News & Views

We need to talk about women

Audition Oracle – Wed 27 Sep 2017 @ 10:58

This weeks guest blog post from comes from the Artistic Director of Head First Productions Sophie Gilpin. This blog really resonated with us at Audition Oracle - a female led company employing predominantly female staff. 

We need to talk about women.

Earlier this month, Victoria Sadler wrote a, quite frankly, depressing article about the lack of work by female writers being programmed in the leading London theatres. The only theatre to come out in a positive light was Vicky Featherstone’s Royal Court, with a stonking ten out seventeen plays in the 2017 season written by women. At the other end of the scale was the Old Vic Theatre which programmed - can you guess? - zero plays by women in 2017, and only one a year in 2015 and 2016.

But let’s talk about opera. 

For the purposes of this blog I’m more interested in the people running the opera houses than I am about the horrifying balance of male to female composers; that’s a different can of worms and one I’m not sure I know where to start to investigate, although special mention must go to Roxanna Panufnik (composer) and Jessica Duchen (librettist) for Silver Birch. 

I run a theatre company called HeadFirst Productions. I am also a woman. It’s very easy to reel off a list of small- to mid-scale, female-led opera companies: 

Opera up Close (Robin Norton-Hale)

Pop up Opera (Clementine Lovell)

Time Zone Theatre/Opera in the City (Pamela Schermann)

Helios Collective (Ella Marchment)

Size Zero Opera (Laura Bowler)

Celebrate Voice (Lynsey Docherty)

Unexpected Opera (Lynn Binstock)

Metta Theatre (Poppy Burton-Morgan)… the list goes on. 

But jump up in scale and every single major opera company in Great Britain is led by men:

Royal Opera House - male Director of Music and Director of Opera

English National Opera - male Artistic Director and Music Director 
(and an outgoing female CEO, Cressida Pollock)

Glyndebourne - male General Director and Music Director

Opera North - male General Director 
(currently no Music Director, but previously all have been men)

Scottish Opera - male General Director and Music Director

Welsh National Opera - male Artistic Director and Music Director 
(but a female Managing Director, Leonora Thompson)

Opera Holland Park - male General Director and Director of Opera

The Grange Festival - male Artistic Director and General Manager

Grange Park Opera - male Executive Director 
(but a female founder, Wasfi Kani)

Garsington Opera - male Artistic Director 
(but a female Executive Director, Nicola Creed)

English Touring Opera - male General Director and Music Director

So what’s happening?

Why is there such a drastic gender balance switch from the small scale to the large scale? Every event I attend aimed at early career Directors and Artistic Directors is full of young women hungry to lead an organisation or to run a building, and yet even if I include non-opera producing houses I can count on two hands the number of women in senior leadership positions.

My experience is that creative teams also lean the same way. For a long time I have considered myself a fairly vocal feminist. But until recently I’d become so used to working with more men than women over the years that not only had I not minded regularly being the only woman in a room, but I suddenly realised that I hadn’t even been noticing it. The gender imbalance of my working life had become my new normal and I had accepted that. 

Unfortunately I am particularly drawn to the music of the 18th and 19th century which means that to some extent it is inevitable that the work I prefer to direct is composed by men. Nothing is achieved by lamenting the lack of female opera composers from 200-300 years ago but we can - and should - redress the balance by ensuring that women can contribute artistically when we stage these works in the 21st century. 

I’ve been following with fascination - and great admiration - Alice Farnham’s tireless efforts to engage with more female Conductors. From the weekend courses at Morley College in 2014 for young women interested in a conducting career, to the recent announcement of the collaboration between ROH, NOS and RPS to establish a Women Conductors course in 2018, she’s doing an astonishingly good job at tackling the archaic belief of some dinosaurs that conducting can be too physically demanding for women and that “a cute girl on the podium” can make musicians’ thoughts drift elsewhere. Whilst I acknowledge that people who hold extreme views like this are probably (hopefully?) in the minority, the paucity of women conducting at any level is indicative of a greater problem.

As an Artistic Director (or General Director, or Music Director or Director of Opera…) we have a responsibility to continue to have conversations about gender equality in the industry, both in terms of the representation of woman on stage and in terms of the people we choose to work alongside. 

At the end of this month A Festival of Sex, Love and Death opens at the Pleasance Theatre. Our flagship production is Don Giovanni, arguably one of the most problematic operas when considering the objectification of women. The opera can so easily be overly concerned with male desire and the women become little more than Giovanni's playthings. However, our all female production team is approaching it from the point of view of the women. Whilst we are not altering the libretto at all, we will ensure that not only is the action driven by the three women, but that they are strong, active characters with their own identities outside of their association to the nearest man. Being desired can be intoxicating. So what happens when a simple flirtation changes gear, and an innocent seduction becomes sexual manipulation? And worse, what happens if - by the time you’ve realised what’s happening - you’ve already fallen for the one man you know you shouldn’t?

So with this festival HeadFirst Productions is doing our bit to throw some more light onto the problem. Across the entire festival, the gender balance is in our favour; where there's an all male show it's been programmed as a double bill with an all-female show. Where there's a male writer, there's a female producer, and where there's a male Music Director, there's a female Director. 

Our all-female creative team for Don Giovanni consists of our Conductor, Director, Designer, Production Manager, Language Coach and Assistant Director. 50% of our orchestra are women and our Young Artist répétiteur is also a woman. When the entire company is in a room at the same time, women are going to outnumber men for the first time in my professional career. 

