Lyric Opera of Chicago to Open Its Doors For Backstage Tours, 10/17
By: Matt Smith Oct. 13, 2015
Chicago - Lyric Opera is opening the doors of the Civic Opera House to the public on several dates starting in October. "As part of Lyric's ongoing strategic plan and audience development initiatives, we are delighted to invite the public to explore our amazing home," says Anthony Freud, Lyric's general director.
"We are confident that those who are visiting Lyric for the first time on these tours will return to experience live performance at its finest, whether an opera, an operetta, an American musical, or a concert," says Lisa Middleton, Lyric's director of marketing. "This is a wonderful way for us to engage new audiences."
OPEN HOUSE CHICAGO -
Saturday, October 17, 9am - 4:30pm. Free.
The art-deco splendors and onstage workings of the Civic Opera House will be accessible to visitors during Open House Chicago, Chicago Architecture Foundation's annual all-city event. The Rice Grand Foyer and Ardis Krainik Theatre will be open to visitors, who will be able to observe stagehands turning over scenery from The Marriage of Figaro to Cinderella in the first part of the day. Ensemble members of Lyric's Ryan Opera Center will perform selections from Lyric's current season 1:00-1:30pm. Throughout the day visitors can see the exhibition Ten: A Season of Creative Women at Lyric in the lower-level Opera Club gallery.
LYRIC FROM THE INSIDE for NATIONAL OPERA WEEK -
Wednesday, October 28, 5 - 7pm. Free.
To celebrate Opera America's National Opera Week (Oct. 23-Nov. 1), Lyric is welcoming visitors to explore the company's inner workings. Enter via the opera-house loading docks on Washington Street and Wacker Drive, walk onto the stage and get a sneak preview of the set for the new production of Wozzeck, see the wings and the scenery handling area, visit the orchestra pit and explore the area under the stage, check out displays of props and wigs & makeup, ride the freight elevator six floors up to cross a catwalk, try on costumes, see demos of lighting and other stagecraft, and more - including a sampler of live opera music performed by members of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center.
PUBLIC BACKSTAGE TOURS - NEW THIS SEASON -16 weekday morning tour dates Wednesday, October 21 through Tuesday, April 19. $15.
For the first time, Lyric is offering public backstage tours of the opera house throughout the season. Geared towards fans of architecture and the arts, tourists, groups, and anyone who has ever wanted to see beyond the footlights of this storied theater, the special, one-hour experience progresses from the elegant "front-of-house" Rice Grand Foyer and Ardis Krainik Theatre to the orchestra pit and several backstage/behind-the-scenes destinations. Before or after the tour, visitors can also enjoy a visit to the lower-level Opera Club to see the exhibition Ten: A Season of Creative Women at Lyric. Lyric backstage tours start at 10am on the following dates:
October 21, 30
November 5, 16, 23
December 3, 9, 11, 15
January 14, 29
February 3, 25
March 2, 7
April 19
Purchase tickets at lyricopera.org/backstagetours. Group tours may be arranged on these or additional dates by contacting our group sales department at 312-828-5927 or groupsales@lyricopera.org. These new weekday public backstage tours are in addition to student educational tours and the extended and premium weekend backstage tours offered each spring by Lyric's Guild Board.
About Lyric
Founded in 1954, Lyric Opera of Chicago's mission is to express and promote the life-changing, transformational, revelatory power of great opera. Lyric exists to provide a broad, deep, and relevant cultural service to Chicago and the nation, and to advance the development of the art form.
Lyric is dedicated to producing and performing consistently thrilling, entertaining, and thought-provoking opera with a balanced repertoire of core classics, lesser-known masterpieces, and new works; to creating an innovative and wide-ranging program of community engagement and educational activities; and to developing exceptional emerging operatic talent. Under the leadership of general director Anthony Freud, music director Sir Andrew Davis, and creative consultant Renée Fleming, Lyric strives to become The Great North American Opera Company for the 21st century: a globally significant arts organization embodying the core values of excellence, relevance, and fiscal responsibility.
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