!

look at the birdie

photo credit: nakki goranin

it's a brand new season with a world premiere opera, you didn't think that we wouldn't help you commemorate it now, didja?

the SMART Pics photobooth is back! so make a beeline through the QET lobby until you hit the east end lobby staircase and strike that pose.

the SMART Pics photobooth will also email your picture to you, and you can then post it to your own facebook, flickr or blog. it's a great memento of being at the opera with your significant other, friend or a first time date. what a perfect way to also let family & friends know where you are and what they're missing out on!

opening night pictures will also be posted to VO's facebook and flickr.

just look at all the pretty, pretty people from last season's marriage of figaro and madama butterfly.

VO is thrilled to bring back SMART Pics for the entire run of lillian alling. we can't wait to see all your happy, shiny faces.

hotfooting it after lillian alling

Photo credit: I Am The Game

opera ninja kimli is back! this thursday, october 14, kimli welsh will be hot on the heels of lillian alling as she traverses the continent in search of the mysterious jozéf.

her assignment will be to track lillian from the tenements of brooklyn, hop the same trains that will take them both cross-country and follow her into the wilderness of british columbia. all the while, the opera ninja is to remain hidden and observing from afar.

but what will happen when lillian finds jozéf? will the opera ninja make herself known?

follow along thursday night's dress rehearsal at our twitter: @operaninja or along the right side-bar of the vancouver opera blog.

the action begins at 7pm.

VO's QR code lands in 2D code

i've been following 2D Code for a while now. they're my go-to website to get inspired on all the latest and greatest in QR code usage. so imagine my absolute delight when the founder/CEO of the website contacted me to learn more about our lillian alling QR codes.

here's their little blurb on my initiative:

QR Code guerilla street posters are not only for indie bands and dance music, they have now appeared in Vancouver, Canada advertising the world premiere of a new opera. In addition to the street posters, during the run of “Lillian Alling” at Vancouver Opera there will be QR Codes throughout the theatre to enable opera goers to access backstage videos, trailers and reviews. A world first all round it seems! - 2D Code

WIN.

sha la la la la

behind VO's QR code

so you're walking down the streets of vancouver, minding your own, when you come across a strange-looking poster that asks "where is lillian?"



upon closer inspection, you realized that this is a QR code. so you whip out your smartphone to read the QR code and presto, it leads you to a video about our world premiere, lillian alling.

the video sets the scene for what it was like for immigrants, like lillian alling, coming to america in the 1920s. the video, accompanied by 2 musical pieces from the opera, also illustrates lillian's journey across north america by foot to return to siberia. she was briefly incarcerated at oakalla prison in british columbia and after her release, continued travelling north to alaska. she was never seen or heard from again.



some of you might be trying to read the above picture with your smartphone but are not having any success. (picture are funny like that)

so, here is the actual QR code. a brand new lillian alling video has been posted up today. you may need to download a reader for your smartphone, so click to get your free app from neo or mobio.



learn more about lillian alling! we'll be posting fresh content (almost daily!) so check back often for your behind-the-scenes look at lillian alling.

lillian alling: props

head of props valerie moffat has been sourcing props for lillian alling these past few months, while production assistant gregg steffansen has been building or customizing them.

working with props, an attention to detail is a must. everything has to look authentic to the time period being portrayed.

for example, labels on tin cans will be ripped off and photocopies of vintage labels glued on in lillian alling. there'll be no chef boyardee labels here.



as a goodly portion of the opera takes place in the great outdoors, you'll see pick-axes, canteens, picnic baskets and rucksacks.

what you won't see, however, is valerie's dog on stage. rupert, who was visiting that morning, was too adorable for me to pass up on taking a picture. although the real lillian alling may have travelled with a dog, our stage production will not include such a travelling companion.


i am not a prop

to take a look at some more of the lillian alling props, press play or click here for my flickr.

project unto me III

here are some more visual projection awesomeness from video designer tim matheson.

these photos, taken a couple of weeks ago when the production crew was in banff, are the first life-sized shots of the projections. previously, we only had available photos of the projections on models sets, as seen here and here.

click to see each photo-set.















if you think the projections look good here, just wait until you see it in the theatre!

to see each photo individually, click here for our flickr.

photo credit: tim matheson

opera manga for your iPhone

the fellas over at rival schools have done it again. a powerhouse of ideas and creativity, roy husada and his team have launched their first app for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches. it's the madama butterfly opera manga by artist fiona meng for vancouver opera. and best of all, it's FREE to download.



click here to go to iTunes.

if you're all over the app like we are, feel free to leave some love for rival schools under iTune's customer reviews.

lillian alling: the look

VO's wardrobe superviser parvin mirhady and her team of 6 have been busy these past few months. the wardrobe department has been cutting and sewing up a storm in order to create 200 the outfits needed for lillian alling. half of the outfits were custom made, while the other half were purchased from second hand stores such as value village and then customized for that 1920s era look.


parvin mirhady and designer sue lepage going over some costume drawings

when asked which was harder, creating costumes for nixon in china or lillian alling, parvin said lillian was definitely more challenging. not only does lillian have more costumes, but each piece has more individual styling, whereas the uniforms in nixon were very much identical repeats.


nixon in china costumes


lillian alling costumes

fittings were held a couple of weeks ago when designer sue lepage was in town. within just 4 days, 40 principals & chorus members, 8 supernumeraries and 4 children were seen for their one-time fitting. that's some heavy traffic going in and out of the wardrobe department.



and if you love vintage-style hats, you're in for a treat as everyone on lillian alling will be outfitted in cloche hats, straw hats, homburg hats and flat caps. a profusion of hats everywhere.



from leisure wear, to rugged outdoor clothing and immigrant clothing of that era, lillian alling will give you a glimpse of the very diverse styles of the late 1920s.

but if you can't wait until opening night, press play on the slideshow or click here to go to our flickr.

he shared his cave with angels

a little bunnymen is needed for today.

...

my heart has broken.

miss and love you forever.