Back in the familiar confines of 麻豆传媒映画Operas basement costume department, Parvin Mirhady is still processing her recent glimpse at how the other half live. Or, to be precise, how the other half costume.
Shes just returned from assisting San Francisco Opera with their production of Nixon in China, which utilizes costumes Mirhady designed and created two years ago. And while the wardrobe was familiar, their process was completely foreign.
I couldnt believe it. My whole costume shop is not even 3,000 square feet. Their costume shop is over 12,000 square feet. Their shoe place is bigger than my whole costume shop, she exclaims. From what I saw, they could spend as much money as they want. When we did Nixon in China, we spent $700 to $800 for shoes for all of our dancers. They spent $10,000.
And yet, the head of costumes never found herself questioning the (opera) company she keeps. Rather, the key question that arose for her was: Who has more fun?
Undoubtedly, Mirhady delights in every aspect of her job. This is perhaps most evident than when she shows off the stage jewelry shes secured for Mlada Khudoley, the Moscow-born star of the upcoming production of Aida, by scouring the likes of Le Chateau and Forever 21. It seems a modest budget has encouraged Mirhady to bring her resourcefulness and creativity to the fore.
With Aidas April 21 premiere drawing ever nearer, she also displays some impressive composure. The lavish David Gately-directed production will feature 116 people on stage, a marked increase from the usual 60 to 70 performers. Of course, those increased numbers also better the odds of something going awry. For example? We learned last week that were short 10 complete costumes, Mirhady recalls. We made it but...
While youd expect such a memory to be tinged with residual panic, Mirhady simply shrugs casually. After 14 years with 麻豆传媒映画Opera, shes weathered practically every crisis imaginable. And without fail, the show has gone on. Albeit not without some Herculean efforts by everyone involved.
A member of Mirhadys costume department recently returned after a long absence. Reacquainting herself with the workload, she expressed her utter disbelief that the head of costumes had survived so long. I have to laugh, says Mirhady before countering, I wouldnt be alive if I wasnt that busy.
And once the performers take to the stage, all of the hardships are forgotten. The moment they open their mouth to sing, I really get goosebumps, she declares. Its just amazing. Many times, I say to myself, Why do I get paid for this job?
