1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:19,845 --> 00:00:22,805 [somber music] 4 00:00:31,509 --> 00:00:33,729 - [man] As artistic director of the company, 5 00:00:33,816 --> 00:00:35,296 I have a lot of latitude right now. 6 00:00:38,951 --> 00:00:41,824 I would not be surprised if that latitude is taken away. 7 00:00:43,173 --> 00:00:45,045 Maybe I'll even have to resign. 8 00:00:45,175 --> 00:00:46,698 I thought about that. 9 00:00:48,222 --> 00:00:50,006 [music continues] 10 00:00:52,052 --> 00:00:54,924 People in the opera business used to, in the old days, 11 00:00:55,055 --> 00:00:56,621 talk about Tulsa Opera. 12 00:00:56,708 --> 00:00:58,406 Everyone knew what Tulsa Opera was doing, 13 00:00:58,536 --> 00:00:59,668 they cared about it. 14 00:00:59,798 --> 00:01:01,887 And I want them to care about it again, 15 00:01:01,974 --> 00:01:03,324 I want them to know about it again. 16 00:01:05,717 --> 00:01:08,894 Lucia has performed all of the baritone roles 17 00:01:09,025 --> 00:01:11,984 in Don Giovanni in European opera houses, 18 00:01:12,115 --> 00:01:14,552 but not the role of Don Giovanni, and it was a role 19 00:01:14,683 --> 00:01:16,859 she particularly wanted to perform. 20 00:01:18,861 --> 00:01:22,952 As highly accomplished and exciting as Lucia is... 21 00:01:24,562 --> 00:01:26,564 It's not just America. 22 00:01:27,304 --> 00:01:28,610 It hadn't been done anywhere. 23 00:01:29,741 --> 00:01:31,787 [music continues] 24 00:01:43,538 --> 00:01:45,888 [dramatic music] 25 00:02:02,861 --> 00:02:06,517 [operatic singing] 26 00:02:32,935 --> 00:02:35,546 - My name is Lucia Lucas. 27 00:02:35,677 --> 00:02:38,027 - [bright music] - [indistinct chattering] 28 00:02:40,856 --> 00:02:43,641 - Hip, hip, hip, bump. 29 00:02:45,687 --> 00:02:46,949 [operatic singing] 30 00:02:47,079 --> 00:02:52,259 - I've been singing opera my entire adult life. 31 00:02:52,389 --> 00:02:58,265 I've been singing full time as my only source of income 32 00:02:58,395 --> 00:03:01,964 for the last 10 years over in Germany. 33 00:03:02,094 --> 00:03:05,054 I live there with my wife who is also a full time singer. 34 00:03:09,537 --> 00:03:12,453 - With live performing, there's a freedom in it. 35 00:03:15,064 --> 00:03:18,894 We have the collective cloud 36 00:03:18,981 --> 00:03:22,071 between all of the different media companies, 37 00:03:22,202 --> 00:03:24,378 search engines, streaming services, 38 00:03:24,508 --> 00:03:27,903 all of these things that just collect performances 39 00:03:28,033 --> 00:03:29,600 and data and everything. 40 00:03:29,731 --> 00:03:31,341 But this live performance, 41 00:03:32,168 --> 00:03:34,692 this theater is still sort of sacred in a way. 42 00:03:36,781 --> 00:03:39,001 Only the people who were in that theater 43 00:03:39,131 --> 00:03:41,395 are going to experience that performance. 44 00:03:41,656 --> 00:03:42,483 [operatic singing] 45 00:03:42,613 --> 00:03:45,137 There's no substitute for it. 46 00:03:45,225 --> 00:03:49,054 No matter 4K, 8K, it's not gonna make up for that energy 47 00:03:49,141 --> 00:03:51,187 when you were in person. 48 00:03:52,144 --> 00:03:54,364 [dramatic music] 49 00:04:35,013 --> 00:04:36,798 [tablet whooshes] 50 00:04:38,147 --> 00:04:40,584 - Hello, hi. 51 00:04:41,281 --> 00:04:43,674 - Happy--happy anniversary. - Happy anniversary. 52 00:04:44,936 --> 00:04:46,416 It's 10 years tomorrow 53 00:04:46,547 --> 00:04:48,505 if we go by the original Facebook album, 54 00:04:48,636 --> 00:04:49,985 that I uploaded wrong. 55 00:04:50,551 --> 00:04:52,161 - [chuckles] - Do you remember? 56 00:04:53,989 --> 00:04:55,425 - April 12th, how could I forget? 57 00:04:55,512 --> 00:04:56,905 I didn't know our anniversary for, like, three years. 58 00:04:57,035 --> 00:04:59,473 [Lucia laughs] 59 00:04:59,603 --> 00:05:00,561 [low music] 60 00:05:03,259 --> 00:05:04,565 Well what about you? You've been like 61 00:05:04,652 --> 00:05:08,177 running around, like, at this insane pace. 62 00:05:08,873 --> 00:05:10,179 - [Lucia] Isn't this like actually the first time 63 00:05:10,310 --> 00:05:11,876 that we've video Skyped since I've been here? 64 00:05:12,921 --> 00:05:15,271 - [Ariana] Has it been a week? [indistinct] 65 00:05:15,402 --> 00:05:18,361 - No one knows. No, it's Sunday. 66 00:05:18,448 --> 00:05:20,494 I'm seeing like this much of you. 67 00:05:20,581 --> 00:05:23,235 - The rest of it's not dressed. 68 00:05:23,975 --> 00:05:24,976 - Okay, I don't know if you're smizing 69 00:05:25,107 --> 00:05:26,108 or if you're actually smiling. 70 00:05:27,849 --> 00:05:30,504 - What? - Can you not see your framing? 71 00:05:31,853 --> 00:05:33,550 Oh, sorry. 72 00:05:33,637 --> 00:05:34,725 Never mind, stay where you are. 73 00:05:35,987 --> 00:05:37,815 [chuckling] I-- - What? 74 00:05:38,729 --> 00:05:39,948 - [laughing] Nothing, it's my fault. 75 00:05:40,078 --> 00:05:42,298 - Oh, my God. 76 00:05:42,429 --> 00:05:44,692 [soft music] 77 00:05:44,822 --> 00:05:46,302 [indistinct chattering] 78 00:05:53,135 --> 00:05:57,052 - In any good opera, there is an emotional core. 79 00:05:57,748 --> 00:05:59,837 And if we can find what that is, 80 00:05:59,924 --> 00:06:02,057 it's almost always timeless. 81 00:06:02,187 --> 00:06:04,581 [indistinct chattering] 82 00:06:04,712 --> 00:06:06,757 [piano playing] 83 00:06:06,844 --> 00:06:09,891 Each new opera is compared to these old operas 84 00:06:10,544 --> 00:06:11,980 and if it's good, it sticks around. 85 00:06:12,110 --> 00:06:13,416 And if it's not quite as good, 86 00:06:13,503 --> 00:06:13,982 then it just sort of fades into the distance. 87 00:06:14,069 --> 00:06:15,984 [piano playing] 88 00:06:16,767 --> 00:06:18,421 [Lucia singing] 89 00:06:36,308 --> 00:06:37,658 - [Ariana] How's it going? 90 00:06:38,572 --> 00:06:41,618 - Feels good, gave my jet-lagged A natural. 91 00:06:42,445 --> 00:06:44,055 - I feel like it has, like, more soul in it... 92 00:06:44,578 --> 00:06:45,840 - Yeah. - ...jet-lagged. 93 00:06:45,970 --> 00:06:48,103 Special quality that you can only get 94 00:06:48,233 --> 00:06:50,888 from extreme stress. - Exactly. 95 00:06:51,019 --> 00:06:52,412 - I read this quote, I think it was from Martha Graham 96 00:06:52,499 --> 00:06:55,284 this exact moment in time, doing what you're doing, 97 00:06:55,415 --> 00:06:56,633 that will never exist anywhere else. 98 00:06:56,764 --> 00:06:59,288 And if you try to control the situation, 99 00:06:59,375 --> 00:07:02,944 then you lose that authenticity in that moment, 100 00:07:03,074 --> 00:07:05,294 that special moment. - If we just take our impulses 101 00:07:05,425 --> 00:07:07,383 and lean into them, and we make the most authentic art, 102 00:07:07,514 --> 00:07:08,863 I think that's the most powerful, you know? 103 00:07:10,386 --> 00:07:12,388 - I miss you. - I miss you too. 104 00:07:14,521 --> 00:07:18,873 - [woman] Don Giovanni is a story of a charming person 105 00:07:19,743 --> 00:07:23,399 who abuses his position of wealth and power 106 00:07:23,530 --> 00:07:27,795 and also uses fantastic manipulation 107 00:07:29,492 --> 00:07:34,236 in order to thoroughly enjoy the chase. 108 00:07:34,366 --> 00:07:36,064 That's why I think Don Giovanniis a story 109 00:07:36,194 --> 00:07:37,587 that's still so relevant now. 110 00:07:37,718 --> 00:07:39,763 [operatic singing] 111 00:07:41,156 --> 00:07:44,855 - If the opera feels foreign, 112 00:07:44,986 --> 00:07:47,336 there's almost always a way to update that. 113 00:07:47,467 --> 00:07:49,077 And there are certain operas 114 00:07:49,207 --> 00:07:51,688 that get that treatment more than others. 115 00:07:51,775 --> 00:07:54,604 You can always adjust it to fit your time. 116 00:07:54,691 --> 00:07:58,478 - [man] Don Giovanni is very Don Juan, uber masculine, 117 00:07:58,608 --> 00:08:04,266 sexy, predatory man, toxic masculinity. 118 00:08:04,396 --> 00:08:06,747 Like just the worst type of masculinity. 119 00:08:07,487 --> 00:08:09,097 Don Giovanni is a master of disguise 120 00:08:09,227 --> 00:08:12,666 in this production, you see him change out of his clothes, 121 00:08:12,796 --> 00:08:15,320 into the disguise of some chic woman, 122 00:08:15,451 --> 00:08:18,193 head scarf and a trench coat and red heels and everything, 123 00:08:18,323 --> 00:08:20,761 and just saunter out. 124 00:08:21,675 --> 00:08:25,156 It shows that we're not doing anything traditional here. 125 00:08:25,287 --> 00:08:27,289 - [Tobias] One of the things that sets me apart 126 00:08:27,419 --> 00:08:29,900 from other artistic directors 127 00:08:30,031 --> 00:08:34,383 is that I'm a practicing composer of opera. 128 00:08:34,470 --> 00:08:40,128 And so decisions that I make about repertoire, casting 129 00:08:40,258 --> 00:08:43,174 are informed by the point of view I bring 130 00:08:43,305 --> 00:08:47,352 as a composer, as a creator. I make this stuff. 131 00:08:47,439 --> 00:08:49,354 I like to give singers role debuts 132 00:08:49,485 --> 00:08:52,444 and if I can, American debuts. 133 00:08:53,968 --> 00:08:56,057 Despite the fact that she's American, 134 00:08:56,187 --> 00:08:58,189 this will be her American debut. 135 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,758 [somber music] 136 00:09:01,845 --> 00:09:03,325 - [Lucia] If you are the best in the world, 137 00:09:03,455 --> 00:09:04,935 but that exists in your living room, 138 00:09:05,719 --> 00:09:07,851 you're not gonna have a career. 139 00:09:07,982 --> 00:09:12,116 You have to have at least some sort of structure 140 00:09:12,247 --> 00:09:14,466 so that you get connected with the right people. 141 00:09:14,597 --> 00:09:18,035 Performing is a must, but that's not the job. 142 00:09:19,515 --> 00:09:23,084 The job is traveling all over the place 143 00:09:23,214 --> 00:09:24,433 and not getting sick. 144 00:09:25,129 --> 00:09:27,044 Making personal connections with people 145 00:09:27,175 --> 00:09:30,221 and keeping up relationships, that's the job. 146 00:09:30,352 --> 00:09:31,701 Like, the job is not singing. 147 00:09:31,788 --> 00:09:33,703 If you can just sing really well, 148 00:09:34,399 --> 00:09:35,270 but you don't have any of the other things, 149 00:09:35,357 --> 00:09:36,227 you don't have a career. 150 00:09:38,795 --> 00:09:40,057 [singing opera music] 151 00:09:47,108 --> 00:09:52,766 I enjoy using my engineer brain to tackle problems. 152 00:09:52,896 --> 00:09:54,681 So where video games come in 153 00:09:54,811 --> 00:09:57,945 is they actually occupy the part of my brain 154 00:09:58,075 --> 00:09:59,555 that would worry about something or think about something 155 00:09:59,686 --> 00:10:02,384 that has to happen in the future. 156 00:10:02,471 --> 00:10:04,691 There's enough interaction with my brain 157 00:10:04,821 --> 00:10:06,780 that I don't think about things 158 00:10:06,867 --> 00:10:09,173 and I can actually push those things out of my brain. 159 00:10:09,260 --> 00:10:10,958 [engines revving] 160 00:10:13,047 --> 00:10:19,053 I think it was 1985 or 1986, my dad went to Circuit City. 161 00:10:21,098 --> 00:10:24,493 He felt bad for divorcing my mom 162 00:10:24,624 --> 00:10:27,714 and so he got a Nintendo. 163 00:10:28,628 --> 00:10:30,281 I don't know, I think it was a way for him 164 00:10:30,412 --> 00:10:32,153 to just to sort of connect with me too. 165 00:10:32,283 --> 00:10:34,111 And--and we would play video games. 166 00:10:34,198 --> 00:10:36,244 Because he's-- he's a civil engineer 167 00:10:36,374 --> 00:10:38,420 so puzzles were really fun for him. 168 00:10:38,550 --> 00:10:43,730 And it's always kept my brain in a sharp thinking state 169 00:10:43,860 --> 00:10:47,211 so that I can tackle these ways to keep me in the business. 170 00:10:47,342 --> 00:10:50,214 [soft music] 171 00:10:50,345 --> 00:10:52,782 [indistinct chattering] 172 00:10:57,787 --> 00:11:00,660 - [man] It's an honor to have you tonight. 173 00:11:01,661 --> 00:11:05,229 Here for the patron party, of, uh, the Equality Gala! 174 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:06,796 Give yourself a hand. 175 00:11:06,927 --> 00:11:08,450 [audience clapping] 176 00:11:09,277 --> 00:11:12,019 Because this is an invitation only event and you made it in. 177 00:11:12,976 --> 00:11:15,196 So thank you so much for being here. 178 00:11:15,326 --> 00:11:16,588 We're gonna give away awards 179 00:11:16,719 --> 00:11:19,026 to the youngest and the oldest. 180 00:11:19,156 --> 00:11:20,636 So don't everybody run, 181 00:11:20,767 --> 00:11:22,116 when I start looking for the oldest. 182 00:11:23,508 --> 00:11:25,075 - When I programmed Don Giovanni 183 00:11:25,206 --> 00:11:27,469 for this...the Tulsa Opera, 184 00:11:27,599 --> 00:11:31,255 I started to search the world for the best Don Giovanni 185 00:11:31,386 --> 00:11:32,866 I could find for Tulsa. 186 00:11:32,953 --> 00:11:35,738 And I found Lucia Lucas. 