Followspots are bright long-throw lighting fixtures manually operated by members of our stage crew and are used to highlight performers as they move around stage.

 
It is over one hundred and thirty-five feet from the followspot booth to the front edge of the stage, at greater than a thirty-degree angle. The geometry of this makes movement highly sensitive, so with a few inches of action at the followspot, the beam moves dozens of feet onstage.

An excerpt from the Los Angeles Opera League event called Backstage Magic 2012.  This year’s event showcased pyrotechnic and smoke effects.

In this clip Technical Director Jeff Kleeman talks about the company’s historic use of pyrotechnics and describes what goes into producing a 4^th of July-style fireworks display on the LA Opera stage. Pyrotechnician Tom Newman sets up and operates the display.

 At Los Angeles Opera when we need to provide smoke or fog effects we have a couple of options for available and safe technology. Most applications call for our liquid nitrogen (LN2) systems of which we have four machines. The machines are located in the basement or “trap room” beneath the stage. For this production of Albert Herring the staging requires a gas furnace “explosion”. In synchronization with an explosion sound effect we cue a two to three second blast of LN2 “smoke”.
 

Each LN2 machine is a large reservoir filled with purified water which is heated to near boiling. Operating the controls allows for precise integration of the LN2 gas into the reservoir. When this mixture takes place, the white cloud-like “smoke” is created. A series of valves and hoses are used to regulate and distribute the effect.
 
The resultant effect product is a non-toxic mixture not dissimilar to the clouds in the sky. This provides for a spectacular effect that does not bother the singers.
 
In addition to Albert Herring, the effect will be used extensively in our upcoming production of La Boheme.

Albert Herring has a number of expendable food items that are consumed by the performers and need to be replaced for every show. Variables that determine what real food items are used include the action, staging, set design, and a performer’s dietary restriction or personal preference.
 
During the rehearsal process food items and quantities needed for each performance are determined. An expendable food list containing the items needed for each scene, how the food is used and all other relevant information is compiled by a Stage Manager and managed by the Props Coordinator.
 

Before each performance fresh food items are purchased by a production assistant and the food is prepared for the performance by a union Prop Master in a small kitchen backstage.
 

In the Grocer’s Shop scene the action requires real peaches, apples, cucumbers and turnips. These real fruits and vegetables are mixed in with the artificial produce onstage.
 

In the May Day Festival scene the singers drink lemonade and eat an assortment of finger foods including sausage rolls, ham sandwiches and cupcakes.
 

Extra whip cream icing is added to Albert’s cupcake to support the action of the May Day scene.
 

In the final scene the saltwater taffy is replaced with marshmallows wrapped in parchment paper to alleviate the noise made by the original hard candy hitting the floor.
 

Albert Herring is a rental from Santa Fe Opera where they did not use projections. Los Angeles Opera decided that this production would be enhanced with the addition of newly created projections. Members of the Technical Department worked for three months creating the imagery that would be projected onto the screen.
 
The images are a combination of still pictures, moving images and animation, and are created on a computer using multiple software applications. The media is then transferred to media servers and control systems for the stage.
 

The media control booth is located at the rear of the orchestra level seating. The operator programs and cues the imagery into the production. Once the final version is programmed for the opening night, the subsequent performances operate simply with the push of a “go” button.
 


The projections are designed to be in proportion to the existing sets. In these views the contoured landscape and miniature houses are seen downstage from the projection screen.
 

 Two 18,000 lumen high definition video projectors are used together to project onto a forty-two foot high by seventy-four foot wide vinyl rear-projection screen. Ten layers of separate video elements were combined to create this one image. The two projectors are utilized to increase intensity and provide back-up in the event of a projector lamp burn out. The lenses are chosen in each case for the specific location of the projectors and the distance to the screen.

The day after Simon Boccanegra opened, our FOH (front of house) crewcam captured the scenery change-over to Albert Herring. When we do more one than one opera in rep (repertory), all of the settings, props and lights must be exchanged one production for the other. The production that has been in storage on the rear stage and side stages is moved to the main stage and prepared for performance.

