L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano "Se avete due pani, vendetene uno e comprate un fiore, perché anche l'anima ha fame." I f o n e h a s t w o l o a v e s o f bread, sell one and buy a flower, for the soul also has hunger. This Italian proverb spoken b y C i n d y F e l i c e ' s m o t h e r throughout her life signifies her j o u r n e y f r o m c h i l d h o o d a r t s appreciation to becoming the Props Master for the Portland Opera. "My grandparents all came f r o m l i t t l e I t a l i a n v i l l a g e s , " states Cindy, "and they all made things- shoes, wine, clothing, Italian lace, good food! And they all sang. As a matter of fact, my father sings, (albeit u n p r o f e s s i o n a l l y ) a n d h i s weekly venue, the local grocery store, is where his performances would take place while he was doing his shopping. He happens to be a dead ringer for Pavarotti, only 1 ½' shorter, so those in a t t e n d a n c e g a v e h i m t h e nickname, mini-Pavarotti! They all looked forward to his weekly visits. My family has been long- time subscribers to the orchestra and the opera. There was always an emphasis on these things." Cindy started her career at Florida Grand Opera, moving on to Philadelphia to work for the Walnut Street Theater, and then a few years later the beautiful, Opera Philadelphia. "I was very happy to be back in the most Italian of art forms and working in a beautiful reproduction of La Scala, where my mother used to come as a teenager and sit in the nosebleed seats for half price." C i n d y m a d e h e r w a y t o P o r t l a n d w h e n a c o l l e a g u e became the Production Stage Manager at the Portland Opera and informed her of the opening in props. There are no typical days in the life of a Props Master. "This is a collaborative art form," Cindy conveys, "so how well it works for everyone else is very important. From how it works for the singers (allowing them to d o w h a t t h e y n e e d t o d o ) t o realizing the director's vision. S o m e t h i n g p e o p l e o f t e n don't realize is how specific everything needs to be- it's not just a chair, but a chair that looks like this and does exactly that; it's not just a phone, it's this kind of particular phone; it's not just a rock, it's a rock of this exact size and shape that w o m e n i n 1 8 9 0 s h e e l s & costume can manage to climb up on and walk around without having their heels go through, and matches the set!" When the work is done and the show opens, then and only then, does Cindy get a chance to relax, and reflect, "Although o p e r a s i n g e r s c a n h a v e a reputation for being divas, most of them are not. I find that most o f t h e m a r e l e s s p i c k y a n d d e m a n d i n g t h a n actors. Shocking, huh?" She TONYA RUSSO HAMILTON muses. I n l o o k i n g b a c k , C i n d y r e m i n i s c e s a b o u t h e r m o s t m e m o r a b l e s h o w - a p o p a r t v e r s i o n o f C e n e r e n t o l a (Cinderella) she did with an I t a l i a n d i r e c t o r , D a v i d e Livermore. Set in the 1950s in the style of Lichtenstein it used p r o j e c t i o n s , v i d e o , a n d b o l d graphic painting & colors on the s e t , a n d p r o p s , w h i c h w e r e designed by Santi Centino. Cindy recalls, "To translate the story to a modern era, the stepsisters and mother lived in a swanky European condominium. C i n d e r e l l a w a s i n a m a i d ' s costume, rather than rags, and part of the set was a kitchen and a washing machine. Fun things happened on this stunning set, like when the washing machine opened and bubbles flew out. And in the end, Cinderella's pumpkin turned out to be an o r a n g e a n d b l a c k , v i n t a g e motorcycle with a sidecar!" It was also during this show, that Cindy designed her all-time favorite prop, a "magic" vacuum cleaner. It followed Cinderella around on stage like a little dog, keeping her company and doing all her chores without her ever touching it. Cindy accomplished this feat by purchasing a vintage vacuum and then modifying it to sit on top of a remote control car. "A stage manager spent most of the production maneuvering the car on cue to the music. The v a c u u m w a s t r e a t e d a s a character, interacting with the people onstage. It was in almost every scene, and at one point, Cinderella even reaches down and gives it a little scratch on the "nose." It's the only prop I've ever built that got to take a bow at the curtain call to a big l a u g h a n d a b i g r o u n d o f applause!" Cindy is currently working on recreating the props for the M a u r i c e S e n d a k s e t f o r T h e Magic Flute for the 2016 opera season. "Sadly, the originals w e r e d e s t r o y e d d u r i n g a hurricane." I n l o o k i n g a h e a d , C i n d y a s s e r t s , " I ' m e x c i t e d a b o u t future opportunities that take advantage of the diversity of my s k i l l s e t a n d a l l o w f o r m y continued growth and learning. I ' m a l w a y s u p f o r a g o o d c h a l l e n g e , e s p e c i a l l y i f i t ' s unusual and dramatic!" Food for the soul. For more on Cindy's work, v i s i t h e r w e b s i t e a t : cindyfelice.net. PORTLAND ITALIAN COMMUNITY Props in Portland: A Glimpse Behind the Magic Portland Opera Props Master Cindy Felice Rinaldo Portland Opera - Photo by Cory Weaver Galileo Galilei Portland Opera - Photo by Cory Weaver

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