Scottish Opera have opened their Spring/Summer season with a new production of composer Benjamin Britten, and librettist Peter Pears’ lauded, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Soon to play the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, I was fortunate to speak with Lea Shaw, Scottish Opera Emerging Artist, who takes the role of Hermia in the production.
Four lost lovers collide with quarrelling fairies, resulting in magic, mayhem and mistaken identities in Britten’s otherworldly operatic reimagining of Shakespeare’s timeless comedy.
from Scottish Opera
I begin by asking her, what Britten and a Midsummer’s Night dream meant to her before it was announced on Scottish Opera’s to do list.
“I’ve got a bit of a long history with a Midsummer night’s dream as a piece, not necessarily as an Opera, but as a play as well. Specifically as an opera, I’ve always loved it; I love the way in which Britten uses his melodic and orchestral language to underpin the drama.
Now, I’m somewhat of a nerd when it comes to language and into kind of mimesis: the way in which music can mimic nature. As with most Operas, you have a lot of little quotes from other composers’ work woven into that score.”
Underscoring the point, Lea was kind enough to imitate a particular yawning sound made by the strings whenever character enter the woods within which Shakespeare sets most of his play.
“”To me this phrase was an immediate of connection to L’enfant et les sortilèges (Ravel, 1925), specifically the second half, where the child goes into the woods and hears the sound of the trees groaning – which is a very similar musical figure to that which Britten used to evoke the mysterious “wood”, both physical and metaphorical.
To me, the Dream has always been a very evocative and living piece, and for someone who’s loved the play for years, a really beautiful way of setting it to music.”
In light of Lea’s obvious fondness for the Bard, I ask her if she had an opinion on why there are relatively few successful Shakespeare adaptations. After Falstaff, Otello, and the Dream, it’s a short list.
“Shakespeare works are very dense, and lend themselves to years of research and development. So if you’re a composer wanting to set a piece of Shakespeare, it’s a very, very long, very arduous process to make sure that you get the right. Either because you yourself love Shakespeare or because you know that there are so many people out there who are “Shakespeare works are very dense, and lend themselves to years of research and development. So if you’re a composer wanting to set a piece of Shakespeare, it must be a very, very long, very arduous process to make sure that you get it “right” – either because you yourself love Shakespeare, or because you know that there are so many people out there who are scholars of Shakespeare, who know everything one can know about it, and the way that he intended the characters to be (even though that can be up for interpretation no matter who you are).
I do think it’s partially just because it’s about reputation because they are so famous as plays, you wouldn’t want it to be the one that didn’t do it justice. “
Lea is keen to point out a few modern composers who’ve attempted it, including Thomas Adès Tempest, and Brett Dean’s Hamlet, and hinted at a Macbeth adaptation that might or might not be in development 😉.
“So I do think it’s also having the gumption to go for it, because there are beautiful works out there… and if you feel like you as a composer can really bring a new light to a Shakespeare work then I see no reason why you wouldn’t, though I can see why it would be intimidating.”
Turning to Lea’s own part in the production, Hermia, I ask her how the part is working out for her.
“I love Hermia as a character. She is so heartfelt and earnest, which I think is very close to who I am as a person. She does have this edge to her — well, everyone has emotions and people show these in different ways — but she’s a lot more confrontational than I am in real life. It’s something that I’ve had to definitely work through as a personal process, thinking, okay, this isn’t me saying these words and being this aggressive and confrontational, this is her.
I’m just channelling her, and it’s been quite freeing, frankly, taking in one’s power and standing inI’m just channelling her, and it’s been quite freeing, frankly, taking in your power and standing in your power. I will state the obvious and say that I am not particularly short, so we’ve had to re-frame the puppet insult (Shakespeare has Hermia teased so for her lack of stature). We’ve taken the insult as more of a kind of metaphorical one. You can be a puppet in many ways, people might say you change yourself to please others, that you play to others’ tune.
The Opera was two performances down when we spoke, so I asked her experiences of the show thus far, and what was raising the hairs on the back of her neck.
