Prince Orlofsky’s New Year’s Eve ball comes to Edinburgh this March thanks to Edinburgh Studio Opera (ESO), and a Spring staging of Johan Strauss’s magnus opus Die Fledermaus. A Champagne-soaked tangle of mistaken identities, revenge, and muddy truths, the operetta has been delighting audiences since opening in Vienna back in 1874. Helming the company, is ESO’s first student Artistic Director, Katarina Keck, who trebles as director, choreographer and book writer. She, ESO President Holly Gowen, and Producer Killian McDonald were kind enough to spare a few words for The QR whilst preparing for curtain up this Wednesday.
Die Fledermaus is definitely a crowd-pleaser, were there any other reasons it was chosen?
Katarina Keck (Artistic Director):Die Fledermaus is a timeless classic with themes that reappear not only in contemporary literature but also in our modern society. Ideas surrounding love, betrayal, trust, a practical joke, and maybe have had a little bit too much champagne are experiences that every person, and every character, can relate to.
Another key reason behind choosing this operetta is embedded within the history of the work’s creation itself. Johann Strauss composed this piece at a time when Vienna was recovering from an enormous economic crash and all of society was looking for a way to return to the “good old days” of opulence, parties, romance, and simple entertainment. With the past 2-3 years that we as a global society have experienced, this sense of nostalgia and trying to recapture a simpler time is something which we can all relate to.
Theatre is one thing, how do you juggle your studies with taking on opera?
Katarina Keck (Artistic Director): It is definitely not an easy task. I am currently in my fourth year at the University of Edinburgh so juggling coursework, a dissertation, and directing the operetta has been a new test of my time-management skills. But, what opera and theatre have always been for me is a way to switch off the more academic side of my brain and instead dive into something which is creative and free-flowing.
Being able to have a creative outlet and to collaborate with so many talented musicians, producers, singers, and actors is simply an absolute joy. It makes the lack of sleep and sprints through Edinburgh to get from class to rehearsal worth it.
Holly Gowen (ESO President, also playing Prince Orlofsky): As President, Executive Producer, and as a member of the cast, I can definitely speak to trying to balance everything! I thrive on being occupied and busy, and this operetta has become a vocation, I can always seem to make time for it because I have loved my tenure as President.
It’s well known information amongst university society committees that sometimes the position comes at the detriment of the degree, but it just requires discipline. Opera is such a freeing experience, having the stability of the orchestra behind you so it’s less exposed than pure acting or theatre. It’d such a far cry from academic work; our cast come from all academic disciplines (medicine, languages, classics, music) so Edinburgh Studio Opera has become somewhat of an outlet.
Killian MacDonald (Producer): It takes a lot of faith in yourself to know what needs to be the priority when, and trust that others are making the best decisions for them as well. Our team has been amazingly communicative, and fluid with certain responsibilities to cover when the balance gets hard. However, I’ve also found the production to be an amazing complement to my graduate studies in narrative futures, and a really fun way to put theory to the test! I’m growing in ways that excite me this year because of the combo.
How is Katarina enjoying her role as the first student Artistic Director?
Katarina Keck (Artistic Director): Previously, I have worked as an Assistant Director, a Costume Manager, and in the dramaturgy department. I believe these experiences gave me an ideal set up for my first stint as Artistic Director. And the production of “Die Fledermaus” could not have been a better piece to be able to get to grips with. Coming from Vienna, I have grown up either watching or listening to this piece at least once a year, at New Years. It is a story and music which is so intrinsically part of my musical upbringing that I was absolutely thrilled to be able to reinterpret it with our incredible cast from a more British perspective.
The creative freedom and collaborative nature of a student society mean that, not only did we have an enormous amount of fun during rehearsals, but it also meant that as we moved through the schedule the actors were able to get further and further engrained into their roles – becoming able to discover similarities between themselves and their characters which they had not previously realised. It is this moment of when something ‘clicks’ for the actors but also for the entire cast or individual music number that I found incredible to be able to witness but also guide towards.
To be able to share a piece that I have loved and celebrated for many years with those who may not have been as familiar with it and showcase the modern connections it has to us all is something that I will keep with me forever.
By
By