187 00:11:36,347 --> 00:11:38,828 [audience clapping] 188 00:11:48,446 --> 00:11:49,491 - [Lucia] Coming out is difficult 189 00:11:49,621 --> 00:11:51,145 and, you know, not everybody agrees 190 00:11:51,275 --> 00:11:52,276 and some people give you a hard time. 191 00:11:54,278 --> 00:11:59,240 The worst time, absolutely, in my life was in junior high. 192 00:11:59,370 --> 00:12:01,242 [Lucia singing] 193 00:12:02,765 --> 00:12:07,248 It was because...I felt like 194 00:12:10,599 --> 00:12:13,602 my body was betraying my mind 195 00:12:15,169 --> 00:12:16,997 and I've always loved my mind 196 00:12:17,127 --> 00:12:18,738 and my--the way I think about things. 197 00:12:18,825 --> 00:12:20,261 [continues singing] 198 00:12:22,742 --> 00:12:26,746 I guess I had this irrational belief that maybe my brain, 199 00:12:26,876 --> 00:12:28,965 because my brain should be the most powerful thing, 200 00:12:29,052 --> 00:12:31,098 my brain can, like, do this. 201 00:12:31,489 --> 00:12:33,056 [continues singing] 202 00:12:34,536 --> 00:12:37,234 My--my body... 203 00:12:37,887 --> 00:12:41,238 maybe there's some way for my brain 204 00:12:41,369 --> 00:12:46,417 to tell my body, to--to make me grow up into a woman. 205 00:12:46,940 --> 00:12:48,028 [continues singing] 206 00:12:51,248 --> 00:12:52,293 I mean, of course it's an irrational thought. 207 00:12:53,773 --> 00:12:56,123 I thought maybe my brain is strong enough 208 00:12:56,253 --> 00:12:57,646 to--to make this happen. 209 00:12:59,779 --> 00:13:01,737 Um... [sighs] 210 00:13:03,217 --> 00:13:04,218 [continues singing] 211 00:13:06,046 --> 00:13:09,658 I was an only child and my mom, my dad got divorced. 212 00:13:10,833 --> 00:13:12,095 [continues singing] 213 00:13:14,228 --> 00:13:17,231 And that wasn't my fault, that-- that had nothing to do with me. 214 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:19,102 But... 215 00:13:19,233 --> 00:13:21,104 [continues singing] 216 00:13:23,585 --> 00:13:24,760 ...it all happened at the same time. 217 00:13:27,371 --> 00:13:30,070 She didn't want me to hate my dad. 218 00:13:30,592 --> 00:13:32,637 [continues singing] 219 00:13:33,813 --> 00:13:38,426 My dad, like, went off and got, I think, like three girlfriends, 220 00:13:38,513 --> 00:13:39,819 two or three girlfriends in the meantime. 221 00:13:39,949 --> 00:13:43,170 So I'd meet some--some woman, and then she'd disappear 222 00:13:43,257 --> 00:13:44,824 and I was like, "Oh, okay, well." 223 00:13:44,954 --> 00:13:47,652 [continues singing] 224 00:13:49,263 --> 00:13:50,307 Uh, then I got my Nintendo. [chuckles] 225 00:13:52,135 --> 00:13:53,180 [Lucia continues singing] 226 00:14:04,408 --> 00:14:07,281 I will commend him, his family now, 227 00:14:07,716 --> 00:14:09,936 they're--they're doing great. 228 00:14:14,244 --> 00:14:17,204 He's taking care of his, uh, his stepdaughters 229 00:14:17,291 --> 00:14:17,900 really, really well. 230 00:14:20,729 --> 00:14:22,600 His daughter and son with his new wife. 231 00:14:24,951 --> 00:14:26,387 Great father. 232 00:14:26,474 --> 00:14:28,215 [continues singing] 233 00:14:30,304 --> 00:14:32,132 [audience applauds] 234 00:14:52,848 --> 00:14:56,243 Even though I love these games 235 00:14:57,809 --> 00:14:59,159 and I'm playing with a real person 236 00:14:59,246 --> 00:15:00,595 on the other end of the line, 237 00:15:00,725 --> 00:15:03,076 I'm not interacting with them verbally. 238 00:15:03,206 --> 00:15:04,338 [singing] 239 00:15:06,166 --> 00:15:08,342 - [woman] When the Commendatore is finally bled out, 240 00:15:08,472 --> 00:15:11,127 [indistinct] give the Commendatore a kiss... 241 00:15:11,998 --> 00:15:13,913 roll him off. 242 00:15:14,043 --> 00:15:16,176 - [man] All right. - [Lucia] What--what-- 243 00:15:16,306 --> 00:15:17,742 what if I... what if I rolled him... 244 00:15:18,526 --> 00:15:20,354 At least once a month, somewhere in the world, 245 00:15:20,484 --> 00:15:24,619 there's a really big tournament of Paper Magic. 246 00:15:24,749 --> 00:15:27,535 And so I can show up there and play with real people. 247 00:15:27,839 --> 00:15:29,450 And I would draw the parallel 248 00:15:29,580 --> 00:15:31,713 between live performance there. 249 00:15:31,843 --> 00:15:36,065 There's nothing like playing in person. 250 00:15:36,196 --> 00:15:38,546 To get real competition, you have to go somewhere. 251 00:15:38,676 --> 00:15:40,026 That's the same thing, you know. 252 00:15:40,156 --> 00:15:42,419 You can watch a DVD of Giovanniat home. 253 00:15:42,550 --> 00:15:44,508 [singing] 254 00:15:48,164 --> 00:15:51,124 But it's nothing, it is nothing, absolutely nothing 255 00:15:51,254 --> 00:15:52,734 like being in the theater. 256 00:15:52,864 --> 00:15:54,214 - As a choreographer, of course, 257 00:15:54,344 --> 00:15:56,520 I'm always interested in the human body 258 00:15:56,651 --> 00:15:59,393 and the statements the human body's making. 259 00:15:59,523 --> 00:16:02,048 And I'm always watching that and fascinated by it. 260 00:16:02,178 --> 00:16:06,748 Lucia has very strong ideas as a performer. 261 00:16:07,836 --> 00:16:11,535 The thing I really wanted her to explore was this idea 262 00:16:11,666 --> 00:16:12,449 that when she was presenting as masculine, 263 00:16:13,929 --> 00:16:17,585 she was wholly believable as a man. 264 00:16:17,715 --> 00:16:19,456 And when she was presenting as feminine, 265 00:16:19,543 --> 00:16:20,370 she was wholly believable as a woman. 266 00:16:21,589 --> 00:16:23,112 [piano music] 267 00:16:23,939 --> 00:16:26,463 [singing] 268 00:16:32,556 --> 00:16:36,734 - In the entire process, I try to stay focused on my scope 269 00:16:36,821 --> 00:16:39,128 as part of this puzzle 270 00:16:39,259 --> 00:16:40,956 of the entire production of Don Giovanni. 271 00:16:41,087 --> 00:16:41,478 And my focus is being a conductor 272 00:16:42,914 --> 00:16:45,047 and be able to bring the score 273 00:16:45,134 --> 00:16:47,528 that Mozart created to life. 274 00:16:47,615 --> 00:16:49,921 That is my primary focus. 275 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:52,663 The entire rehearsal process, 276 00:16:52,794 --> 00:16:56,972 this idea of Don Giovanni being a master of deceit 277 00:16:57,059 --> 00:17:01,455 and a mastery of being able to change from male to female, 278 00:17:01,585 --> 00:17:04,806 to a priest, to, um, any other character 279 00:17:04,936 --> 00:17:06,808 that he might choose to present, 280 00:17:06,938 --> 00:17:08,592 that is going to be confusing. 281 00:17:08,679 --> 00:17:10,333 It's going to be confusing for the audience, 282 00:17:10,420 --> 00:17:12,031 it's confusing for the performers, 283 00:17:12,118 --> 00:17:14,685 It's a huge challenge for Lucia 284 00:17:14,772 --> 00:17:17,819 to be able to go back and forth. 285 00:17:17,906 --> 00:17:18,559 I do not know, we haven't really had a chance 286 00:17:20,343 --> 00:17:22,258 to talk about how that affects her personally. 287 00:17:22,824 --> 00:17:24,478 - There's ways that Lucia is playing 288 00:17:24,608 --> 00:17:25,827 with femininity and masculinity 289 00:17:25,957 --> 00:17:29,265 that are bringing so much life 290 00:17:29,352 --> 00:17:31,789 and so much psychosis to the role. 291 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:35,837 It's really creating a scary, scary character, 292 00:17:35,967 --> 00:17:39,406 especially within the Me Too movement in culture today, 293 00:17:39,536 --> 00:17:43,540 it's really being emphasized how awful he really is, 294 00:17:43,671 --> 00:17:45,020 how evil he is. 295 00:17:45,151 --> 00:17:48,632 - She wants people focus on her actual music, 296 00:17:49,198 --> 00:17:50,286 because that's what we do. 297 00:17:51,374 --> 00:17:53,463 But some people buy things for the package, 298 00:17:54,725 --> 00:17:56,423 that's marketing. 299 00:17:57,424 --> 00:18:02,733 I think it's brilliant that Tobias brought Lucia to Tulsa, 300 00:18:03,647 --> 00:18:06,868 not necessarily New York, Chicago, San Francisco, 301 00:18:06,998 --> 00:18:09,610 that makes everything more sensational. 302 00:18:09,740 --> 00:18:13,570 - [Michael] If it were me, I would feel like 303 00:18:13,657 --> 00:18:16,486 it was kind of taking away from who I was as a singer. 304 00:18:16,617 --> 00:18:19,054 But it's a double-edged sword, I guess, 305 00:18:19,185 --> 00:18:21,622 because maybe that's the only reason why people are coming. 306 00:18:23,667 --> 00:18:26,888 - There's more pressure that people who really know voices 307 00:18:27,018 --> 00:18:32,372 and really know opera, see this and come away saying, 308 00:18:32,981 --> 00:18:35,984 "Yes, that was the right choice for Don Giovanni." 309 00:18:39,205 --> 00:18:41,903 - [man] One thing I've noticed covering this beat 310 00:18:41,990 --> 00:18:44,514 is that a lot of regions are struggling as a point of pride 311 00:18:44,645 --> 00:18:45,820 to hold onto something that gives their cities, 312 00:18:45,950 --> 00:18:47,387 their regions definition. 313 00:18:49,084 --> 00:18:50,477 - For a town this size, 314 00:18:51,695 --> 00:18:52,479 I think we're the smallest town in the United States 315 00:18:52,696 --> 00:18:55,438 that has a ballet theater, 316 00:18:55,525 --> 00:18:57,919 a symphony orchestra, and an opera. 317 00:18:58,049 --> 00:19:00,269 We have all of these things because they were left to us 318 00:19:00,356 --> 00:19:02,967 by the men who made their fortunes in the oil business 319 00:19:03,098 --> 00:19:04,795 around the turn of the century. 320 00:19:04,926 --> 00:19:05,970 - [woman] Passing down opera now 321 00:19:06,101 --> 00:19:07,363 from one generation to the next 322 00:19:07,494 --> 00:19:09,322 is getting tougher than it used to be 323 00:19:09,452 --> 00:19:11,324 to get those families to continue to come. 324 00:19:12,238 --> 00:19:13,543 It's not tough to get them to donate money, 325 00:19:13,630 --> 00:19:14,762 but we're competing with 326 00:19:14,892 --> 00:19:17,808 so many other entertainment options now. 327 00:19:18,374 --> 00:19:20,550 - Opera has been dying for 400 years, basically, 328 00:19:20,681 --> 00:19:21,943 almost since it was born. 329 00:19:22,944 --> 00:19:25,251 It's the biggest, most complicated, most expensive 330 00:19:25,381 --> 00:19:27,122 kind of art form to produce. 331 00:19:27,818 --> 00:19:29,603 Right now, there's tremendous talent in opera, 332 00:19:29,733 --> 00:19:31,300 but there are also tremendous challenges. 333 00:19:31,431 --> 00:19:34,042 It's not really a popular entertainment anymore. 334 00:19:34,173 --> 00:19:36,305 In Europe, I think it's a little bit more closely woven 335 00:19:36,392 --> 00:19:39,003 into the national identity of many countries. 336 00:19:39,134 --> 00:19:41,963 It's also typically supported by the state in Europe, 337 00:19:42,093 --> 00:19:43,617 whereas in the United States, 338 00:19:43,747 --> 00:19:46,054 it's really supported by philanthropy 339 00:19:46,185 --> 00:19:48,187 and then to a much smaller extent, ticket sales. 340 00:19:48,317 --> 00:19:49,013 But tickets really don't cover the cost. 341 00:19:49,100 --> 00:19:51,190 because it's so expensive to do. 342 00:19:51,712 --> 00:19:53,583 - An average production costs us 343 00:19:53,670 --> 00:19:55,498 around half a million dollars. 344 00:19:55,629 --> 00:19:57,196 And if we actually sold the tickets 345 00:19:57,283 --> 00:20:00,547 at what the actual true value would be, 346 00:20:01,461 --> 00:20:04,464 a good seat, would be about 300 dollars apiece. 347 00:20:04,725 --> 00:20:06,117 For some reason, in the arts, 348 00:20:06,248 --> 00:20:07,771 they feel that's too expensive, 349 00:20:07,858 --> 00:20:10,644 but yet, they'll go next door to the BOK Center 350 00:20:11,427 --> 00:20:13,821 and drop 750 dollars on a Metallica concert 351 00:20:13,908 --> 00:20:15,997 and not even think anything about it. 352 00:20:16,127 --> 00:20:17,868 It is frustrating, that dynamic, 353 00:20:17,999 --> 00:20:19,174 because our product is every bit as exciting 354 00:20:19,305 --> 00:20:22,133 and interesting as the concert at the BOK. 355 00:20:23,352 --> 00:20:26,834 - [Tobias] As highly accomplished as Lucia is, 356 00:20:26,964 --> 00:20:29,271 it's an added benefit that she is trans 357 00:20:30,577 --> 00:20:33,580 because no trans singer has ever performed Don Giovanni 358 00:20:33,710 --> 00:20:36,060 in Europe either or anywhere else in the world. 359 00:20:36,191 --> 00:20:38,498 So it's not just America, it hasn't been done anywhere. 360 00:20:39,629 --> 00:20:41,240 [indistinct chattering] 361 00:20:44,808 --> 00:20:46,941 I was the first to hire you. 362 00:20:47,071 --> 00:20:50,161 - [Lucia] You were the first to hire me in the States, absolutely. 363 00:20:50,249 --> 00:20:52,033 I mean, there were peoples who said nice things. 