Tzvetkov, the costume shop manager, and Law, the prop and scenic artist, either sat in the house taking notes or backstage making quick alterations to the costumes and props to ensure everything was perfect.
“The singers are concentrating so hard on what they’re doing, we need to make sure that whatever support we’re doing, costume- or prop-wise, they’re able to navigate while doing everything they’re doing to sing and project,” Law said.
At 8 p.m. Friday night, Law and Tzvetkov worked together along with the cast and crew to put on the IU Opera and Ballet Theater production of “The Magic Flute” at the Musical Arts Center.
The opera follows Tamino as he is told to find the Queen of the Night’s daughter, Pamina, when she is taken from the evil Sarastro. When Tamino sees Pamina’s picture, he immediately falls in love with her and accepts the quest. Along with his newfound friend, Papageno, Tamino embarks on a journey into a mystical land with the aid of a magic flute given to him by the queen’s ladies in service.
As people meandered into the MAC before the show, Virginia Gest, a Bloomington resident of 50 years, waited in the lobby for the house doors to open. This was not the first time she’s seen this opera, she said, and she looked forward to the presentation and music the most.
“This is going to be a good, happy experience,” Gest said. “It’s Mozart, and it’s going to be colorful and exciting. I’m particularly drawn by stage settings and colors.”
When Law and Tzvetkov first started planning on what the overall look of the opera would be, they imagined it taking place in a fairytale land.
“We’re not going for realism here,” Tzvetkov said. “It’s supposed to make you feel very magical and fairy-like.”
In order to make the magical-like set and costumes into a reality, Law and Tzvetkov started assembly for the production during ?spring break.
In addition the costumes, Tzvetkov also assembled any accessories, shoes and even undergarments any of the performers need.
“There’s a lot that you don’t see in the audience that’s there,” Tzvetkov said. “But that’s kind of the fun part, how you build from underneath it to get the ?desired look.”
One element was the large puppets used throughout the opera. While Law didn’t create the puppets herself, she needed to repair some of them due to wear and tear from the previous use of the opera house.
“There were a lot of puppet surgeries and resuscitations,” Law said, adding that because she had a little bit of background with the same materials and puppetry, it was fun to get into somebody else’s work and make it work.
Tzvetkov and Law said they were never working on just one production at once, and as a result, things could get pretty hectic backstage.
“One of the things I love about opera is that it’s huge and stressful,” Tzvetkov said. “We very rarely get to just sit down and work on something. There are always 20 other things happening at the same time.”
With only 11 full-time staff members in charge putting the production together, Law and Tzvetkov said they had a lot of help from students that don’t necessarily come in knowing a lot about the technical side of operas. In addition to being costume or prop specialists, Law and Tzvetkov said they always looked forward to getting the chance to be teachers.
“There’s a lot of that artistic maker’s satisfaction that you get from a good, solid engineering,” Law said. “We have a lot of student workers in our shop and help them grow their skills and watch them transform on stage. Over a course of time, it’s ?really that satisfaction.”
