The Jo(e)y of Opera IV - Meet Our Stage Director Kathleen Stakenas

1. What is your hometown? Where do you live now?  Hometown is Livonia, Michigan; Current town is Shelby, North Carolina

2.)  What was your educational/career path that led you to Piedmont Opera's production of Pagliacci?  I was in a Creative and Performing Arts program in high school, then I studied a double major of Voice and Business in undergrad (BS in Music Management).  My internships were in directing and stage management.  After that, I got a full ride in Opera Directing from Florida State University for my Master's in Music, and I have been working professionally ever since.

3.) Tell us about the concept Pagliacci and the idea of experiential or immersive theater. What can we expect?  The concept is a traveling theatre troupe touring America during an ambiguous period between 1968 and 1985.  They set up for a show in a small town in North Carolina.  We are leaning into the realistic approach to the score with a nod to Commedia dell'arte, taking the focus away from the traditional "Clown show."  The non-traditional space creates a circus-tent environment, with seats on all sides, when the play within a play begins in Act II.  There will be acts performed before the show and at intermission to make it a full evening of entertainment.

4.) What is the most challenging aspect of mounting an opera in a non-traditional space like the Millennium Center.  The most challenging aspects are the sightlines and finding focus for the audience of where to look when.  Not every seat can see the whole show all the time, but every seat offers a different part of the experience.  This is a great opportunity for getting tickets for multiple nights in different sections of the venue to get more than one vantage point. 

5.) What is your favorite opera? And what makes it so?   My favorite opera is La Traviata by Verdi.  It is so well written, both musically and dramatically.  The progression for Violetta throughout the show is so heart-wrenching by the time we arrive in Act IV.  It is very engaging to watch and even more fulfilling to direct.