364 00:20:52,163 --> 00:20:52,729 They were like, "Oh yeah, clearly you can sing," 365 00:20:54,470 --> 00:20:56,298 but they didn't hire me. 366 00:20:57,168 --> 00:20:59,823 I wanna do as much work as I can, 367 00:20:59,954 --> 00:21:01,390 I wanna fill up my calendar. 368 00:21:02,391 --> 00:21:05,351 Until my calendar is full, I'm not worried about the money. 369 00:21:05,481 --> 00:21:08,702 As long as I'm not losing money on a gig, I'll do the gig. 370 00:21:10,617 --> 00:21:14,751 But I'm also thankful to you for standing up for me 371 00:21:14,882 --> 00:21:18,625 because I...I don't know what conversations actually did happen, 372 00:21:18,755 --> 00:21:20,714 but I'm sure that there was at least one conversation 373 00:21:20,844 --> 00:21:22,542 where somebody minimum said, "Are you sure?" 374 00:21:24,370 --> 00:21:26,372 - Oh, yes. - [Lucia laughs] 375 00:21:26,502 --> 00:21:28,504 - There was. 376 00:21:28,591 --> 00:21:31,377 - If there wasn't the story of me and how I came out 377 00:21:31,681 --> 00:21:33,074 and if it wasn't out there, 378 00:21:33,683 --> 00:21:35,294 then of course there would be less press, 379 00:21:35,424 --> 00:21:36,251 there just would be. 380 00:21:38,166 --> 00:21:39,863 I mean, I guess, you know, you lean into it a little bit, 381 00:21:39,994 --> 00:21:43,258 but how do you not make it this, like, circus, you know? 382 00:21:44,477 --> 00:21:45,782 [low music] 383 00:21:48,045 --> 00:21:51,658 I almost lost my position in this career 384 00:21:51,788 --> 00:21:52,876 because of coming out. 385 00:21:53,137 --> 00:21:56,271 So I don't feel that bad 386 00:21:56,358 --> 00:21:58,969 that I'm getting a little bit of bump in advertising 387 00:21:59,100 --> 00:22:01,537 from it, personally. 388 00:22:01,668 --> 00:22:05,193 But representation matters. 389 00:22:06,281 --> 00:22:08,718 If there is somebody who is trans, who is growing up, 390 00:22:08,849 --> 00:22:12,809 who has absolutely no exposure to anything 391 00:22:12,940 --> 00:22:15,986 because representation doesn't matter, 392 00:22:16,117 --> 00:22:18,337 they just sort of implicitly pick up those cues. 393 00:22:19,076 --> 00:22:20,817 Like that something's not possible. 394 00:22:21,731 --> 00:22:24,430 This is what happened when I came out, my boss said, 395 00:22:25,344 --> 00:22:26,345 "Okay, well, first thing does your voice change?" 396 00:22:26,475 --> 00:22:27,607 I was like, "No, no." 397 00:22:27,737 --> 00:22:29,957 "Okay, who's done it before?" 398 00:22:30,087 --> 00:22:31,480 I said, "It hasn't been done before." 399 00:22:32,002 --> 00:22:33,352 And luckily he said, 400 00:22:33,482 --> 00:22:35,266 "Okay, well then let's see what happens." 401 00:22:36,355 --> 00:22:38,357 - [Tobias] If I had said to you in the beginning, 402 00:22:38,444 --> 00:22:44,537 "We're not gonna, um... mention that you're trans." 403 00:22:44,667 --> 00:22:46,452 - I would have done it. - You'd have done it? 404 00:22:46,582 --> 00:22:47,757 - Oh, yeah. 405 00:22:47,888 --> 00:22:51,021 Like I said, I want my career to go forward. 406 00:22:51,152 --> 00:22:53,328 I'm not, like, gonna do anything illegal or anything. 407 00:22:53,459 --> 00:22:55,809 But, like, I'll do things 408 00:22:55,939 --> 00:22:58,246 that are theoretically uncomfortable for me. 409 00:22:58,377 --> 00:23:01,815 - You think your career has more potential to go forward 410 00:23:02,772 --> 00:23:04,818 with the approach we took or the approach we didn't take? 411 00:23:06,428 --> 00:23:09,039 - Uh, the approach we took. - You do? 412 00:23:09,170 --> 00:23:12,652 - Yeah, I found that if you are yourself, genuine, 413 00:23:13,696 --> 00:23:17,004 I think that they like you, the real you, 414 00:23:17,134 --> 00:23:17,657 the you that is easiest to be. 415 00:23:19,659 --> 00:23:21,748 People who try and, like, put on a show 416 00:23:21,878 --> 00:23:24,228 for people in their-- in their personal life, like, 417 00:23:24,315 --> 00:23:26,056 I mean, that's exhausting too. 418 00:23:26,448 --> 00:23:29,408 But sort of on a different edge, 419 00:23:29,538 --> 00:23:32,802 what is the biggest problem with opera right now? 420 00:23:33,499 --> 00:23:35,109 Having less and less audience. 421 00:23:36,458 --> 00:23:37,764 How do you fix that? 422 00:23:37,894 --> 00:23:39,679 You get new audience. 423 00:23:39,809 --> 00:23:41,289 - That's one of the reasons I did this, 424 00:23:41,376 --> 00:23:42,899 but we'll see if it works. 425 00:23:43,030 --> 00:23:46,990 - Well, I know for sure that there are LGBT people 426 00:23:47,077 --> 00:23:49,515 that I've met, who are going to come to the opera 427 00:23:49,645 --> 00:23:51,560 who have never come to an opera. 428 00:23:51,691 --> 00:23:52,996 That is new audience. - They're buying tickets. 429 00:23:53,083 --> 00:23:53,867 - They are buying tickets. 430 00:23:55,390 --> 00:23:58,045 No? - Yeah, it's very idealistic. 431 00:23:58,175 --> 00:24:00,221 - [Lucia laughs] 432 00:24:00,351 --> 00:24:01,352 - [Tobias] Trans people, right now, 433 00:24:01,483 --> 00:24:05,095 their rights are being taken away 434 00:24:05,226 --> 00:24:07,228 and they're being discriminated against 435 00:24:07,358 --> 00:24:10,057 by the president of the United States. 436 00:24:10,187 --> 00:24:12,712 Yes, it's important for people to know 437 00:24:13,364 --> 00:24:14,714 there's a great trans opera singer 438 00:24:14,844 --> 00:24:16,063 and she's performing on the Tulsa Opera stage. 439 00:24:16,193 --> 00:24:18,021 [somber music] 440 00:24:19,762 --> 00:24:21,851 I think it is a miracle that you're singing here, 441 00:24:23,418 --> 00:24:24,985 that--that is what it is. 442 00:24:26,203 --> 00:24:28,597 - Yeah, I think there's-- - And that miracle does not translate 443 00:24:28,728 --> 00:24:31,252 into the miracle of selling out the house. 444 00:24:31,948 --> 00:24:34,298 You know? We can sit here and talk about art 445 00:24:34,385 --> 00:24:36,736 till we're blue in the face, 446 00:24:36,866 --> 00:24:39,129 but it's...there isn't much to talk about. 447 00:24:39,478 --> 00:24:40,870 - What are the people being told? 448 00:24:42,176 --> 00:24:44,395 That's Giovanni in Giovanni, are they being told that? 449 00:24:44,526 --> 00:24:45,048 Come see the show on the fifth of May? 450 00:24:45,179 --> 00:24:46,920 - No. 451 00:24:49,096 --> 00:24:52,186 - Um, when--I'm guessing people maybe have asked what's going on. 452 00:24:52,316 --> 00:24:53,927 Are they being told that Giovanni 453 00:24:54,057 --> 00:24:56,320 is going on, on the third and the fifth? 454 00:24:56,451 --> 00:24:58,148 - [waitress] No, I didn't know what the show was. 455 00:24:58,279 --> 00:24:59,498 I just know it's an opera. - Do you know what Don Giovanniis? 456 00:24:59,628 --> 00:25:02,413 - So watch, watch, this--this is great. 457 00:25:02,544 --> 00:25:03,153 - No, I--no, I asked a question. 458 00:25:03,284 --> 00:25:05,634 - I do--no, I don't. 459 00:25:05,765 --> 00:25:07,201 - You don't know what Don Giovanniis? 460 00:25:07,331 --> 00:25:09,203 - I've heard it, but I don't know what it is. 461 00:25:10,378 --> 00:25:12,815 - So this is--this is a score of Don Giovanni. 462 00:25:12,902 --> 00:25:14,164 - Okay. - It's an opera. 463 00:25:14,295 --> 00:25:16,645 So if anybody here asks, 464 00:25:16,732 --> 00:25:18,299 they can go to the Tulsa Opera website. 465 00:25:18,429 --> 00:25:20,214 - Okay, awesome, yeah. I'll re-- 466 00:25:21,215 --> 00:25:22,259 - Just in case anybody says like, "Hey, what's going on?" 467 00:25:22,390 --> 00:25:23,173 - Yeah, I'd like to be prepared with an answer 468 00:25:23,304 --> 00:25:24,392 - for sure. - Yeah, thank you. 469 00:25:26,133 --> 00:25:28,657 - Since, you know, I have a lot to worry about 470 00:25:28,788 --> 00:25:30,354 besides flyers and-- - I know-- 471 00:25:30,485 --> 00:25:32,052 - Why are you telling me this? 472 00:25:32,182 --> 00:25:33,793 - I'm gonna make the cards, I'm gonna go out. 473 00:25:34,794 --> 00:25:35,577 I'm gonna do it on my own dime, I don't care. 474 00:25:36,839 --> 00:25:38,406 And I'm gonna hand them out. People are gonna be like, 475 00:25:38,537 --> 00:25:39,886 "What is this about?" I'm gonna be like, "Come to the show." 476 00:25:40,016 --> 00:25:41,017 - You don't have time. 477 00:25:42,976 --> 00:25:43,716 - I have time. 478 00:25:46,153 --> 00:25:46,936 I have time. 479 00:25:50,026 --> 00:25:53,290 If we sold out, do you think 480 00:25:53,421 --> 00:25:57,468 that maybe it could possibly be because you took a risk? 481 00:25:59,906 --> 00:26:00,994 - Well, I'll certainly take full credit for it, yes. 482 00:26:02,125 --> 00:26:04,040 - [laughs] 483 00:26:04,171 --> 00:26:06,303 - [Tobias] The model, if we could afford it, 484 00:26:06,434 --> 00:26:08,741 would be to build an opera house that's the right size, 485 00:26:09,829 --> 00:26:12,048 which would be somewhere between eight and 11 hundred seats, 486 00:26:13,354 --> 00:26:15,661 we really can sell that. 487 00:26:15,748 --> 00:26:20,230 As of today, there's 609 tickets sold to Friday night 488 00:26:20,361 --> 00:26:22,929 and 500 to Sunday. 489 00:26:24,974 --> 00:26:28,935 And we're at 74,000 in revenue. 490 00:26:29,239 --> 00:26:30,240 That's all that matters 491 00:26:30,937 --> 00:26:32,765 is that we meet our revenue projection. 492 00:26:33,983 --> 00:26:38,031 You know, we were hoping well over 110 or 120 maybe. 493 00:26:38,161 --> 00:26:40,076 [stirring music] 494 00:26:40,163 --> 00:26:42,731 If people don't come, if there is, 495 00:26:43,384 --> 00:26:45,865 what you might call a silent backlash, 496 00:26:47,431 --> 00:26:50,217 because Tulsans are very polite, 497 00:26:50,826 --> 00:26:55,004 that could harm Lucia's ability to get work 498 00:26:55,091 --> 00:26:56,832 in opera in this country. 499 00:26:56,963 --> 00:26:59,008 [music continues] 500 00:27:00,662 --> 00:27:03,404 I'm invested in her having a success here 501 00:27:03,534 --> 00:27:05,275 for many reasons. 502 00:27:05,406 --> 00:27:08,365 For her own sake, for her own future. 503 00:27:09,149 --> 00:27:14,284 Come what may, I wanted to bring attention to this, 504 00:27:14,371 --> 00:27:15,634 the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. 505 00:27:15,764 --> 00:27:19,594 It would not have happened without trans people, 506 00:27:19,725 --> 00:27:23,642 not without Marsha P. Johnson and others, 507 00:27:23,772 --> 00:27:25,034 But everybody else that was at Stonewall, 508 00:27:26,906 --> 00:27:31,258 every other segment of our community has improved. 509 00:27:31,388 --> 00:27:35,088 So I was aware of that when I cast Lucia as Don Giovanni, 510 00:27:35,218 --> 00:27:36,916 maybe I'll even have to resign. 511 00:27:37,481 --> 00:27:38,831 I've thought about that. 512 00:27:38,961 --> 00:27:41,181 [somber music] 513 00:27:53,193 --> 00:27:55,108 - [Lucia] The funny thing is I don't need to rely on 514 00:27:55,674 --> 00:27:58,067 me being trans to sell this production. 515 00:27:58,198 --> 00:27:59,721 We don't have to talk about it at all. 516 00:27:59,852 --> 00:28:02,724 You can put a beard on me and dress me up 517 00:28:02,855 --> 00:28:04,160 so that there's not even like, 518 00:28:04,291 --> 00:28:05,422 "Wait, you're doing Don Giovanni, 519 00:28:05,553 --> 00:28:06,859 but isn't Don Giovanni a boy?" 520 00:28:07,598 --> 00:28:09,992 Fine, put a beard on me, we'll go out there. 521 00:28:10,079 --> 00:28:11,559 I'll sell people to come toGiovanni , 522 00:28:12,125 --> 00:28:13,430 without even talking about me being trans, 523 00:28:13,517 --> 00:28:14,257 they won't even know. 524 00:28:17,913 --> 00:28:18,522 I wouldn't be talking about me being trans, 525 00:28:18,653 --> 00:28:20,873 if people weren't interested. 526 00:28:21,003 --> 00:28:21,874 And if people weren't interested about 527 00:28:22,004 --> 00:28:23,179 me being trans, 528 00:28:23,310 --> 00:28:24,528 that's also fine. 529 00:28:24,659 --> 00:28:25,181 Then I'll just live my life happily, okay? 530 00:28:27,444 --> 00:28:28,663 I could still have a career, I could still get people there 531 00:28:28,794 --> 00:28:30,970 because I'm a good singer, because I'm a good actress, 532 00:28:32,580 --> 00:28:34,016 because I command the stage. 533 00:28:36,802 --> 00:28:38,151 [laughs] 534 00:28:38,281 --> 00:28:40,936 Ariana, BBC calling, wake up. 535 00:28:44,461 --> 00:28:45,027 We are having some technical issues. 536 00:28:48,030 --> 00:28:51,773 [imitates beeping] Well, I heard that, five AM. 537 00:28:51,904 --> 00:28:53,732 - [tablet whooshes] - Oh, come on. 538 00:28:55,516 --> 00:28:58,693 I can't hear anything on your end. 539 00:28:59,955 --> 00:29:01,174 Hello? 540 00:29:02,044 --> 00:29:03,393 - [BBC Correspondent] Hello, hello, Lucia. 