I was sitting around with a couple of other forumites tonight and we were discussing things that we'd never have thought we'd have had to learn to be an opera singer.

Things like =waltzing= (long discussion on how so few people learn to dance anymore!). Improvising how to kill someone when the prop knife has gone missing. I was a bit embarrassed to admit that I had to light a cigarette during a run of a show once, and being a non-smoker, I'd had no clue that you're supposed to inhale a bit as you do it to get the thing to light and fortunately the costume guy took me aside and showed me!

What other things have you all had to learn quick, or do you wish you'd learned earlier?



________________________
Even after all this time
the sun never says to the earth,
You owe me.

Look what happens with
a love like that.
It lights the whole sky.

--Hafiz

Doing Chicago as a non dancer was hard, but they needed males who could sing to fill out the chorus!!! Thankfully they only used me for 3 numbers with involving dancing!

Stu the crazy bass from down under


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Polar bears for Obama!!

Avoid criticizing a colleague's performance or behavior with people in the biz. So I guess I'd call the skill "keeping your snarkhorn in its case".

Acting. You can't get too much acting experience or training, including improv.

Languages. I love languages and have studied them since junior high, but it's still not enough!

Seconding the dancing. Everyone could use a lesson or two on waltz and polka, as well as some of the basic MT moves, like grapevine, Charleston, soft shoe combinations, if you're ever going to do MT. I went to tap boot camp to do Crazy for You and it about killed me. Baroque moves such as minuet, and some of the less athletic ballet moves.

Teaching middle school taught me a lot about how to deal with difficult people. A lot of times when people are being difficult, they are temporarily or permanently stuck in an immature mode, and you have to be ready to deal with that.

How to read a room. auditions, rehearsals, recitals, warmup rooms, reception lines, parties.


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''It is easy to say that such and such a
singer has sold his soul, when really we are
only annoyed that Satan has never offered
us as high a price.''

- William Vennard

1)research skills- what to research, where, which to keep, etc.,

2)awareness - call it awakening, call it being in the now, etc.,

3)PR skills- One of the main reasons why I subscribe to Classical Singer is because of the über fabulous, informative and no BS "Ask Erda" column. I learned/still learning about PR through her!

4) Packing- need I say more?

5) Languages.

6) Time Management

7) NYC Subway System

8) Learning to sleep my way to the top. - KIDDING (just wanna make sure I still have your attention).

9) Fashion- what's in, what's out, what's hot, what's not, etc.,

10) Self-control- as in not being star struck when meeting famous musicians like Mirella Freni, Renée Fleming, Juan Diego Florez, among others. I almost fainted when I saw Dolora Zajick while waiting in SF Opera House. She was laughing when she saw how I looked as I tried not to faint.