“For me, the magic of theatre always comes about halfway through tech week, when things are still being sorted out or you walk into the theatre, and not everything is set yet. There’s still things to be tweaked because you’re there, and all you just see is this potential, this possibility.
It’s also spine-tingling seeing everyone together and doing this after such a long time: it is incredible. The energy the ensemble bring to the piece is legendary. It’s inspiring to be around them because I’m just starting out.“
Lea is one of four artists currently select for Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artists programme which provides promising young talents a period of full-time work with the Company to help launch their careers. Programme alumni include: soprano Jennifer France, tenor Elgan Llŷr Thomas, baritone Ben McAteer, repetiteur Jonathon Swinard, and composers Gareth Williams and Lliam Paterson.
Lea’s enthusiasm for the production continued,
“They’ve done an incredible job with the show’s design, by weaving in all of these subconscious meanings of dreams and almost kind of Jungian/Freudian feel. What are the woods? What are these dream personas that come out? We’ve created such a dreamlike state, but such a surreal and beautiful and, at the same time, terrifying atmosphere on stage. It draws the audience in, and for me particularly, that’s what I love about it.
Productions like these leave so many open-ended questions and I think that’s okay…because the more questions an audience hast he more engaged they are, the more they want to engage with you as a performer, and the more they want to engage with the whole beautiful production.”
Turning then to the topic of Lea Shaw, Operatic baby, and native of Colorado, I ask what brought her to make a life in Scotland.
“Well,” she begins, “through a series of many unpredictable events, I ended up coming over here for university. I studied at the RCS (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). I started when I was quite young, so it was always a question of, okay, so where do I want to be? Where do I want to make my life, in a way? I wasn’t scared of moving far away, it was just a question of where I would feel safe and at home. For me that was Scotland. I went for an audition and I thought I really, really love it here. Something in my deepest gut instinct said, this is it.
It was the right choice as it turns out.
I’ve stayed ever since it’s kind of become my home.”
Lea outlined to me that following those teachers, and creative professionals she admired, be they involved in acting, performance, singing or composition, all of which she holds close to her heart, led her to Scotland, and Glasgow. Speaking of Glasgow, she explained,
“It’s such a hotbed of new collaborative work, there’s just an incredible community here and in up in Scotland in general. We’re very, very lucky because while it may not be as big of a scene, it punches well above its weight when it comes to the works that come out of the art scene.
People are so excited about doing stuff, it’s wonderful. People want to make things, want to create things with you. I don’t know if I’d ever thought that I would be able to be part of half the things I have been. I’ve performed in artistic installations and performed around the Highlands and islands in different capacities. It’s just been wonderful.“
I ask if, looking back, any particular highlights have struck upon her path to the performer she is today. Needlessly apologising for an abundance of enthusiasm, she begins,
“I’m so grateful for every moment I have, and every opportunity I get! But one of the biggest things that changed my course as a performer, was delving more into modern repertoire. So
“I’m so grateful for every moment I have, and every opportunity I get! But one of the biggest things that changed my course as a performer was delving more into modern repertoire. That started with Stravinsky’s Elegy for JFK (1964) when I was in my undergrad and at the time I thought, oh my God, this is so difficult!
But the tonality and the way that musial language flowed really changed my outlook. So I then ended up pursuing a lot more modern repertoire, and becoming a bit more of a specialist in contemporary works (including Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaireand Maxwell Davies’ The Medium), which I’m so glad I did.“
Lea emphasised that many of her favourite operas have been composed post World War II, and some within the past decade. “It helps me look at my artistry in a different way,” she says, “For too long I was concerned about fitting in. We all want to make it, want to make sure that you’re offering what people want, but at the end of the day if you’re not being authentic to yourself, then for me, there’s no point. To be able to explore all of that repertoire, and to be a voice for those who may not be able to express themselves – or for issues that we may need to speak about, but we don’t really know how to – that’s very important to me.
And I don’t think I would have known that had I not started with Stravinsky and Shoenberg.“
Given Lea’s all consuming passion for Opera and the arts, I point out that Opera, and indeed Classic music in general, is often seen as belonging to a particular niche of society. Could it be returned to a wider, more mass audience, I asked.