541 00:29:03,524 --> 00:29:05,613 - It's[indistinct] from BBC. - Hi. 542 00:29:05,744 --> 00:29:07,310 - [BBC Correspondent] I'd just like to apologize, 543 00:29:07,397 --> 00:29:09,312 we're having problems linking up with our control room-- 544 00:29:09,399 --> 00:29:11,619 [indistinct chattering] 545 00:29:13,490 --> 00:29:16,885 - Oh, wait, somebody just called me. 546 00:29:17,016 --> 00:29:18,278 - [Correspondent continues] - [woman over phone] Hello, this is BBC. 547 00:29:18,408 --> 00:29:21,063 - Okay, hi, hi, BBC, can you hear me? 548 00:29:21,150 --> 00:29:23,631 Sorry, I think the controller just got me. 549 00:29:23,762 --> 00:29:25,024 - [tablet whooshes] - [BBC Correspondent speaking indistinctly] 550 00:29:26,503 --> 00:29:28,549 - Yeah, I can hear you now. 551 00:29:28,636 --> 00:29:30,377 They're gonna patch me through to you, I guess. 552 00:29:30,507 --> 00:29:31,900 - [woman speaking indistinctly over phone] 553 00:29:32,031 --> 00:29:32,814 - [BBC Correspondent] Sorry, Lucia...[indistinct] 554 00:29:32,945 --> 00:29:34,816 - I'm trying to--okay. 555 00:29:34,903 --> 00:29:35,730 - [BBC Correspondent] Bye. - Bye. 556 00:29:36,252 --> 00:29:36,862 [clattering over phone] 557 00:29:38,037 --> 00:29:38,907 Is that gonna work? 558 00:29:44,434 --> 00:29:45,305 Can somebody hear me? - [woman over phone] Hello. 559 00:29:45,435 --> 00:29:46,785 Hi, I can hear you. 560 00:29:46,915 --> 00:29:49,352 - It's 5:13 AM, my time. 561 00:29:49,483 --> 00:29:51,224 - [woman] Oh, my gosh. - But I'm still here. 562 00:29:51,311 --> 00:29:53,226 - Wow, okay. 563 00:29:53,356 --> 00:29:54,880 Thank you so much for doing this. 564 00:29:55,010 --> 00:29:58,231 And we are so, so sorry for this mess up 565 00:29:58,361 --> 00:29:59,754 and for keeping you waiting. 566 00:29:59,885 --> 00:30:01,712 The fact that when you're onstage, 567 00:30:01,843 --> 00:30:05,368 you're inhabiting cisgendered male roles, 568 00:30:05,499 --> 00:30:07,457 And when you're offstage, you're a trans woman. 569 00:30:07,588 --> 00:30:09,416 How have you navigated that on and offstage 570 00:30:09,546 --> 00:30:10,678 ever since your transition? 571 00:30:10,809 --> 00:30:12,201 - I was performing it onstage 572 00:30:12,593 --> 00:30:14,334 and I was performing it offstage. 573 00:30:14,464 --> 00:30:16,727 There doesn't have to be any dysphoria associated with it. 574 00:30:16,858 --> 00:30:18,425 It's just another character. 575 00:30:18,555 --> 00:30:20,296 What if I was playing an alien 576 00:30:20,383 --> 00:30:22,603 that doesn't have male and female roles? 577 00:30:22,733 --> 00:30:24,692 Well then what about gender? 578 00:30:27,086 --> 00:30:34,136 If you make everybody justify their identity to you, 579 00:30:36,356 --> 00:30:39,968 that's starting the conversation off in a hostile direction. 580 00:30:40,751 --> 00:30:42,101 If somebody comes to me and says, 581 00:30:42,841 --> 00:30:44,146 "I've never thought about this, 582 00:30:44,277 --> 00:30:45,669 I've never met anybody who's had this, 583 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:47,846 I don't understand it at all." 584 00:30:47,976 --> 00:30:51,545 That's a much better place to come from. 585 00:30:53,416 --> 00:30:55,331 - I come from Kentucky, I live there now 586 00:30:55,462 --> 00:30:56,811 and I just jet in and out for jobs. 587 00:30:59,858 --> 00:31:01,163 [bright music] 588 00:31:08,649 --> 00:31:10,564 I had heard kind of through the grapevine 589 00:31:10,694 --> 00:31:13,654 they were hiring a transgender singer to sing Giovanni 590 00:31:13,741 --> 00:31:15,134 and as soon as I heard that, I said, 591 00:31:15,743 --> 00:31:18,485 "Oh gosh, how do I get to be a part of that show?" 592 00:31:18,572 --> 00:31:20,269 I wanna break down these walls 593 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:23,098 and before we can just get over these dumb stigmas 594 00:31:23,185 --> 00:31:25,100 about how people want to live their lives, 595 00:31:25,231 --> 00:31:29,017 and just how we wanna make choices for everybody. 596 00:31:29,104 --> 00:31:30,540 I wanna make that completely clear. 597 00:31:30,671 --> 00:31:32,064 How stupid is that? 598 00:31:32,151 --> 00:31:34,109 They're making a decision for themselves 599 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,677 to come out of the closet or to transition 600 00:31:36,807 --> 00:31:38,592 or to do whatever. 601 00:31:38,722 --> 00:31:40,768 Why does that affect me at all? 602 00:31:42,813 --> 00:31:44,337 Because my children might understand 603 00:31:44,424 --> 00:31:45,860 that they can be a male if they were born female, 604 00:31:45,991 --> 00:31:49,516 or they can be in love with another girl, 605 00:31:49,646 --> 00:31:51,561 or something like that, so what? 606 00:31:51,692 --> 00:31:53,476 As long as humans have been on the earth, 607 00:31:53,607 --> 00:31:55,174 those things have been there as well. 608 00:31:55,261 --> 00:31:58,525 It's just ridiculous to deny them as a natural part of life. 609 00:31:58,655 --> 00:32:00,570 I'm over here sitting in Kentucky 610 00:32:00,701 --> 00:32:02,311 drinking a bourbon and grilling a steak. 611 00:32:02,442 --> 00:32:03,747 I can enjoy every part of my life 612 00:32:03,878 --> 00:32:05,967 without having to ruin someone else's. 613 00:32:06,054 --> 00:32:07,708 It's just stupid. [chuckles] 614 00:32:10,798 --> 00:32:15,368 - I hope that I've not fallen into the trap 615 00:32:15,498 --> 00:32:20,025 of presenting this as any kind of a freak show. 616 00:32:21,330 --> 00:32:23,724 We're not saying Don Giovanni is a transgender person. 617 00:32:23,811 --> 00:32:25,900 What we're saying is 618 00:32:26,031 --> 00:32:27,249 Don Giovanni is a master of disguise. 619 00:32:28,990 --> 00:32:30,861 Some of those disguises are masculine, 620 00:32:31,558 --> 00:32:33,734 some of those disguises are feminine. 621 00:32:33,864 --> 00:32:36,041 What we have done is completely deliver the opera 622 00:32:37,303 --> 00:32:40,915 that Mozart and Da Ponte wrote in which a character says, 623 00:32:41,046 --> 00:32:43,831 "You will never discover who I am." 624 00:32:45,137 --> 00:32:46,225 I think it's much more about 625 00:32:46,355 --> 00:32:48,923 somebody who is cunning and manipulative 626 00:32:49,054 --> 00:32:52,231 than it is about somebody who's transgender. 627 00:32:53,841 --> 00:32:55,930 - [man] In performances, I have seen physical reactions of people 628 00:32:56,061 --> 00:32:59,020 that love the sound that she produces, 629 00:32:59,803 --> 00:33:02,850 but they will not look at her while she's singing. 630 00:33:04,678 --> 00:33:08,116 I find that extremely fascinating because 631 00:33:09,204 --> 00:33:11,815 that separation is something that tells you 632 00:33:11,946 --> 00:33:14,514 a lot about how people feel about gender, 633 00:33:14,644 --> 00:33:16,298 they feel about sound. 634 00:33:16,429 --> 00:33:18,909 And stereotypes of male and female 635 00:33:19,040 --> 00:33:20,302 and what a woman should sound like, 636 00:33:20,433 --> 00:33:22,783 a man should sound like. 637 00:33:22,913 --> 00:33:27,614 - Voice doesn't have a gender. 638 00:33:27,744 --> 00:33:32,097 The average difference in pitch 639 00:33:33,011 --> 00:33:37,058 from an average female voice and an average male voice, 640 00:33:37,189 --> 00:33:39,495 and I say average because nobody has the same voice, 641 00:33:41,410 --> 00:33:43,978 is less than an octave, it's like a fifth. 642 00:33:44,065 --> 00:33:47,068 [soft music] 643 00:33:47,199 --> 00:33:49,723 If you were on a piano and you press the keys down, 644 00:33:49,853 --> 00:33:50,941 you just went one, two, three, four, five... 645 00:33:56,077 --> 00:33:59,298 ...that's about the difference in the voice. 646 00:33:59,428 --> 00:34:02,040 [dramatic music] 647 00:34:09,917 --> 00:34:11,049 - [Hidenori] Last year I was here, 648 00:34:11,179 --> 00:34:12,789 and this year I came back. 649 00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:17,098 I was hugely shocked how much Tulsa changed. 650 00:34:17,664 --> 00:34:18,926 And probably the people in Tulsa 651 00:34:20,145 --> 00:34:22,582 don't even notice it because you are seeing it every day. 652 00:34:23,670 --> 00:34:26,281 A lot of people coming from different states, different city, 653 00:34:26,412 --> 00:34:29,545 and those change is affecting people's mind. 654 00:34:29,676 --> 00:34:32,200 [music continues] 655 00:34:32,287 --> 00:34:33,767 But I'm curious how it's gonna change. 656 00:34:38,467 --> 00:34:40,252 - Hi, my name's Lucia Lucas. 657 00:34:40,382 --> 00:34:43,559 I've been singing opera my entire adult life. 658 00:34:43,690 --> 00:34:47,041 I've been singing opera for the last 10 years 659 00:34:47,128 --> 00:34:50,262 as my only source of income, I'm a full time opera singer. 660 00:34:51,132 --> 00:34:52,525 I always thought that I was going to have, like, 661 00:34:52,655 --> 00:34:53,526 this really quick career and just shoot off 662 00:34:54,875 --> 00:34:56,529 and then after that, I thought 663 00:34:56,659 --> 00:34:58,879 that maybe I could sort of go out of the spotlight 664 00:34:59,009 --> 00:35:00,837 and transition then. 665 00:35:00,968 --> 00:35:04,537 And what happened was, my career wasn't taking off, 666 00:35:04,667 --> 00:35:06,321 but my career also wasn't going away. 667 00:35:07,061 --> 00:35:09,063 I had a nice, steady, opera career. 668 00:35:09,194 --> 00:35:12,153 I just sort of thought, I can do this, 669 00:35:12,284 --> 00:35:13,981 but if I'm not true to myself, 670 00:35:14,938 --> 00:35:16,723 I don't think that I'm going to enjoy this career. 671 00:35:17,506 --> 00:35:21,423 Well, it took me a year and a half 672 00:35:22,032 --> 00:35:23,469 for my dressing room to get changed. 673 00:35:24,165 --> 00:35:26,080 And they asked the two guys, 674 00:35:26,211 --> 00:35:29,301 if it was okay if I was in their room. 675 00:35:29,431 --> 00:35:32,478 They didn't ask me anything about my comfort zone, 676 00:35:32,608 --> 00:35:34,697 about where I wanted to be. 677 00:35:34,828 --> 00:35:37,787 And at that point, I had all my legal documentation changed. 678 00:35:37,918 --> 00:35:39,006 And I said, "Look, if you wanna fight me on this, 679 00:35:39,137 --> 00:35:41,574 we can go to town now, really." 680 00:35:42,009 --> 00:35:44,533 Nobody should have to do that, 681 00:35:44,664 --> 00:35:46,100 so I'm gonna fight for the things that I need 682 00:35:46,231 --> 00:35:47,667 and I'm gonna fight for my comfort. 683 00:35:49,147 --> 00:35:50,974 I don't know what else I should say. 684 00:35:51,061 --> 00:35:53,499 Oh! I'm here for an opera. 685 00:35:53,586 --> 00:35:55,892 [audience laughs, claps] 686 00:35:59,679 --> 00:36:00,462 - [woman] Definitely, but thank you again, so much. 687 00:36:00,593 --> 00:36:02,769 - I--I hope what I said made sense. 688 00:36:02,899 --> 00:36:04,466 - Yes. - It made perfect sense. 689 00:36:04,597 --> 00:36:06,947 - Okay. [laughs] 690 00:36:07,077 --> 00:36:08,296 - It was fabulous, yeah. -It was wonderful. 691 00:36:09,776 --> 00:36:11,604 - We're in the middle of tribal elections for Cherokee Nation. 692 00:36:11,734 --> 00:36:13,475 But what you were saying resonated with me too 693 00:36:13,562 --> 00:36:14,694 within our tribal community. 694 00:36:15,347 --> 00:36:17,871 - The thing is--is we think about our groups, 695 00:36:18,001 --> 00:36:19,873 and we don't always think about other stuff, 696 00:36:20,003 --> 00:36:21,788 but if we use language that is inclusive for everybody, 697 00:36:23,311 --> 00:36:26,923 then we will hit a group and rights for that group 698 00:36:27,010 --> 00:36:28,490 that we--weren't necessarily in the forefront of our brain. 699 00:36:30,057 --> 00:36:32,190 [low music] 700 00:36:34,714 --> 00:36:37,064 - Lucia Lucas has just done an amazing job 701 00:36:37,195 --> 00:36:39,849 of trying to elevate ticket sales. 702 00:36:39,936 --> 00:36:41,373 She's out and about, talking to people, 703 00:36:41,503 --> 00:36:42,765 anyone who will listen. 704 00:36:43,201 --> 00:36:45,986 Ticket sales are lagging a little bit 705 00:36:46,116 --> 00:36:47,814 and quite honestly, I really feel that 706 00:36:47,901 --> 00:36:48,510 when it's all said and done, that we will hit our budget. 707 00:36:50,251 --> 00:36:51,818 We're not trying to make a political statement, 708 00:36:51,948 --> 00:36:54,516 we're not trying to offend anyone, 709 00:36:54,647 --> 00:36:56,475 we're just trying to bridge the gap 710 00:36:56,605 --> 00:37:00,174 between different ideas, thoughts and some prejudices. 711 00:37:01,436 --> 00:37:03,003 - [Hidenori] All the companies I've been working, 712 00:37:03,090 --> 00:37:06,659 majority of the audience or donors or sponsors 713 00:37:06,746 --> 00:37:08,748 are Caucasians. 714 00:37:08,878 --> 00:37:11,925 Yes, white--I mean, white people. 715 00:37:12,055 --> 00:37:14,144 I think it's just because opera itself, 716 00:37:14,275 --> 00:37:17,191 it came from Catholic Church. 717 00:37:17,322 --> 00:37:23,284 So the root of this music is for Western people. 