Microscopic Opera brings intimacy to stage

“The Monkey’s Paw” and “Happy Garden of Life”

Sept. 17-19

Eastside Shopping… “The Monkey’s Paw” and “Happy Garden of Life”

Sept. 17-19

Eastside Shopping Center

5996 Penn Circle

Tickets $20

www.microscopicopera.org

When people think opera, they think big voices, big costumes and a big stage. But for the directors of Pittsburgh’s unconventional new Microscopic Opera Company, these are the aspects of performance farthest from consideration.

The Microscopic Opera Company is the brainchild of co-artistic directors and longtime colleagues Andres Cladera and Erica Olden. It was founded in 2009 and has stayed true to its founding goal of producing intimate, contemporary English-language operas, performed by flourishing local musicians.

As opposed to the grandiose spectacle most companies employ, The Microscopic Opera uses a compact theater space and a small 10-piece orchestra.

“We like to bring our audiences really close to the performers,” Olden said.

This cozy atmosphere, paired with an increased emphasis on theatrical elements, ensures the company is set apart from the Pittsburgh Opera and the Opera Theater.

In the interests of narrative, Cladera and Olden seek out directors who can make stories on a page shine as brightly as songs do. Not coincidentally, both pieces featured this month — the one-act chamber operas “The Monkey’s Paw” and “Happy Garden of Life” — find their roots in literature. Satirist Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “2BR02B” is the source material for composer Katarzyna Brochocka’s “Happy Garden,” and composer Jonathan Kupper’s “The Monkey’s Paw” was first a novella of the same name by W.W. Jacobs.

Both Brochocka’s and Kupper’s pieces have a long history. As is the norm with such productions, the shows went through cycles of workshops and revisions, employing a myriad of collaborators — Kupper worked with Rachel Sheinkin, Tony Award winning librettist of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” on a 2000 draft of his play.

The operas began to gain acclaim this year when they qualified as finalists in the renowned Opera Vista Competition in Houston. Neither piece walked away with the biggest award, but Brochocka was awarded the inaugural Artistic Director’s Prize.

It was there, in Texas, that Cladera and Olden discovered “Happy Garden of Life” and “The Monkey’s Paw,” becoming captivated by the stories’ thematic elements. They recognized the shows as being “right up [their] alley” and operas that they themselves would want to see.

“Wow! Someone wrote a Kurt Vonnegut opera. I want to do that,” Olden, a sci-fi fan, said he exclaimed after leaving the theater.

Once the process of obtaining rights for the shows was completed, it was time to find a space. In the case of the Microscopic Opera, though, “find” meant “build.” The company uses a method referred to as “guerilla,” or on-site, theater, practiced by other Pittsburgh companies to renovate idiosyncratic environments. The space for their shows became an abandoned portion of the Eastside Shopping Center in East Liberty.

For old friends and longtime associates like Olden and Cladera, this opportunity presented endless possibilities for fun and adventure. Still, they never anticipated the difficulties of what Olden called — with tongue firmly in cheek — a “glamorous” job.

“It’s much easier to go to a theater with toilets, electricity and insurance,” said Olden.

Up until the last minute, the finishing touches on the space were still being completed. Preparations began in mid-August, and the entire set of the show was built in one night of work by a hired carpenter. The undertaking wasn’t easy, but the shows — now in their second and final week of running — undeniably benefited from the unconventional stage.

Although they have plenty on their plate already, The Microscopic Opera’s artistic directors have big plans for the future. These include the Pittsburgh premiere of well-known composer Jake Heggie’s “Three Decembers” and a possible second run outside of the city.

Olden and Cladera abide by a simple philosophy: No matter how large or small a show’s production value is, people will come out if the artists involved infuse their work with passion. Storytelling and entertainment are the hallmarks of The Microscopic Opera Company, and to the directors, these need no grand arrangements.