Going back to the gender gap between small and large scale, I do feel optimistic that things are changing. I hope that as the women currently in their twenties and thirties continue to develop their careers, they will shatter the glass ceiling so completely that we’ll soon see truly equal representation of gender across the board, and can finally stop having this conversation.

Ladies - the one thing I urge is that every time we take a step up the ladder, we reach back and hold out a hand to someone who needs it. If we don’t, who will?

Don Giovanni and A Festival of Sex, Love & Death takes place at the Pleasance Theatre Islington from 26 October - 4 November. 
Tickets are £12-£15 and can be bought online at pleasance.co.uk. 
For the full festival lineup, see headfirstproductions.org/current-production(includes a masterclass with Sir Thomas Allen)

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10 step check list for audition application success!

Audition Oracle – Thu 14 Sep 2017 @ 8:05

10 step check list for audition application success!

You have found a fantastic audition or work opportunity for which you:-

1. Fit the brief.  If you don’t, save your time and energy. Be selective.
2. Are available for the rehearsals period & shows as required. Companies have limited audition slots. If you knowingly audition for them when you aren’t free for the work, you risk frustrating the company and being blacklisted next time.

Now it is time to make a thoughtful, clear and concise application. Your cover letter, email or message is the first thing reaching the opera company before they even open your CV. Give time and attention to this initial contact to give your applicaiton the best possible chance of being selected.

Have you...

Filled out the subject line?

Have they requested specific info here? If not, make the subject line useful by including name, voice-type and role to be considered for.

Addressed the email/message or letter apropriately?

If one is not given, research an appropriate name within the company. No names available? Include a polite introduction such as 'Dear Sir/Madam,'.

Remembered to state why you are contacting the company.

They may be advertising for many different positions. “I am a bass-baritone and would like to be considered for the role of happy sprite in The Miserable Ghost as advertised on Audition Oracle”. We have seen ‘I want to audition' or "would like to audition for opportunity above" as the ONLY text included! 

Been asked for a motivational paragraph?

If so, it is vital that you take the time to do this. Ignore it and you risk appearing disinterested. Keep it succinct (they don't have time to read a thesis) and be sure to answer any questions.          

Attached all requested documents or files?

If they ask for a filled-out application form rather than a CV, do take the time to do it as this will be part of their selection process

Attached a one page CV saved in your name as a PDF and under a specific size?

It takes second. Open the document, click 'save as' then select PDF from the drop-down list of formats. Google can tell you how to change the name of a file or re-size a document depending on the computer you use. More information about creating your one page CV HERE.

Included sound files or links to sound files?

Links are quicker to access and do not clog-up inboxes. Lots of free media sharing tools exist – soundcloud, vimeo, you tube.

Signed off politely and correctly?

“Yours Josephine” is a little different to “Yours, Josephine!”

Checked your spelling and grammar one last last time?

Auto correct has a lot to answer for!

Included your contact details?

Ensure your electronic signature with suitable contact details and links to your online casting profile / website are that the bottom of your email. Make it as easy as possible for a company to consider and contact you. 

You're good to go! Toi, toi, toi for the opera audition season ahead.

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Are you ready for the opera audition season ahead?

Audition Oracle – Fri 1 Sep 2017 @ 9:15

Are you ready for the opera audition season ahead?

So, you have finished up your summer season contract and if lucky, have had a holiday and are now refreshed and ready to go. Or are you?

Have you…

Prepared your audition repertoire?

• Do you have five contrasting arias up your sleeve and ready to go at the drop of a hat?
• Is it repertoire that you can be cast in right now?
• Can you sing it even when you are only firing on 80%?
• Does it show off your unique qualities and abilities that help set you apart?

Updated your CV?

• The predominant UK preference is a one page CV saved as a PDF
• Check the file size and reduce if over 1MB.
• Make life easy for the administrator or casting assistant and save it in your name and voice type
• Read more about creating your CV HERE

Got an eye-catching, up to date photo?

• Out-of-date or poor quality photos can seriously hamper your chances of being selected for an audition.
• Make sure yours is a good representation of you and catches some of the spark of your character
• Include your photo within your CV

Recorded your audio & video files?

• More and more companies are selecting candidates not only on CV but also on audio & video files
• Upload your files to Soundcloud, Vimeo or similar so that you can provide a clickable link from which companies can access your audio & video without clogging up thier inbox or exceeding attachment limits
• Add a choice media link to your CV

Done your audition research?

• With more singers than ever competing for less and less audition opportunities, it is important to get your application in early. Don't wait for the deadline
• Since the introduction of company accounts, Audition Oracle has had more and more exclusive opportunities
• With our mobile friendly work & auditions board you can save opportunities for quick reference/to apply later, keep track of your applications
• Make applications on the go. In one click send your CV direct from phone to employer through Audition Oracle
• Receive instant alerts for the opportunities that mater to you and get regular round ups of the opportunities available

Remembered?

• Main house companies rarely publically advertise principle auditions. Their casting is largely done via agents but it is possible to get heard
• Many companies have a policy to hear people that contact them direct
• Update your materials with them whenever you have appropriate notable additions to your CV in line with the level of opportunity they would offer or once to twice a year

 Toi, toi, toi!

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