718 00:37:25,460 --> 00:37:27,288 And I think that form hasn't been changed at all. 719 00:37:29,421 --> 00:37:34,077 - The Tulsa Opera Board is about, I think, 30 to 50 people, 720 00:37:34,164 --> 00:37:35,078 it's a pretty good-sized board, 721 00:37:35,209 --> 00:37:36,819 but it is very diverse. 722 00:37:37,603 --> 00:37:42,869 From young people, old people, uh, LBGQ people, 723 00:37:42,999 --> 00:37:44,697 to rich people, to not rich people, 724 00:37:45,132 --> 00:37:46,481 so it's pretty diverse. 725 00:37:46,612 --> 00:37:47,917 And--and obviously with the board, 726 00:37:48,570 --> 00:37:49,745 the intention is you want the board 727 00:37:49,876 --> 00:37:51,834 to bring their constituents to the opera 728 00:37:51,965 --> 00:37:53,445 and support the opera. 729 00:37:53,532 --> 00:37:54,707 So that's their job, but we've done a good job 730 00:37:54,837 --> 00:37:56,404 on getting new board members 731 00:37:56,535 --> 00:37:57,797 that are all not just rich white people. 732 00:37:59,189 --> 00:38:00,234 - [James Kicklighter] Can I push back on you for that for a second? 733 00:38:00,365 --> 00:38:01,801 - Okay. - I actually, I wasn't gonna 734 00:38:01,888 --> 00:38:04,194 ask you about this but you brought it up. - Okay. 735 00:38:04,325 --> 00:38:06,153 - [James] I went to the website, I only saw two people of color 736 00:38:06,284 --> 00:38:07,285 that are on that board. 737 00:38:08,764 --> 00:38:10,113 - But there more gay people. 738 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:11,593 I--I--you know what? Yeah. 739 00:38:14,596 --> 00:38:16,119 - You know, it's tough. 740 00:38:16,250 --> 00:38:18,600 I really...I wish I had an answer to that question, 741 00:38:18,731 --> 00:38:20,167 I really don't. 742 00:38:20,254 --> 00:38:22,952 That's something that, uh, we've struggled with 743 00:38:23,083 --> 00:38:23,649 and I think we are going to continue to struggle with. 744 00:38:25,955 --> 00:38:27,348 - [Hidenori] This could be actually the shift. 745 00:38:27,479 --> 00:38:32,310 It could be the one big factor to flip the coin 746 00:38:32,832 --> 00:38:34,399 and make everything different. 747 00:38:55,158 --> 00:38:58,205 [indistinct chattering] 748 00:38:58,336 --> 00:38:59,511 - I need a mirror. 749 00:38:59,641 --> 00:39:01,339 [indistinct chattering] 750 00:39:06,256 --> 00:39:09,825 - Okay, I am sleepy and oily. 751 00:39:10,913 --> 00:39:15,309 - [pleasant music] - [indistinct chattering] 752 00:39:27,452 --> 00:39:30,977 So sometimes we think of women as having really high voices 753 00:39:31,107 --> 00:39:32,544 and they speak really, really high. 754 00:39:32,674 --> 00:39:35,329 But that's not, in actuality, how it works, 755 00:39:35,460 --> 00:39:39,551 we have a pitch that we sort of hang out at. 756 00:39:39,681 --> 00:39:42,902 And then men have a pitch that they sort of hang out at. 757 00:39:43,032 --> 00:39:46,732 And it's funny, my voice didn't ever crack. 758 00:39:47,515 --> 00:39:49,430 My voice was super smooth adjusting 759 00:39:49,561 --> 00:39:52,781 and there was a point where I was actually perceived 760 00:39:52,912 --> 00:39:54,740 as my mother on the phone. 761 00:39:55,654 --> 00:39:58,004 Because of course, genetics, we're gonna sound similar. 762 00:39:58,091 --> 00:40:00,223 When you're singing, I guess you have more control over your voice. 763 00:40:00,310 --> 00:40:02,400 I mean, I do have lots of control over my voice, 764 00:40:02,530 --> 00:40:04,793 singing low all the way up to singing really high. 765 00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:06,882 [singing indistinctly] 766 00:40:16,022 --> 00:40:19,329 [audience claps] 767 00:40:28,774 --> 00:40:33,909 ♪ I'll be loving you always ♪ 768 00:40:35,737 --> 00:40:41,874 ♪ With a love that's true, always ♪ 769 00:40:41,961 --> 00:40:44,529 [audience claps] 770 00:40:53,363 --> 00:40:54,582 - Come to Don Giovanni. - [laughs] 771 00:40:54,713 --> 00:40:56,541 [audience laughs] 772 00:40:56,628 --> 00:41:00,458 - If you don't like what we do with this opera, 773 00:41:00,588 --> 00:41:02,460 then you will never like opera. 774 00:41:02,590 --> 00:41:04,113 Look, I'm not trying to sell you on the opera. 775 00:41:04,244 --> 00:41:06,507 I'm trying to say that if you don't like this, 776 00:41:07,116 --> 00:41:08,727 you're never gonna like opera 777 00:41:09,249 --> 00:41:10,511 and you could just stop after this one. 778 00:41:10,642 --> 00:41:11,338 This is what I'm saying. 779 00:41:12,165 --> 00:41:13,601 How about that? 780 00:41:13,732 --> 00:41:15,211 - Actually, I already made that deal. 781 00:41:15,342 --> 00:41:16,909 - Okay. 782 00:41:17,039 --> 00:41:18,432 - "Honey, I'm sorry, I just don't like opera. 783 00:41:18,563 --> 00:41:20,086 I'm not going again." He's like, "You don't have to. 784 00:41:20,173 --> 00:41:21,827 I can go with [indistinct]. - [Lucia] Okay. 785 00:41:21,957 --> 00:41:23,655 - I'm gonna go to see you. - [woman] I know you. 786 00:41:24,438 --> 00:41:26,135 - [Lucia] You should, it's my show. 787 00:41:26,222 --> 00:41:27,180 It's called Don Giovanni. 788 00:41:28,268 --> 00:41:30,488 - How are you holding up? 789 00:41:30,618 --> 00:41:32,098 - I'm fine. - Good. [chuckles] 790 00:41:32,228 --> 00:41:33,534 You had a long day, I was like, "Wow." 791 00:41:35,754 --> 00:41:37,930 It's interesting to me because opera has always had 792 00:41:38,060 --> 00:41:39,584 a certain kind of gender fluidity. 793 00:41:40,193 --> 00:41:41,586 And there have always been trouser roles, 794 00:41:41,673 --> 00:41:44,850 roles that were sung by women playing men, 795 00:41:44,980 --> 00:41:46,155 including in Mozart. 796 00:41:46,242 --> 00:41:47,635 And so to me, it's interesting 797 00:41:47,766 --> 00:41:50,159 that Lucia will be a trouser role Don Giovanni 798 00:41:50,246 --> 00:41:53,293 taking on the most toxic masculinity, 799 00:41:53,423 --> 00:41:56,035 semi-sociopathic role in the canon. 800 00:41:56,775 --> 00:41:57,819 Part of a long tradition, but on the other hand, 801 00:41:57,906 --> 00:41:59,038 it's also radically breaking tradition. 802 00:41:59,299 --> 00:42:00,779 [somber music] 803 00:42:15,445 --> 00:42:17,317 - So I choose-- - Do you want Mario? 804 00:42:17,447 --> 00:42:18,797 - Yes. - All right, great. 805 00:42:20,755 --> 00:42:22,931 Well, we're gonna do it relaxed just for a second, 806 00:42:23,062 --> 00:42:24,237 get our--get our bearings. 807 00:42:24,367 --> 00:42:24,803 - That's good, I get very nervous. 808 00:42:26,369 --> 00:42:27,501 - [chuckles] 809 00:42:28,328 --> 00:42:29,721 I have not played video games with somebody 810 00:42:29,808 --> 00:42:31,810 in years, probably. 811 00:42:32,114 --> 00:42:32,854 - Really? - Oh, yeah. 812 00:42:35,727 --> 00:42:36,989 All right. 813 00:42:37,076 --> 00:42:39,078 [video game music playing] 814 00:42:41,646 --> 00:42:45,954 So the left one is how you throw the... 815 00:42:46,999 --> 00:42:48,696 - I'm not into throwing things that much. 816 00:42:48,783 --> 00:42:50,219 - [chuckles] 817 00:42:50,306 --> 00:42:50,872 - You're not even trying and you're one. 818 00:42:53,048 --> 00:42:54,876 And I--and why am I struck by lightning? 819 00:42:55,007 --> 00:42:56,138 What did I do? 820 00:42:56,269 --> 00:42:57,139 - I'll slow down then. 821 00:42:57,705 --> 00:42:59,185 - No, don't, you don't have to do that. 822 00:42:59,315 --> 00:43:00,708 I don't--I don't need charity. 823 00:43:01,448 --> 00:43:03,798 - [laughs] 824 00:43:03,929 --> 00:43:05,844 - I'm being obstructed. 825 00:43:06,409 --> 00:43:08,977 - What do you mean? - Oh, fuck! 826 00:43:11,458 --> 00:43:15,070 I'm 12! I'm the--I'm last. 827 00:43:16,463 --> 00:43:19,466 That's really typical of my ability. 828 00:43:22,425 --> 00:43:26,647 - I was told, as a child, 829 00:43:26,778 --> 00:43:29,084 how I could act and how I couldn't act a lot, so... 830 00:43:29,215 --> 00:43:30,869 - Really? 831 00:43:32,740 --> 00:43:36,091 - My feminine behavior was corrected. 832 00:43:38,703 --> 00:43:40,095 - Well, my Tourette's was corrected. 833 00:43:42,402 --> 00:43:44,186 My parents used to beg me to stop. 834 00:43:44,273 --> 00:43:46,580 "Please, please stop." 835 00:43:46,711 --> 00:43:47,755 [somber music] 836 00:43:48,321 --> 00:43:50,540 An unfair comparison? 837 00:43:51,890 --> 00:43:52,586 - Not at all. 838 00:43:54,806 --> 00:43:56,416 - [Tobias] Growing up with Tourette's 839 00:43:56,546 --> 00:43:58,418 at a time when it was undiagnosable 840 00:43:58,548 --> 00:43:59,593 was a very difficult thing. 841 00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:04,642 And it created enormous issues for me 842 00:44:04,772 --> 00:44:06,731 psychologically and emotionally. 843 00:44:06,818 --> 00:44:09,255 Spending a lot of time alone. 844 00:44:09,385 --> 00:44:12,737 I did feel like a freak growing up, because I was gay. 845 00:44:13,607 --> 00:44:17,176 I went to a series of psychiatrists from an early age. 846 00:44:17,263 --> 00:44:19,047 But a young psychiatrist, he was gonna cure me 847 00:44:20,570 --> 00:44:22,529 and we spent quite a long time 848 00:44:23,573 --> 00:44:27,055 talking about how to... how to cure this problem. 849 00:44:27,186 --> 00:44:30,842 When I was 18, actually my first day of registration 850 00:44:30,972 --> 00:44:34,106 in conservatory, I met somebody. 851 00:44:34,193 --> 00:44:37,718 And it was very shortly thereafter I went to my shrink 852 00:44:37,849 --> 00:44:41,069 and said, "I wanna enjoy this while I'm young 853 00:44:41,200 --> 00:44:42,418 and embrace it. 854 00:44:42,810 --> 00:44:44,246 So I don't wanna change it." 855 00:44:44,377 --> 00:44:46,945 That was right around the time of Stonewall. 856 00:44:47,946 --> 00:44:51,558 He said, "Well, in that case, I can help you adjust to it." 857 00:44:51,645 --> 00:44:54,474 And I said, "I don't think I need any help adjusting to it. 858 00:44:54,561 --> 00:44:56,606 I like it, actually, I really like it. 859 00:44:56,737 --> 00:44:59,348 So we can work on other things." 860 00:44:59,479 --> 00:45:02,003 But I actually had accomplished my other goal, 861 00:45:02,090 --> 00:45:03,439 which was to be able to practice my art 862 00:45:03,526 --> 00:45:06,094 and be successful at it. 863 00:45:07,922 --> 00:45:10,272 - Well, first of all, I think that parents, generally, 864 00:45:10,403 --> 00:45:12,100 want what's best for their kids. 865 00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:15,277 - If they'd only known how it made... 866 00:45:16,365 --> 00:45:19,891 me feel on a daily basis 867 00:45:19,978 --> 00:45:21,196 that I was failing them. 868 00:45:23,416 --> 00:45:25,070 - Me too. - Maybe they wouldn't have done it. 869 00:45:25,200 --> 00:45:28,290 but they couldn't know because they didn't understand 870 00:45:28,421 --> 00:45:32,381 why I was like that. They had no idea, 871 00:45:33,295 --> 00:45:35,123 no frame of reference and probably, I guess, 872 00:45:35,210 --> 00:45:36,168 your parents didn't either. 873 00:45:36,298 --> 00:45:38,648 - I think maybe my mom had an idea. 874 00:45:38,779 --> 00:45:39,954 - Really? - Not that I was trans, 875 00:45:40,085 --> 00:45:42,870 but I think she thought I was gay growing up. 876 00:45:43,871 --> 00:45:45,307 She would always say... 877 00:45:46,526 --> 00:45:48,833 [sighs] She would always say, "I'd love you no matter what." 878 00:45:48,963 --> 00:45:50,051 - But? 879 00:45:50,573 --> 00:45:52,445 - "But it's a really hard life." 880 00:45:52,575 --> 00:45:55,491 Well, that was mid-'80s, everybody's dying of AIDS. 881 00:45:56,057 --> 00:45:57,189 Of course she doesn't want me to be gay. 882 00:45:59,365 --> 00:46:01,584 - [Tobias] I never thought, as a young man, 883 00:46:01,715 --> 00:46:04,805 that I was ever interested in getting married. 884 00:46:04,936 --> 00:46:07,765 I was lucky to be gay because I didn't have to get married. 885 00:46:08,548 --> 00:46:10,680 As the years went by with the same partner 886 00:46:10,811 --> 00:46:12,247 and we began to think about the future 887 00:46:13,858 --> 00:46:16,599 and the rights that we were denied. 888 00:46:16,730 --> 00:46:19,646 it became actually mandatory that we become married 889 00:46:19,777 --> 00:46:21,256 because we would have lost my medical insurance. 890 00:46:23,084 --> 00:46:26,479 Ruth Ginsburg, who is a devotee of my work, 891 00:46:26,609 --> 00:46:28,524 having attended several operas, 892 00:46:28,655 --> 00:46:30,613 married us right in the Supreme Court. 893 00:46:30,744 --> 00:46:33,834 So maybe since then, my level of interest 894 00:46:33,965 --> 00:46:37,577 in issues that affect this community has increased. 895 00:46:37,707 --> 00:46:41,059 I consider myself very lucky. 896 00:46:41,799 --> 00:46:42,930 I am, in many ways, better off, 897 00:46:43,061 --> 00:46:45,803 so I am interested in helping people 898 00:46:45,933 --> 00:46:47,108 that are still oppressed. 899 00:46:48,240 --> 00:46:50,372 - That's--that's my dad. 900 00:46:51,199 --> 00:46:53,680 This is my stepsister who's coming. 