Her answer was a definite yes.
“I think it’s all about how you approach it. All art can be high art and, no matter how you express it…Opera is a huge undertaking, but it would be wonderful to see more productions and companies seeking out unconventional spaces and making new works that includes more aspects of our modern life, because I think maybe that’s what can sometimes stymie it in a way.
There is a place for grand opera,” she states, “but I do think that it’s wrong to forget about its musical hall past. We want people to see what we do, in whatever way we can.” She points to a recent Autumn tour of Opera Highlights with Scottish Opera which played locales remote from any Opera house, from Stornoway to villages beyond Fort William. “The audiences are incredible, and it’s so wonderful to be in room and perform for them. They are so incredibly engaged! It’s maybe just re-broadening our horizons. It is absolutely possible (to re-popularize Opera), it may mean being a bit more humble than we might want to be.
One needs to address the past, to go into the future in a positive way, but it’s absolutely worth doing.”
Following the them of addressing the past, and moving forwards in a positive, I ask Lea how her experiences as a person of colour, have shaded her life within the arts.
“I don’t think I would be wrong in saying it’s a huge part of who I am. My definition of myself partially comes from having years of folks saying, “Okay, so how… how can we fit you in? How do we fit you into our narrative of opera and classical singing?“
“That was a huge revelation for me: I can just sound like me. I don’t have to sound like anyone else.“
Lea in The Medium by Peter Maxell Davies ©Fergus Hall, 2019
“I’ve had a couple of very interesting conversations with people where they say, “Oh, you’re very unusual….” It’s not necessarily the sort of thing that you’d like to hear, when you’re in your teens and trying to figure out who you are.
There were other uncomfortable times, and those always came from me trying to be who others wanted me to be (rather than letting me be fully myself). I think it all came from this kind of thought of, okay, so I’m unusual. I’m an outlier from who they would expect to see walking through the door of an audition room, for example. It’s a real subconscious thing that gets to you, but that changed. With age and with a bit of experience it morphed from that more self-critical view to a thought of, wait, no, hold on. I am the only person with my voice. I’m the only person who has my body, my vessel, my instrument, and my outlook on the world is just as valid. The way I channel characters might be different than how others might channel them, but it’s still as valid and as worthy of being heard.
That was a huge revelation for me: I can just sound like me. I don’t have to sound like anyone else.
I remember as a little kid I saw Denyce Graves performing on stage, and at that time I’d maybe only seen a handful of other black opera singers. It was so powerful to be like, wait, she looks like me. I could do that! I am lucky to come from a kind of background where I was never particularly discouraged from pursuing any particular field, even if it would be hard. The only advice my parents gave me regarding that was “if you want to do something, commit to it a hundred percent… because otherwise why do it?”
It’s now come full circle, because now there are times I see another wee girl when I look out at the audience and and think, Oh my God, that was me. It’s just a wonderful thing. Now I’m in the position of being a role model for others, to help pave the way and encourage them.”
It’s vital, we both agree, to push for diversity of representation into our society, and our artistic communities here in Scotland. Here in my beloved Edinburgh, we sometimes think of our locales as more diverse than they actually are, tricked, maybe, by the three weeks in Summer when the world descends upon us. Every child should be able to see themselves on stage, or screen, to know that the door is open and that someday it could be them. Diversity in our communities is a benefit to us all.
“The more people you meet,” Lea says, “the more people you talk to, the more your own experience and worldview will broaden.”
Then it’s time to talk about the future. What’s next for Lea Shaw, I ask…
“To continue doing what I’m doing! I’d love to continue to sing for as many people as possible, and perform and create as much as I can. I’d love to continue to create new work, and to collaborate with living composers and artists. Performing new spaces and to new people, and in new places.
In terms of my calendar, the next thing full-scale production I’m doing is Tom Allen’s Don Giovanni (Mozart, 1787) in Glasgow with Scottish Opera , which is another debut — well at this point in my career, every role is — so I’m very excited about that.“
“I can’t wait to see how me and Zerlina get on.“
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