In addition to the fight benches, other action props used in Simon Boccanegra include paper maps, charts and letters, hand-held torches and decorative and stage combat swords.

Maps, Charts and Letters
When additional maps and charts were needed to support the onstage action, our props and scenic departments hand-crafted the items using a thirty-six inch laser-jet printer and hand-painted effects. The over-sized maps were photographed and printed at a high resolution on watercolor paper. After printing, the maps were sent to the scenic department for ‘aging’ with light washes of thinned acrylic paint.

In each performance two laser-printed letters are used. New paper letters are added for the next performance. The maps and charts are replaced when they become soiled or damaged by the action.

Hand-Held Torches
The self-extinguishing torches we have used at LA Opera throughout our history were developed for the original production of Otello in nineteen eighty-six.
The torches use a non-toxic solid fuel. They burn for fifteen minutes with as much as a sixteen inch tall flame and weigh about two and a half pounds.

At the start of each performance nearly thirty torches are preloaded by the prop crew to accommodate the duration of the performance without having to reload.

Decorative and Stage Combat Swords
Medieval swords are used in the Council Chamber scene. The edges of the swords have been dulled for safety, and include six decorative and fifteen stage combat weapons.

The decorative swords are relatively inexpensive detailed reproductions. The stage combat swords are made of knifemaker’s steel by a bladesmith and are designed with structural integrity to sustain the impact of combat.

Here in the Tech Department we are always excited on “load-in” day. This is the day when the scenery and props arrive at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and are moved into the backstage area of the theater.

The Simon Boccanegra scenery traveled to Los Angeles from London’s Royal Opera House via ocean freight in five (5) forty-foot shipping containers. The route from the UK to Los Angeles included a sailing through the Panama Canal. The total distance traveled was 5500 miles with a transit time of about 30 days.

After the arrival in the Port of Los Angeles, the containers were trucked to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and unloaded by a union (IATSE 33) stage crew. The unloading of the containers was completed in one day and the assembly of the set will be completed in three days. For Simon Boccanegra, by the fourth or fifth day we are focusing hundreds of stage lighting instruments. By the evening of day six, we will be ready to begin stage rehearsals.

You can see more photos from the Simon Boccanegra load-in on the LAO Facebook page.

After a one to two year process of working with the design team on the concept and creation of renderings and models for a new set, one of the tasks of the Technical Department is to analyze, draw, engineer and supervise construction of the scenery and props for that new production. Our popular production of La Boheme was built new in 1993 and has been presented repeatedly here and at other opera companies.

Each time we revive the production, we meticulously study the technical drawings. This becomes especially critical since our productions often play in rep with other varying productions when they are revived. This package of archived drawings and documentation accompanies the production when it travels to another opera company.

This short video captures some of the La Boheme scenery as it is unloaded from the trucks, assembled, and handled onstage.

1890 Peugeot Replica
For this remount of our signature production of La Boheme, there was a desire to bring the props and set dressing into the appropriate period of the 1890s. The car was built as a replica of an 1890 Peugeot two-seater. This would have been faithful to the vehicle available in Paris at that time. Months of research, design, engineering and hundreds of hours of fabrication were required for this prop to come to life.
 

 
 
Fake Fish
Although we do have a variety of fake fish in our prop inventory, a higher level of realism was required for the “Fish Seller’s” buckets. We experimented with different casting formulations and paint treatments to get a more realistic appearance.
 
 
Confetti Drop
A confetti drop was added to create a greater spectacle as the cast marches with French flags. One hundred and fifteen pounds of confetti was purchased for the run of the production. A “sling” is tied between two pipes above the stage and on cue the “sling” is rolled back and forth and the confetti spills though slits in the fabric.
 
 
Bicycles
In keeping with the attention to period, the production required bicycles that appear to be from the 1890s. For this reason and for ease of use with elaborate staging, we created “stylized” versions of 1890s bicycles.
  For safety and staging purposes, coaster brakes were utilized that do not require the pedals to rotate while turning corners. The foot operation of the brakes leaves the performers hands free for props and actions.