901 00:46:53,811 --> 00:46:55,943 So my dad and my stepsister are coming to see the show. 902 00:46:56,639 --> 00:46:59,077 I don't know what to think. 903 00:46:59,207 --> 00:47:01,644 I--it's--it's too much of a distraction 904 00:47:01,775 --> 00:47:05,997 for me to really think about it before the show. 905 00:47:06,388 --> 00:47:08,173 I don't know what I wanna talk... 906 00:47:08,303 --> 00:47:10,915 - My mother came to everything. 907 00:47:12,046 --> 00:47:14,092 But she traveled all over the world for my things. 908 00:47:16,964 --> 00:47:20,446 Having a mother live 99 years, 909 00:47:20,533 --> 00:47:22,796 you get pretty used to having them around 910 00:47:22,927 --> 00:47:24,015 and in your life all the time. 911 00:47:25,277 --> 00:47:30,021 We were in constant communication by email and FaceTime 912 00:47:30,151 --> 00:47:31,109 so, she was very modern. 913 00:47:33,763 --> 00:47:36,505 A very big inspiration to me as an artist 914 00:47:36,592 --> 00:47:40,379 she was...making art till six days before she died. 915 00:47:41,902 --> 00:47:43,948 So, we were very enmeshed. 916 00:47:46,515 --> 00:47:49,431 [somber music] 917 00:48:02,009 --> 00:48:05,665 - I know that Lucia has found it very difficult 918 00:48:05,795 --> 00:48:07,928 to park Don Giovanni at the end of the day, 919 00:48:08,363 --> 00:48:10,583 and go back to just being Lucia. 920 00:48:11,410 --> 00:48:16,197 When you ask somebody to dig into themselves deeply 921 00:48:16,328 --> 00:48:18,199 to find those aspects of the character 922 00:48:18,330 --> 00:48:20,375 that are maybe hard to live with, 923 00:48:20,506 --> 00:48:22,987 it's hard to walk out the door at the end of the working day 924 00:48:23,074 --> 00:48:24,510 and switch all of that off. 925 00:48:31,952 --> 00:48:33,214 - [Lucia imitates a scooter engine revving] 926 00:48:33,301 --> 00:48:35,216 I can do that, right? - [Denni] Yeah, absolutely. 927 00:48:35,347 --> 00:48:37,871 - [singing] Uh... 928 00:48:38,002 --> 00:48:40,265 - And I think you probably wanna stop 929 00:48:40,395 --> 00:48:42,354 roundabout there if you can. 930 00:48:42,484 --> 00:48:45,052 It feels like a good position to me. 931 00:48:45,183 --> 00:48:47,489 And when you can, put your parking brake on, 932 00:48:47,620 --> 00:48:49,187 it's by your left foot. 933 00:48:49,317 --> 00:48:51,363 - Do I get off? - [thudding] 934 00:48:51,493 --> 00:48:56,107 - I think you should feel naked, psychologically naked. 935 00:48:56,237 --> 00:49:00,111 He has suddenly no audience, he has nobody to sing to. 936 00:49:00,241 --> 00:49:01,373 - Okay. 937 00:49:01,460 --> 00:49:03,027 Who am I speaking to? 938 00:49:03,157 --> 00:49:04,724 Who am I speaking to in opera? 939 00:49:04,854 --> 00:49:06,334 Who is my performance for? 940 00:49:07,161 --> 00:49:08,380 I am not trying to speak to anybody. 941 00:49:10,121 --> 00:49:14,777 I am trying to do the best version of my art 942 00:49:15,648 --> 00:49:17,955 that I think is interesting and thought-provoking, 943 00:49:18,085 --> 00:49:20,218 no matter who you are. 944 00:49:20,348 --> 00:49:22,350 I'm not performing for the king. 945 00:49:22,481 --> 00:49:25,092 I don't need to customize my show and my references 946 00:49:25,223 --> 00:49:26,050 for one person. 947 00:49:27,877 --> 00:49:29,488 I am giving a multi-layered performance. 948 00:49:31,533 --> 00:49:34,362 I'm giving Golden Age singing to the people who love opera, 949 00:49:34,449 --> 00:49:38,801 I'm giving silver screen acting to all the Netflix crowd. 950 00:49:39,411 --> 00:49:40,629 I guess that's our target audience. 951 00:49:40,716 --> 00:49:41,761 So if we're speaking to anybody, 952 00:49:41,891 --> 00:49:43,589 we're speaking to new people, 953 00:49:43,719 --> 00:49:45,373 we're speaking to the new audience. 954 00:49:45,460 --> 00:49:48,202 - [Denni] ...no audience, he has nobody to sing to. 955 00:49:48,986 --> 00:49:51,162 - Okay. - And I think it would be great 956 00:49:51,292 --> 00:49:52,380 to see a moment of vulnerability in that character. 957 00:49:54,513 --> 00:49:55,949 - I don't know if I'm feeling it today, but-- 958 00:49:56,080 --> 00:49:57,777 - Okay, sure. 959 00:49:57,907 --> 00:50:00,388 Play with it and see. 960 00:50:00,519 --> 00:50:03,435 - Yeah, I mean two things is like logistically this thing, 961 00:50:03,565 --> 00:50:05,915 like, where to get it, how to set it up, 962 00:50:06,046 --> 00:50:09,223 and how to get back onto it without it all looking staged. 963 00:50:09,354 --> 00:50:11,138 - Absolutely. - Um... 964 00:50:11,269 --> 00:50:14,968 But, I'm--with all the extra stuff, I'm... 965 00:50:15,099 --> 00:50:18,537 I don't know, I'm like, losing my own. 966 00:50:18,624 --> 00:50:19,842 So--we can talk about it at some other time 967 00:50:19,973 --> 00:50:22,541 but I feel like I'm losing myself 968 00:50:22,628 --> 00:50:26,023 and then, like, I don't have Giovanni to protect me now 969 00:50:26,153 --> 00:50:30,114 because I've been projecting Giovanni the entire time, 970 00:50:30,810 --> 00:50:32,290 except for the parts when we're talking 971 00:50:32,420 --> 00:50:33,465 and building the scenes, so... - Mm. 972 00:50:37,121 --> 00:50:38,296 So put all that into the canzonetta, 973 00:50:38,383 --> 00:50:41,429 that nakedness when you feel strong enough. 974 00:50:42,300 --> 00:50:46,434 And I think the important thing is that it's amazing, 975 00:50:46,565 --> 00:50:49,176 all the outside publicity work that you're doing. 976 00:50:49,307 --> 00:50:51,657 But ultimately, we have to build a show 977 00:50:51,787 --> 00:50:53,920 otherwise we're not publicizing anything. 978 00:50:54,051 --> 00:50:56,444 So your energy can't be pulled away by too many other people 979 00:50:57,793 --> 00:50:59,752 dragging it away from you. 980 00:50:59,882 --> 00:51:02,059 - Of course, but--but if I say that I'm not gonna do this, 981 00:51:02,189 --> 00:51:04,061 or I'm not gonna do that-- No, I'm saying like, 982 00:51:04,191 --> 00:51:05,453 yes, that would be the best thing, 983 00:51:05,540 --> 00:51:07,325 would be for me to be like, 984 00:51:07,455 --> 00:51:09,283 "I'm sorry, can we cancel all the interviews, 985 00:51:09,414 --> 00:51:11,024 I'm not gonna do any more performances, 986 00:51:11,155 --> 00:51:13,374 I'm not gonna go out and like, give speeches 987 00:51:13,461 --> 00:51:15,463 about workplace inclusivity," 988 00:51:15,594 --> 00:51:17,204 and all the random stuff that I've been doing, 989 00:51:17,335 --> 00:51:18,597 if I shut that down 990 00:51:19,467 --> 00:51:22,035 and then I take all of my free time for me, yeah, fine. 991 00:51:24,733 --> 00:51:26,039 I mean, can I do that? 992 00:51:26,866 --> 00:51:29,086 - Yes, you can absolutely, at any moment. 993 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:34,787 A performer's preparation time is absolutely crucial. 994 00:51:35,309 --> 00:51:37,006 And I think, for Lucia, 995 00:51:37,137 --> 00:51:40,488 because there's been so much media interest, 996 00:51:41,228 --> 00:51:43,883 constant interviews, a lot of pressure, 997 00:51:44,579 --> 00:51:47,278 it's been a really demanding time for her. 998 00:51:47,408 --> 00:51:50,672 I think more demanding than she realized it would be. 999 00:51:51,456 --> 00:51:54,807 And that's a tough thing when you're preparing a role 1000 00:51:54,937 --> 00:51:58,245 as big and demanding as Don Giovanni. 1001 00:51:58,550 --> 00:52:01,379 [soft music] 1002 00:52:02,119 --> 00:52:04,469 Playing somebody who lives on the edge, 1003 00:52:04,599 --> 00:52:07,080 who is prepared to always go 1004 00:52:07,211 --> 00:52:09,082 beyond where anybody else will go, 1005 00:52:09,213 --> 00:52:10,736 I think probably becomes 1006 00:52:10,823 --> 00:52:14,783 quite a fun, buzzy, attractive thing to do. 1007 00:52:14,870 --> 00:52:17,134 And then it's very difficult to suddenly find yourself, 1008 00:52:17,264 --> 00:52:18,439 at the end of the day, 1009 00:52:18,570 --> 00:52:20,963 in your hotel room on your own. 1010 00:52:21,050 --> 00:52:23,096 You don't go home and have dinner with your family 1011 00:52:23,227 --> 00:52:24,924 and relax and switch off a bit. 1012 00:52:25,054 --> 00:52:28,057 You go home and you relive every minute of the day, 1013 00:52:28,145 --> 00:52:29,450 there's kind of no escape. 1014 00:52:30,190 --> 00:52:32,410 It's like having a hamster on a wheel in your head. 1015 00:52:32,540 --> 00:52:34,020 It just keeps going round and round and round. 1016 00:52:34,151 --> 00:52:36,544 You have no outlet from it. 1017 00:52:37,850 --> 00:52:41,375 That's also part of the skill of being in our world. 1018 00:52:41,636 --> 00:52:43,508 [dramatic music] 1019 00:52:46,554 --> 00:52:48,687 - [woman] What we do behind the scenes, 1020 00:52:48,817 --> 00:52:51,037 is a well-organized dance, 1021 00:52:51,646 --> 00:52:52,778 it's not glamorous. 1022 00:52:52,908 --> 00:52:54,823 You get to deal with all of this stuff. 1023 00:52:54,954 --> 00:52:58,436 Well, there's also the maintenance and the laundry 1024 00:52:59,263 --> 00:53:01,003 and being sure that everybody has what they need. 1025 00:53:06,270 --> 00:53:11,231 To remove sweat and perfume in something silk, 1026 00:53:11,318 --> 00:53:17,977 we use a cheap 100 percent vodka in a spray bottle 1027 00:53:18,107 --> 00:53:21,067 and we just mist it on and when it dries, 1028 00:53:21,198 --> 00:53:23,896 it dissipates and takes all of the smell out with it. 1029 00:53:24,026 --> 00:53:26,812 You kind of have-- 1030 00:53:26,942 --> 00:53:28,727 - One for the clothing, one for me. 1031 00:53:28,814 --> 00:53:29,641 One for the clothing, one for me. 1032 00:53:29,771 --> 00:53:30,598 - Exactly. 1033 00:53:31,686 --> 00:53:33,210 One for the dresser. 1034 00:53:33,340 --> 00:53:36,691 When I heard that we're updating it to the 1950s, 1035 00:53:37,692 --> 00:53:40,391 there was a little piece of me that was not happy. 1036 00:53:40,521 --> 00:53:42,393 - Have you ever seen Amadeus? That-- 1037 00:53:42,523 --> 00:53:45,047 - Mm-hm. - Do you think that he would have a problem with updating? 1038 00:53:45,134 --> 00:53:46,701 I don't know. - I don't know either. 1039 00:53:46,832 --> 00:53:50,314 I know that if we can take anything away from Mozart 1040 00:53:50,444 --> 00:53:54,143 and the lightness of his music, maybe? 1041 00:53:54,361 --> 00:53:55,841 - Maybe. 1042 00:53:55,971 --> 00:53:59,236 - I mean, it tells a great story of a crazy man. 1043 00:54:00,411 --> 00:54:03,065 - A crazy man. - [Deb laughs] Well, he's a psychopath. 1044 00:54:03,196 --> 00:54:06,634 He preys on the people that he can manipulate. 1045 00:54:10,203 --> 00:54:13,772 - She's also trying to stay 1046 00:54:13,902 --> 00:54:16,296 in the Don Giovanni character all the time, 1047 00:54:16,427 --> 00:54:20,518 which is her choice to make it the success 1048 00:54:20,605 --> 00:54:23,347 and he's the master of disguise and deception. 1049 00:54:23,477 --> 00:54:24,609 [dramatic music] 1050 00:54:39,276 --> 00:54:42,496 - [Lucia] I don't know the fruits of my labor yet 1051 00:54:42,583 --> 00:54:43,758 and we'll see who comes. 1052 00:54:46,152 --> 00:54:47,327 People are on their phone all the time. 1053 00:54:47,458 --> 00:54:51,331 There are actual humans that I haven't seen 1054 00:54:51,462 --> 00:54:54,029 in 10, 15 years even, 1055 00:54:54,116 --> 00:54:57,598 that I communicate fairly regularly on the phone, 1056 00:54:57,685 --> 00:55:00,079 but to see them in person, is special. 1057 00:55:00,209 --> 00:55:02,864 And I think we're missing out on that humanity. 1058 00:55:02,995 --> 00:55:05,040 In the Gathering Place, that's what I was hoping for. 1059 00:55:06,303 --> 00:55:08,827 I just sort of wanted to do a fact-finding mission. 1060 00:55:08,914 --> 00:55:11,133 But it seemed like other people 1061 00:55:11,612 --> 00:55:12,526 were more concerned with 1062 00:55:14,485 --> 00:55:17,183 flyers being handed out which is the complete opposite 1063 00:55:17,314 --> 00:55:18,358 of what I wanted to do. 1064 00:55:20,055 --> 00:55:23,798 I'm making a commercial about this park. 1065 00:55:23,929 --> 00:55:25,800 Now, this is what I'm doing, I've decided. 1066 00:55:29,282 --> 00:55:31,980 - Why do you feel that's necessary? 1067 00:55:32,067 --> 00:55:34,069 - Because we have to get people 1068 00:55:34,200 --> 00:55:36,158 but we don't wanna be obnoxious to people. 1069 00:55:37,769 --> 00:55:39,118 - [Tobias] If she does something 1070 00:55:39,248 --> 00:55:40,467 and then she says, "Was I good?" 1071 00:55:41,294 --> 00:55:43,427 That's a rhetorical question. [chuckles] 1072 00:55:43,557 --> 00:55:46,952 This is the kiddie park. - [Lucia] Yeah, I know. 1073 00:55:47,082 --> 00:55:47,953 - Maybe down by the lake is better. 1074 00:55:48,083 --> 00:55:49,694 - That's kind of what I was thinking 1075 00:55:49,824 --> 00:55:51,826 because wrangling kittens is more difficult. 