Memories of the First Season by Sheri Greenawald

This season’s production of Don Pasquale features a cameo appearance by soprano Sheri Greenawald as the Notary. Sheri sang the role of Norina in OTSL’s inaugural 1976 performance and kindly offered us these memories of that first season. 

Richard Gaddes brought together such a bright group of young talent, and we were all enthused to help launch the company. I was lucky enough to know dear Richard already from Santa Fe, so I would didn’t hesitate to accept the contract to sing at his new company.  

I also was very close friends with our stage director Christopher Alden; in fact, during that first season, Christopher and I shared an apartment at the lovely Garden Apartments (just down the street from the theater), which is where most of the young artists were housed. It had a somewhat dormitory feel! Even after all these years, I can still recall the sound of the train that ran by the Garden Apartments around about 4 a.m. and always woke me up. And I’ll never forget the smell of honeysuckle that grew outside the back door of our apartment! 

We artists hung out together constantly. It was the best part of “festival” work…to be able to establish such close relationships with one’s colleagues and to simply have communion in what is often a very lonely profession.  

I can’t remember where we rehearsed that summer, as rehearsal spaces often changed…from school auditoriums to spaces in shopping malls. But we got the job done! I suppose I was surprised when I moved into the theater to find the thrust stage and the vomitoria. But I came to enjoy waiting in the “voms” for my entrances. Vinson Cole and I could be very naughty waiting there…one could make faces at someone on stage, but the audience couldn’t see us!  

I came to love the thrust stage and the intense proximity of the audience, who could see every nuance of one’s acting choices. That proximity is what makes Opera Theatre so special. Nowhere else can you feel so connected to the people for whom you are performing, and we could sense that from day one.  

We sang our hearts out, and, ah, what we did for love and OTSL!