October 07, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

The show must go on

by Rebecca Wallace

A key role at West Bay Opera is still waiting to be cast.

With the opera's 50th season set to begin, the organization has yet to replace general director David Sloss, who abruptly resigned at a gala event four months ago. The lack of a director and fiscal challenges have meant the popular Palo Alto institution has had to realign staff and tighten its belt.

In an interview at West Bay's office last week, Board president Riva Bacon declined to speak in depth about Sloss's resignation or the budget, but said the organization is now in the black.

West Bay is also gearing up for a full three-production season, starting with Mozart's "The Magic Flute," which opens Oct. 14. To keep things on an even keel, West Bay has made some cutbacks, including reducing salaries for singers and musicians, Bacon said. In addition, board members, volunteers from the West Bay Opera Guild and staffers have been filling in on myriad duties traditionally performed by a general director.

"We did step in because we love the company," Bacon said in the office's rehearsal room, surrounded by an organ, set designs thumbtacked to the wall, and a corner bristling with prop spears. "In the beginning it was all scrambling."

She's since taken on the responsibility of talking to grantors and donors, which she hadn't done before. "I'm also dealing with payroll," Bacon said.

Sloss, who joined West Bay in 1981 as a conductor, had continued the tradition of leaders with a long involvement with the organization. It began in 1955 when Vienna-trained concert pianist and conductor Henry Holt founded the organization with his wife, Maria, as the "Little Opera Guild" workshop. After Henry died in 1969, Maria took over as general director, serving until her death in 1998.

When Sloss resigned after seven years as general director, four board members and his wife, Barbara, who had done bookkeeping and accounting for the organization, also stepped down.

Everyone seems to agree that Sloss and the board had different visions for West Bay. While Sloss had hoped for a "spectacular season" with more expensive singers, board members were concerned about affording his plans. Bacon said West Bay had operated at losses progressively amounting to $450,000 during Sloss's eight years as general director, while Sloss said the 2003-04 season ended with a surplus.

Without a general director, "it's been a lot of work," board member Pat Campbell said. "It's forced some of us who were in the background to step forward."

Juggling duties isn't new to Bacon, an alto who often sings in the opera chorus. Campbell, a retired chemist, also wears many hats. She's also president of the opera guild, as well as an avid set builder and painter.

Despite the long hours, Campbell and Bacon said they've enjoyed the opportunity to learn new roles with the group they're devoted to. They also found some good news in opera auditions this fall: auditions typically attract around 100 hopefuls, but this year about 150 people showed up, Bacon said.

Why the increase? Bacon said the board has decided to cast more local singers than in years past, and that perhaps the word has gotten out.

"Some singers were auditioning for a while and had never been cast; they were discouraged," she said.

Overall, Campbell believes things are evening out since Sloss's departure. He attracted both boosters and detractors, she said, and therefore "we lost and gained supporters."

These days, freshly painted sets and the soft smell of newly cut wood have been filling the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto, and folks ranging from costume designers to supernumeraries to principal singers are gearing up for opening night of "The Magic Flute." And Bacon says ticket sales have been healthy.

"Flute" will be followed by Puccini's "Manon Lescaut" in February and Stravinsky's "The Rake's Progress" in May and June. The board has held off on seeking Sloss's replacement until the 2005-06 season got underway; the search is expected to start next month.

There are many diehards among the fans of West Bay, which has a reputation for quality performances in an intimate setting. Bacon speaks of subscribers who have been coming for years and of children who grow up singing in the chorus and memorize every opera, mouthing the words in the wings.

One person who has found particular inspiration at West Bay is Christopher Tani, who got his start there 10 years ago at age 13 as a member of the stage crew.

"I was asked if I could fit under this bed/balcony thing and still be able to crawl around in a circle to make it rotate. My big opera debut was spent under a large bed," he recalled.

Tani then got interested in lighting during a production of "Rigoletto," and ran West Bay's light board for every show from when he was in seventh grade until the year after he graduated from high school. He then earned a degree in stage management from DePaul University and now works as a freelance stage manager in Chicago.

Tani plans to be assistant stage manager at a West Bay production later this year, and says he's optimistic about the coming season, despite the changes.

"There are very few companies like West Bay that give young people such a hands-on, nuts-and-bolts education about opera," he said. "Not all who work there will go on to become theater professionals but they all know how to work as a large team, to meet deadlines and to be responsible. I am not sure that anything could change that part of the spirit of West Bay Opera."

Longtime set designer Jean-Francois Revon is also hopeful about the season. "It's very unfortunate that he (Sloss) left. But I'm hoping that it will bring in new blood to the productions," he said.

And even such a dramatic personnel turnover was not as painful as the economic downturn, when ticket sales and donations plummeted, Revon said.

"What we went through five years ago, like so many arts groups, was really a shock. Now without a general manager, it's not as hard," he said with a wry chuckle. "We've all worked together for a long time so we know how to survive."


What: West Bay Opera's production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute."


Where: Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.


When: Two weekends from Oct. 14 through Oct. 23. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m.


Cost: Performances are $50 (half price for youth), except for Oct. 14, which is $75 and includes a champagne reception, and Oct. 21, which is $46.


Info: Call (650) 424-9999 or go to www.wbopera.org.

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