1076 00:55:53,437 --> 00:55:54,568 - They're the wrong sort of people. 1077 00:55:54,655 --> 00:55:56,222 - They're the wrong sort of people. 1078 00:55:56,353 --> 00:55:57,876 Because they need to take their kids to Chuck E. Cheese, 1079 00:55:58,006 --> 00:55:58,877 not to the opera. 1080 00:56:00,792 --> 00:56:04,491 All of these individual interactions are important. 1081 00:56:05,274 --> 00:56:07,886 Handing flyers out doesn't work. 1082 00:56:09,017 --> 00:56:11,063 We're making an opera. 1083 00:56:11,193 --> 00:56:11,933 - [man] Oh, okay. Oh, yeah! - [woman] Nice, that's pretty cool. 1084 00:56:12,020 --> 00:56:13,718 [speaking German] 1085 00:56:18,418 --> 00:56:20,768 - [Tobias] Are you coming to Don Giovanni? 1086 00:56:20,899 --> 00:56:22,640 - I don't know, I guess we have no tickets for that, no. 1087 00:56:22,770 --> 00:56:24,685 - You should buy them because she's Don Giovanni. 1088 00:56:24,816 --> 00:56:26,557 - Okay, I'm doing-- - She's amazing. 1089 00:56:26,644 --> 00:56:28,254 - I'm doing Don Giovanni. 1090 00:56:29,298 --> 00:56:31,518 I'm trying to show them that hiring somebody 1091 00:56:31,649 --> 00:56:33,215 from on the other side of the world is worth it. 1092 00:56:33,520 --> 00:56:35,087 [indistinct chattering] 1093 00:56:35,217 --> 00:56:36,218 - We grew up with it all. 1094 00:56:38,612 --> 00:56:40,222 - [Lucia] I did what I wanted to do. 1095 00:56:40,353 --> 00:56:42,137 What I wanted to do was make a connection 1096 00:56:42,268 --> 00:56:43,965 with individual people. 1097 00:56:45,010 --> 00:56:47,316 Individual people that will become fans of opera, 1098 00:56:47,404 --> 00:56:49,754 individual people that will become fans of me. 1099 00:56:50,929 --> 00:56:52,713 I just got here I don't have a whole lot of time. 1100 00:56:52,800 --> 00:56:56,413 What's the best place to check out in the park? 1101 00:56:56,543 --> 00:56:59,067 I communicate with people all the time 1102 00:56:59,198 --> 00:57:02,114 on various social media platforms and also through email. 1103 00:57:02,244 --> 00:57:03,071 Sorry to disturb you. 1104 00:57:03,855 --> 00:57:05,378 [bright music] 1105 00:57:09,164 --> 00:57:11,863 I use the camera as sort of a lure. 1106 00:57:11,993 --> 00:57:14,300 If people know were too busy, 1107 00:57:15,823 --> 00:57:16,650 I'm not gonna get to talk to them. 1108 00:57:18,826 --> 00:57:20,567 No, come on, let's go. No, no, no, no, no, come on, let's go. 1109 00:57:22,439 --> 00:57:26,138 Come on, go, no, just, sorry. 1110 00:57:26,573 --> 00:57:27,705 He's gonna make me do this. 1111 00:57:27,835 --> 00:57:30,229 So I'm not gonna talk to you, 1112 00:57:30,359 --> 00:57:31,317 I'm just gonna give you this. 1113 00:57:33,362 --> 00:57:34,320 I wasn't gonna do this, but here. 1114 00:57:35,277 --> 00:57:37,802 I'm doing an opera here. 1115 00:57:37,932 --> 00:57:39,456 I don't know if you've ever been to the opera. 1116 00:57:39,543 --> 00:57:42,502 Anyway, if you're around, it's fun, bye. 1117 00:57:42,633 --> 00:57:44,504 - [Tobias] It's not worth the time. 1118 00:57:44,635 --> 00:57:46,985 In the end, was it effective? 1119 00:57:47,115 --> 00:57:50,684 I think it was important to Lucia to do that 1120 00:57:50,815 --> 00:57:54,775 to be out in public telling random strangers 1121 00:57:55,733 --> 00:57:56,603 they should come see her inDon Giovanni , 1122 00:57:56,734 --> 00:58:00,825 but I wouldn't say it was a fiasco, but 1123 00:58:00,955 --> 00:58:02,696 [chuckles] I might. 1124 00:58:03,654 --> 00:58:04,829 [intense music] 1125 00:58:10,051 --> 00:58:11,923 - [Lucia] I'm not aware of ticket sales. 1126 00:58:12,053 --> 00:58:14,273 I was going to be aware of ticket sales, 1127 00:58:14,403 --> 00:58:15,361 but I've been told, repeatedly, 1128 00:58:15,492 --> 00:58:16,841 it's not my job to sell tickets 1129 00:58:16,971 --> 00:58:19,234 and I've sort of taken the hint. 1130 00:58:20,366 --> 00:58:21,715 That's not something that they really want me 1131 00:58:21,846 --> 00:58:24,675 to be a part of so I'm not gonna be a part of it. 1132 00:58:24,762 --> 00:58:26,241 I have plenty of other stuff to worry about, really. 1133 00:58:28,417 --> 00:58:30,419 Nobody's answering the elephant in the room. 1134 00:58:30,550 --> 00:58:34,119 The elephant in the room is if you can't-- 1135 00:58:34,249 --> 00:58:36,208 if it's that hard to sell tickets, 1136 00:58:36,861 --> 00:58:40,125 and you're funding 90 percent of it outside, 1137 00:58:40,212 --> 00:58:41,605 then--then what are you doing? 1138 00:58:41,735 --> 00:58:43,432 If we change it to 100 percent of the funding, 1139 00:58:43,563 --> 00:58:44,433 is it gonna fill this place? 1140 00:58:47,567 --> 00:58:49,482 So this is why I compare Germany and the US all the time. 1141 00:58:49,569 --> 00:58:52,572 In Germany, they say, "No, we want art 1142 00:58:52,703 --> 00:58:56,402 that is cheap enough for the general public to afford 1143 00:58:56,489 --> 00:58:59,536 because we value art and we think it's good 1144 00:58:59,666 --> 00:59:02,669 if the general public has art in their life." 1145 00:59:03,757 --> 00:59:05,672 But the American system is still looking at it 1146 00:59:05,803 --> 00:59:10,242 as like, "Oh, well, we need to make so much ticket sales." 1147 00:59:10,372 --> 00:59:13,462 And it's like, if your business model is based on donations, 1148 00:59:13,550 --> 00:59:15,203 you're not making profit. 1149 00:59:16,248 --> 00:59:19,686 If your art form can't pay for itself by ticket sales, 1150 00:59:19,817 --> 00:59:22,341 then does the art form deserve to survive? 1151 00:59:24,517 --> 00:59:25,997 I always have to remember why I'm here. 1152 00:59:26,911 --> 00:59:29,827 I probably said this before, but, "Remember why you're here," 1153 00:59:29,957 --> 00:59:32,264 is a quote that stuck with me and I'm here to do this show. 1154 00:59:32,394 --> 00:59:34,832 In...in here, on this stage. 1155 00:59:37,225 --> 00:59:42,622 - Have I ever done this much promotion 1156 00:59:42,883 --> 00:59:44,842 for any singer before? 1157 00:59:44,972 --> 00:59:48,846 And the answer is absolutely not, never. 1158 00:59:51,196 --> 00:59:53,590 She wouldn't be doing all of those events 1159 00:59:54,286 --> 00:59:56,070 if I didn't create them for her. 1160 00:59:56,201 --> 00:59:58,203 I composed this. 1161 00:59:58,333 --> 01:00:05,297 I do have a lot of confidence in my composition abilities. 1162 01:00:05,427 --> 01:00:09,823 And, this, I do see this as a kind of composition, I do. 1163 01:00:10,911 --> 01:00:13,522 Putting an opera together, creating a star, 1164 01:00:13,653 --> 01:00:16,613 it is analogous to composing. 1165 01:00:17,657 --> 01:00:24,403 - ♪ Looking off from the river bank ♪ 1166 01:00:24,969 --> 01:00:28,929 ♪ And with an untouched brush ♪ 1167 01:00:30,670 --> 01:00:34,631 ♪ I wiped away astonished tears ♪ 1168 01:00:37,459 --> 01:00:40,332 90--90 percent there. [laughs] 1169 01:00:40,462 --> 01:00:43,161 - For you maybe, about 50 percent of the notes for me, 1170 01:00:43,291 --> 01:00:47,208 60 maybe, 60 percent, so. 1171 01:00:47,339 --> 01:00:48,557 But I'm the composer, so I can make it up. 1172 01:00:48,688 --> 01:00:52,213 - So you're always right? - They always say, you know, 1173 01:00:52,344 --> 01:00:54,389 "It doesn't matter if you play wrong notes, you wrote it. 1174 01:00:54,476 --> 01:00:56,174 So you can change it while you're playing it." 1175 01:00:56,304 --> 01:01:01,048 But it's not true, actually, because it's published. 1176 01:01:01,179 --> 01:01:04,791 It's not easy for me to compose as every piece I compose, 1177 01:01:04,922 --> 01:01:07,489 I start out thinking, "I can't do this. 1178 01:01:07,620 --> 01:01:08,926 I don't know how to do this." 1179 01:01:09,056 --> 01:01:11,537 And so each one is a new challenge. 1180 01:01:12,059 --> 01:01:13,582 - I'm not assuming anything on you. 1181 01:01:13,713 --> 01:01:15,759 I'm just saying that if I go do a role 1182 01:01:15,889 --> 01:01:20,938 that I've done before, I don't get the same sort of energy. 1183 01:01:21,068 --> 01:01:22,766 - That must be similar to what I get 1184 01:01:22,853 --> 01:01:25,029 because everything I do is a world premiere. 1185 01:01:25,159 --> 01:01:26,770 - But you've written all these notes before 1186 01:01:26,900 --> 01:01:28,162 just in a different order. 1187 01:01:29,120 --> 01:01:31,775 [both laugh] 1188 01:01:31,905 --> 01:01:34,038 Sorry, that was--that was corny. 1189 01:01:34,691 --> 01:01:36,562 - I was in my early 20s and, 1190 01:01:37,432 --> 01:01:39,565 you know, when I read about myself 1191 01:01:39,696 --> 01:01:42,611 in the New Yorker, I'll never forget that review. 1192 01:01:43,569 --> 01:01:46,267 "A genuine creator with a fertile unforced vein 1193 01:01:46,398 --> 01:01:47,834 of invention." 1194 01:01:47,965 --> 01:01:49,749 I love that quote. 1195 01:01:50,489 --> 01:01:52,709 And I was 24, so I thought that's really great. 1196 01:01:52,839 --> 01:01:55,015 But I didn't feel like I had arrived yet. 1197 01:01:55,146 --> 01:01:57,452 I felt this is going in the right direction. 1198 01:01:58,018 --> 01:02:01,369 But composers always feel insecure, 1199 01:02:01,500 --> 01:02:03,328 they never feel like they've got enough 1200 01:02:03,458 --> 01:02:06,679 or had enough recognition ever. 1201 01:02:06,810 --> 01:02:09,029 Imposter syndrome, yeah, I have that. 1202 01:02:09,160 --> 01:02:11,728 - I--I don't have that. - You don't have it? 1203 01:02:11,858 --> 01:02:15,819 - I know sources of insecurity that were there 1204 01:02:15,949 --> 01:02:17,951 that I went back and conquered. 1205 01:02:18,082 --> 01:02:21,041 There was a lot of emotional edging, 1206 01:02:21,172 --> 01:02:23,565 like coming up to the edge and then going, 1207 01:02:23,696 --> 01:02:25,263 "No, I can deal with that," and then coming back 1208 01:02:25,393 --> 01:02:27,134 and then pushing that edge and pushing that edge 1209 01:02:27,265 --> 01:02:29,789 and pushing and pushing that. 1210 01:02:29,920 --> 01:02:33,488 I was a bad clarinet player, I was a bad trumpet player. 1211 01:02:34,011 --> 01:02:36,753 I never had quick success in my career 1212 01:02:36,840 --> 01:02:39,233 on any level whatsoever. 1213 01:02:39,364 --> 01:02:42,759 So everything that I built, it was piece by piece. 1214 01:02:43,760 --> 01:02:46,153 I think I've always sort of had a good gauge 1215 01:02:46,284 --> 01:02:48,416 of how--how good I am. 1216 01:02:49,548 --> 01:02:52,769 I think that if you get too much exposure too soon, 1217 01:02:52,899 --> 01:02:54,118 then maybe you can have imposter syndrome. 1218 01:02:54,248 --> 01:02:58,470 - Well, imposter syndrome is...is also perfectionism, 1219 01:02:59,079 --> 01:03:01,734 you're never good enough and I do have that. 1220 01:03:02,561 --> 01:03:05,172 I wish I had a chance to make it better. 1221 01:03:05,303 --> 01:03:07,871 - Maybe if I was like making a record album 1222 01:03:07,958 --> 01:03:11,309 or something like that, and I could make it perfect 1223 01:03:11,613 --> 01:03:12,963 then it would be different. 1224 01:03:13,093 --> 01:03:14,225 - And one of my teachers used to say, 1225 01:03:14,312 --> 01:03:16,662 "How do you know when a piece is finished?" 1226 01:03:16,793 --> 01:03:19,273 And he said, "When you just give up." 1227 01:03:19,404 --> 01:03:20,492 [somber music] 1228 01:03:20,579 --> 01:03:22,886 - Then it's done? 1229 01:03:23,016 --> 01:03:24,801 [chuckles] 1230 01:03:24,888 --> 01:03:29,675 - And he said, "Remember, self-doubt 1231 01:03:29,806 --> 01:03:34,375 need not be an animal adversary, 1232 01:03:34,506 --> 01:03:39,685 but can be trained and kept as a useful pet." 1233 01:03:43,471 --> 01:03:44,733 - For what? 1234 01:03:45,473 --> 01:03:47,475 - To make you always try to be better 1235 01:03:48,737 --> 01:03:51,175 and not feel that everything you write is a masterpiece. 1236 01:03:51,305 --> 01:03:52,132 - Hm. 1237 01:03:53,873 --> 01:03:55,788 - I didn't know her very well before. 1238 01:03:55,919 --> 01:03:58,356 We've gotten to know each other a little bit 1239 01:03:58,486 --> 01:03:59,444 in the last year and a half, 1240 01:03:59,574 --> 01:04:02,621 but I'm still getting to know her. 1241 01:04:02,751 --> 01:04:04,579 The singers in operas that I produce 1242 01:04:04,710 --> 01:04:07,539 will always be instruments of the composer 1243 01:04:07,669 --> 01:04:08,845 who wrote the operas. 1244 01:04:10,847 --> 01:04:13,501 The greatest musical instrument that there is 1245 01:04:13,588 --> 01:04:14,807 is actually alive. 1246 01:04:16,504 --> 01:04:18,767 They are born and they live and they die. 1247 01:04:19,159 --> 01:04:20,160 [music continues] 1248 01:04:24,904 --> 01:04:27,472 My London agent, I asked her, 1249 01:04:27,559 --> 01:04:31,911 "What happens when--when you die when you're a composer?" 