Michael Travis Risner has been directing shows with Boulder Opera since 2016. One of his big accomplishments was his bold directing of Don Giovanni at the Dairy arts Center, and most recently, he directed Gato con Botas/ Puss in Boots at Etown. We interviewed Michael to gain insight into his vision for our upcoming performances of La Nozze de Figaro at The Spark.
Q: Tell us about your involvement with BOC all these years.
Oh gosh....I don't even remember how many years we've been doing this! What was our first project? Probably some Carmen or other. Lately, as in the last two years, I have been the resident stage director for BOC along with sometimes getting to sing a thing or two on stage.
Q: How is it stage directing during Covid times? What's BOC doing to keep the singers safe?
COVID has definitely thrown a wrench into certain aspects of staging. Physical intimacy (kisses, embraces, even handshakes) has been laid aside for safety reasons. Since most operas have to do with love in some guise, staging has become very much about showing intimacy without the physical expression thereof. We require singers to maintain social distance during rehearsals and performances, so the operas are staged to compensate for that. We limit the number of people in our rehearsal and performance spaces according to state and local guidelines, and we wear PPE at all times. During the performances, if the singers choose, they may remove their masks for certain key moments of the opera, but we have set both La Boheme and Le Nozze di Figaro in the current year and time so as to better accommodate the current environment.
Q: Tell us in 2 sentences what Marriage of Figaro is about?
I think it would be easier to describe the nature of the universe in two sentences...Marriage is so rich and deep that it can be about many things depending on what you bring with you to the opera. It can be a love story about Susanna and Figaro, or about the Countess and the Count. It can be a revenge story, or a sex farce; but the fact is, it is all of these things and more.
Why Is Marriage of Figaro such a popular opera?
I think the answer to the above question sums it up, but in addition to the genius of the source material, Mozart's music is sublime. There are moments of effervescence, of pathos, of drama, of tenderness, of silliness, and of longing. Da Ponte's poetry is naughty and funny and witty and charming. It is a perfect opera.
Q: What is your vision for setting this opera?
My production is based wholly on Color Theory. It is the notion that certain colors evoke certain emotions and have meaning. The Count is strong and forceful, so he gets red. The Countess, while not quite as domineering as the Count, is nonetheless a strong character so she is represented by the color orange--related to Red but a shade softer. All of the principal characters have a representative color, just as Mozart chose particular keys and instruments for them.
Q: What's your favorite moment in Le Nozze?
Too many to choose just one! I love the farce that is most of Act II. I love Susanna's Act IV aria. I love the Figaro/Susanna relationship as a whole. See? I can't choose just one!
