04/01/2021
Finger Lakes Opera Artistic Director and founder Gerard Floriano returns to his video-podcast series with episodes called Behind the Curtain, featuring conversations with prominent American stage directors with whom the company has collaborated.
“I wanted to give audiences a peek behind the creative process of a stage director. Talking with some of FLO’s stage directors from past and present will be very revealing,” Floriano explained and went on to say, “I’ll be hosting four episodes, three of which will provide insight into past productions. The final video-podcast will be live; listeners will be able to ask questions of the person overseeing the stage direction for this summer’s The Barber of Seville production.”
- March 30: Floriano begins this series with Fenlon Lamb, the stage director of FLO’s mainstage productions of LaTraviata and Tosca. She has been continually praised for her dynamic and engaging productions in leading regional houses across the United States. In addition to stage direction, Lamb is co-creator of Papermoon Opera Productions and served as Director of Opera at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music for three years.
- April 20: Floriano welcomes Gary John La Rosa, the stage director for FLO’s 2018 production of Die Fledermaus. La Rosa has directed and/or choreographed well over two hundred productions nationally. Currently an Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University in New Jersey, La Rosa has enjoyed working in hundreds of venues, including Broadway,
Off-Broadway, regional theaters, opera, cabaret, and more.
- May 11: This episode will feature Michael Ehrman, who served as stage director for FLO’s captivating 2019 production of La bohème and is known for his work in both the academic and professional worlds in a career spanning forty years. Ehrman, who most recently served as Director of Opera at Northwestern University for six years, was honored and cited in the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Classical Review “Best of 2015” lists for his staging of the Chicago premiere of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking.
- May 25: The final episode in Behind the Curtain video-podcast series will allow listeners to call in and ask questions of director Stephanie Havey. Winner of the Adelaide Bishop award for artistic quality and OPERA America’s
Director-Designer Showcases, Havey is the newest stage director to join FLO’s creative team. In this interview, she and Floriano will give listeners an idea of what to expect for this summer’s live, outdoor production of The Barber of Seville. Those who tune in will be eligible for ticket giveaways for this summer’s production, as well as for discounts to other FLO performances.
The first three Behind the Curtain video-podcasts can be seen on FLO’s YouTube Channel and Facebook Page. The fourth episode featuring Stephanie Havey on May 25 will be available on YouTube only. All episodes will air at 7 p.m.
About Finger Lakes Opera – Founded in 2012 by Artistic Director Gerard Floriano, FLO sought to create a professional summer festival in the heart of the Finger Lakes, where artists could be celebrated through bold new productions of operatic masterpieces. The festival continued for three years and morphed into FLO becoming an independent company and securing 501(c)(3) status. During non-Covid-19 times, most performances are held in the state-of-the-art theater at the Canandaigua Academy. Since March 2019, Elizabeth G. Long has been the executive director, taking FLO in a new direction, including exponentially growing its celebrated Tomita Young Artist Program.
For questions about Floriano’s Behind the Curtain series, the Tomita Young Artist Program, or for general information, visit FLO’s website at fingerlakesopera.org or contact executive director Elizabeth Long, 585-210-9839 | floexecutivedirector@gmail.com.
