NewzIt’s less than a 40-minute walk uptown to the Metropolitan Opera House, from where Heartbeat Opera got its humble start in a yoga studio. But for Louisa Proske, it’s been an artist... NEW YORK (AP) — It’s less than a 40-minute walk uptown to the Metropolitan Opera House from where Heartbeat Opera got its humble start in a yoga studio.
But for Louisa Proske, it’s been an artistic journey years in the making. Proske, who co-founded the scrappy company in 2014, is making her Met debut in the highest-profile assignment imaginable: opening the season directing a new production of Verdi’s “Macbeth” with an all-star cast. The job came her way less than a year ago after another director bowed out.
Planning for new productions typically starts two or more years in advance. “I was aware of Louisa’s success at Heartbeat, and she had been on my radar,” Met general manager Peter Gelb said. The design was due yesterday.’” “I said it’s a big challenge,” she added.
“But I love impossible challenges.” Impossible challenges are nothing new for Proske She had plenty of those at Heartbeat, which developed a reputation for reimagining the classics in eye-opening ways while operating on a shoestring budget. Luckily she was able to recruit partners she had already worked with: costume designer Montana Levi Blanco and set designer Jon Bausor — both with previous Met experience — and choreographer Jorrell Lawyer-Jefferson. It also helped that Proske was intimately familiar with the Shakespeare play, having written her thesis on it at the University of Cambridge.
Now for the past few weeks, she has put her knowledge and imagination to work, immersing her cast — which includes a contingent of dancing witches — in what she calls “a terrifying tale for terrifying times.” A Met newcomer who took charge like a veteran And if she felt any trepidation about taking on such a huge challenge at a huge house, it wasn’t apparent in rehearsal. “If this had been my first outing with the Met, I would have guessed that she’d been working here for at least a few years,” said baritone Quinn Kelsey, who portrays Macbeth. “She doesn’t come in there like a drill sergeant, but when she needs everyone’s attention, she gets it.
“It’s obvious she’s excited,” he said, “and wanting to show us all these wonderful ideas she’s come up with for us to portray our characters.” Kelsey he… But for Louisa Proske, it’s been an artistic journey years in the making.Proske, who co-founded the scrappy company in 2014, is making her Met debut in the highest-profile assignment imaginable: opening the season directing a new production of Verdi’s “Macbeth” with an all-star cast.The job came her way less than a year ago after another director bowed out. “That sealed the deal,” she said.It also helped that Proske was intimately familiar with the Shakespeare play, having written her thesis on it at the University of Cambridge.Now for the past few weeks, she has put her knowledge and imagination to work, immersing her cast — which includes a contingent of dancing witches — in what she calls “a terrifying tale for terrifying times.”A Met newcomer who took charge like a veteranAnd if she felt any trepidation about taking on such a huge challenge at a huge house, it wasn’t apparent in rehearsal.“If this had been my first outing with the Met, I would have guessed that she’d been working here for at least a few years,” said baritone Quinn Kelsey, who portrays Macbeth.
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