1250 01:04:31,998 --> 01:04:35,480 And she said, "Well, you're not played for 35 years, 1251 01:04:35,610 --> 01:04:38,962 then you're either played or you're never played." 1252 01:04:39,092 --> 01:04:40,659 If you have all your faculties, 1253 01:04:40,746 --> 01:04:43,880 you could keep composing until you're 104 1254 01:04:44,010 --> 01:04:45,664 as one of my teachers did, 1255 01:04:46,578 --> 01:04:49,059 and then he couldn't compose anymore, so he decided to die. 1256 01:04:49,537 --> 01:04:52,279 So it's about surviving, really. 1257 01:04:54,064 --> 01:04:55,326 [music continues] 1258 01:05:05,292 --> 01:05:07,947 - I feel very centered right now, I feel very calm. 1259 01:05:08,078 --> 01:05:09,949 The only stuff that I'm actually worrying about 1260 01:05:10,080 --> 01:05:11,951 is--is putting the show together. 1261 01:05:12,082 --> 01:05:14,736 And the only things that frustrate me or annoy me 1262 01:05:14,867 --> 01:05:17,348 are when the process isn't as smooth as I would like. 1263 01:05:17,478 --> 01:05:20,090 - Of course, voices are quite vulnerable. 1264 01:05:20,177 --> 01:05:21,787 Most singers wake up in the morning 1265 01:05:21,874 --> 01:05:25,225 and the first thing they do is go, [hums, sings] 1266 01:05:25,922 --> 01:05:27,575 "Oh, yeah, it's okay, it's there today." 1267 01:05:27,662 --> 01:05:29,751 - If you are under the weather even just a little bit, 1268 01:05:30,361 --> 01:05:33,190 you have to learn how to just get past it. 1269 01:05:34,408 --> 01:05:37,107 - [Denni] The timing of our Leporello, Clark, getting sick 1270 01:05:37,237 --> 01:05:38,369 was quite fortuitous. 1271 01:05:39,065 --> 01:05:42,329 We had put the whole production on its feet. 1272 01:05:42,460 --> 01:05:44,505 Everybody knew their staging. 1273 01:05:44,636 --> 01:05:47,334 So even though he was sick, he could be at home, 1274 01:05:47,465 --> 01:05:50,337 he could be looking through his score lying in his sick bed. 1275 01:05:50,903 --> 01:05:53,427 We have an assistant director who stepped in 1276 01:05:53,514 --> 01:05:55,081 and physically embodied the role 1277 01:05:55,168 --> 01:05:57,127 because he knew all the moves 1278 01:05:57,257 --> 01:06:00,086 and could be a warm body in the space 1279 01:06:00,173 --> 01:06:01,958 and give people to react from. 1280 01:06:02,088 --> 01:06:05,309 And luckily, Hide had sung the role 1281 01:06:05,439 --> 01:06:06,701 in a different production. 1282 01:06:06,788 --> 01:06:08,790 So we were able to keep moving forward 1283 01:06:08,877 --> 01:06:10,357 in the rehearsal process. 1284 01:06:10,488 --> 01:06:13,708 [operatic singing] 1285 01:06:13,839 --> 01:06:15,623 The difficult thing of course, 1286 01:06:15,754 --> 01:06:19,105 is that one of the key relationships in this opera 1287 01:06:19,192 --> 01:06:21,542 is between Don Giovanni and Leporello. 1288 01:06:21,673 --> 01:06:24,589 And it's a very symbiotic, very, very close relationship. 1289 01:06:25,590 --> 01:06:28,854 - I think Tobias was, uh, very worried. 1290 01:06:30,508 --> 01:06:32,379 And it was honestly just like a little stomach bug, 1291 01:06:32,510 --> 01:06:33,815 not a big deal. 1292 01:06:34,642 --> 01:06:37,254 - It felt like a weird sort of ethereal gaslighting, 1293 01:06:37,384 --> 01:06:39,343 the other day when we were trying to do the show run. 1294 01:06:39,473 --> 01:06:40,822 The voice is coming from somewhere else. 1295 01:06:40,909 --> 01:06:42,215 And even if you hit all the things, 1296 01:06:42,346 --> 01:06:43,956 it's not the same as having the voice 1297 01:06:44,087 --> 01:06:45,436 coming directly from that character. 1298 01:06:45,784 --> 01:06:47,481 [bright music] 1299 01:06:48,091 --> 01:06:50,093 [singing] 1300 01:06:50,180 --> 01:06:52,443 [Hidenori singing] 1301 01:06:52,573 --> 01:06:54,445 [Lucia and Hidenori singing] 1302 01:06:55,359 --> 01:06:57,230 - [Tobias] In the rehearsal process, 1303 01:06:57,361 --> 01:07:00,581 the director and the conductor are always nervous. 1304 01:07:00,712 --> 01:07:02,931 If they're not remembering everything exactly 1305 01:07:03,062 --> 01:07:05,195 are they gonna pull it off? 1306 01:07:05,934 --> 01:07:06,848 - [Michael] The week of the performance 1307 01:07:06,935 --> 01:07:09,721 is when things just happen. 1308 01:07:10,765 --> 01:07:14,595 The power of adrenaline is amazing, truly, 1309 01:07:14,943 --> 01:07:17,207 especially in the opera world. 1310 01:07:17,337 --> 01:07:23,039 Without being too shady, I think there's a huge overstep 1311 01:07:23,169 --> 01:07:26,868 from confidence into arrogance, it happens a lot. 1312 01:07:26,955 --> 01:07:30,263 - [laughing] - [bright music] 1313 01:07:30,350 --> 01:07:31,830 - [Lucia] We need a Leporello, like... 1314 01:07:33,179 --> 01:07:33,962 that's it. 1315 01:07:35,225 --> 01:07:37,009 [operatic singing] 1316 01:07:37,140 --> 01:07:38,837 You were fantastic, thank you so much. 1317 01:07:38,967 --> 01:07:40,317 - Thank you for your help. 1318 01:07:41,927 --> 01:07:43,189 - My help? 1319 01:07:43,320 --> 01:07:45,583 [singing continues] 1320 01:07:46,975 --> 01:07:49,674 [Michael singing] 1321 01:08:04,471 --> 01:08:06,821 - [Lucia] There were things that were question marks, 1322 01:08:07,648 --> 01:08:10,129 and had I had Leporello during the room run, 1323 01:08:11,435 --> 01:08:13,524 maybe he would have had the same sort of question marks 1324 01:08:13,654 --> 01:08:14,568 maybe we would have worked through it, 1325 01:08:14,655 --> 01:08:16,570 maybe would have been fine. 1326 01:08:16,657 --> 01:08:19,617 Maybe we would have reminded each other, in the moment, 1327 01:08:19,747 --> 01:08:21,575 just with him in the right spot and me in the right spot 1328 01:08:21,706 --> 01:08:23,099 making the right face. 1329 01:08:23,229 --> 01:08:25,666 It would like, trigger everything to happen properly. 1330 01:08:26,798 --> 01:08:29,409 The bigger my star gets, the more pressure it is 1331 01:08:29,540 --> 01:08:31,890 to deliver all the time. 1332 01:08:32,020 --> 01:08:34,588 - [Denni] Do artists want to be famous 1333 01:08:34,719 --> 01:08:39,332 or do they want to show what they can do? 1334 01:08:39,463 --> 01:08:40,638 I think it's a big difference. 1335 01:08:40,725 --> 01:08:43,858 I think the cult of fame, 1336 01:08:43,989 --> 01:08:46,426 especially since we've had reality TV, 1337 01:08:46,557 --> 01:08:49,037 is a very strange thing these days. 1338 01:08:49,908 --> 01:08:52,606 Kids grow up thinking, "I wanna be famous." 1339 01:08:52,693 --> 01:08:55,740 And when you ask them, "What do you want to be famous for?" 1340 01:08:56,175 --> 01:08:57,524 They don't know, they just say, 1341 01:08:57,611 --> 01:08:59,787 "I wanna be famous, I wanna be a celebrity." 1342 01:08:59,918 --> 01:09:02,834 That's not a skill, that's not a talent. 1343 01:09:02,964 --> 01:09:06,577 Artists have a very specific skill and a talent, 1344 01:09:06,707 --> 01:09:10,624 which they use to express either narratives 1345 01:09:11,277 --> 01:09:14,846 or political ideas or cultural ideas. 1346 01:09:14,976 --> 01:09:17,109 And that's very different from being famous. 1347 01:09:17,762 --> 01:09:20,156 [singing] 1348 01:09:23,376 --> 01:09:28,381 - If my voice was this tired, in like three or four days, 1349 01:09:28,512 --> 01:09:30,949 then I would be concerned. 1350 01:09:31,036 --> 01:09:34,518 Using my voice in ways that are not the show, 1351 01:09:36,563 --> 01:09:38,826 extra performances that we've done, 1352 01:09:38,957 --> 01:09:40,828 extra talking that I've done in loud environments... 1353 01:09:40,959 --> 01:09:44,049 [singing] 1354 01:09:46,921 --> 01:09:49,228 ...that's always a concern. 1355 01:09:49,315 --> 01:09:51,012 [singing] 1356 01:10:22,957 --> 01:10:25,699 [muffled applause] 1357 01:10:25,830 --> 01:10:26,570 [tense music] 1358 01:10:33,577 --> 01:10:34,752 I've been trying not to think about the fact 1359 01:10:34,882 --> 01:10:36,841 that my dad's coming, 1360 01:10:36,971 --> 01:10:39,191 because I need my energy for the show. 1361 01:10:40,279 --> 01:10:42,325 And actually having him here is distracting. 1362 01:10:42,455 --> 01:10:44,327 He hasn't seen me in 10 years 1363 01:10:44,457 --> 01:10:47,982 because going to Europe was too hard for him. 1364 01:10:48,113 --> 01:10:50,463 [dramatic music] 1365 01:10:51,377 --> 01:10:54,511 [singing] 1366 01:11:03,520 --> 01:11:08,568 You know, he has four kids that were going through school 1367 01:11:08,829 --> 01:11:10,135 or university or whatever. 1368 01:11:10,527 --> 01:11:13,138 [singing] 1369 01:11:16,272 --> 01:11:20,624 But still--still feels like a lifetime. 1370 01:11:20,754 --> 01:11:22,713 I didn't come out until four and a half years 1371 01:11:22,800 --> 01:11:24,062 after I was there and he still hasn't seen me, 1372 01:11:24,192 --> 01:11:26,151 he hasn't see me at all. 1373 01:11:28,806 --> 01:11:30,938 And it's like, "Oh, you're gonna be performing in the States? 1374 01:11:31,069 --> 01:11:32,375 Oh, we'll come see you." 1375 01:11:34,072 --> 01:11:35,639 Okay, great. 1376 01:11:36,770 --> 01:11:39,164 [singing] 1377 01:11:49,566 --> 01:11:52,612 The reason my family has been accepting 1378 01:11:53,352 --> 01:11:57,095 is because they knew that I was going to leave them. 1379 01:11:57,225 --> 01:12:00,141 I never asked for their acceptance. 1380 01:12:01,534 --> 01:12:03,144 I was not asking, I was telling. 1381 01:12:05,016 --> 01:12:07,801 I said, "I've had enough, I'm trans, this is it. 1382 01:12:07,932 --> 01:12:10,717 If you need to leave, there's the door, don't care." 1383 01:12:11,892 --> 01:12:15,548 And I think my approach to it made it different for them. 1384 01:12:15,635 --> 01:12:17,507 If I would have went to them and said, 1385 01:12:17,637 --> 01:12:18,551 "Hey, I'm thinking about coming out, 1386 01:12:18,682 --> 01:12:19,944 is it okay if I come out?" 1387 01:12:21,032 --> 01:12:22,381 Then I don't know how they would have reacted. 1388 01:12:24,992 --> 01:12:27,125 I'm okay without you, are you okay without me? 1389 01:12:27,212 --> 01:12:28,648 [singing] 1390 01:12:31,434 --> 01:12:34,088 I know that everybody can't do that. 1391 01:12:34,219 --> 01:12:36,047 I know everybody doesn't wanna do that. 1392 01:12:36,177 --> 01:12:38,136 But like I already moved to the other side of the world 1393 01:12:38,266 --> 01:12:41,487 with my wife, and my wife is my family. 1394 01:12:41,618 --> 01:12:44,055 [singing] 1395 01:12:52,063 --> 01:12:53,804 And if you wanna be part of my family 1396 01:12:53,934 --> 01:12:55,806 or my extended family, that's fine, 1397 01:12:56,415 --> 01:12:58,243 but if not, I'm not asking for permission. 1398 01:12:59,200 --> 01:13:00,332 Or forgiveness. 1399 01:13:00,985 --> 01:13:01,681 [singing] 1400 01:13:11,430 --> 01:13:13,084 [applause] 1401 01:13:16,087 --> 01:13:19,264 [dramatic music] 1402 01:14:13,797 --> 01:14:15,973 [music continues] 1403 01:14:32,946 --> 01:14:34,295 - [Denni] I think perhaps, in our profession, 1404 01:14:34,426 --> 01:14:36,733 we're all slightly adrenaline junkies. 1405 01:14:37,473 --> 01:14:40,954 And the high we get from the premiere, 1406 01:14:41,738 --> 01:14:44,958 feeling that you're giving 100 percent of yourself 1407 01:14:45,089 --> 01:14:46,482 in that moment, 1408 01:14:47,395 --> 01:14:50,529 that you're getting a huge reward for a lot of hard work, 1409 01:14:51,356 --> 01:14:53,314 it's a big buzz. 1410 01:14:53,445 --> 01:14:55,621 We give up a lot, we sacrifice a lot. 1411 01:14:55,708 --> 01:14:56,927 We're not there for family, 1412 01:14:57,057 --> 01:14:59,669 we're not there for family birthdays, 1413 01:14:59,799 --> 01:15:01,801 we're not there for high school graduation, 1414 01:15:01,932 --> 01:15:04,238 we're not there on the first day of school, 1415 01:15:04,369 --> 01:15:07,198 we're not there to hold a hand when somebody's sick at home. 1416 01:15:07,328 --> 01:15:10,244 We give all of those things up. 1417 01:15:10,331 --> 01:15:13,552 But we never really feel like we go to work. 1418 01:15:13,987 --> 01:15:16,163 We go on a stage and we play 1419 01:15:16,816 --> 01:15:19,906 and we're supported by fantastic music 1420 01:15:20,037 --> 01:15:22,779 and we're surrounded by other artists playing around us. 1421 01:15:22,909 --> 01:15:24,868 And that's a huge privilege. 1422 01:15:24,998 --> 01:15:27,087 Of course, you can't replace family. 1423 01:15:27,218 --> 01:15:30,177 But the other thing we all get as freelance artists 1424 01:15:30,308 --> 01:15:33,354 are the bits in between where you do get to go home. 1425 01:15:33,485 --> 01:15:34,225 So you do also have that in your lives. 1426 01:15:34,355 --> 01:15:37,445 And if you're lucky, 1427 01:15:37,533 --> 01:15:40,274 and you're surrounded by family and friends and loved ones 1428 01:15:40,405 --> 01:15:41,798 who understand that, 1429 01:15:41,928 --> 01:15:44,104 you keep that life together as well. 1430 01:15:44,452 --> 01:15:46,542 - [Tobias] Does she owe me? 1431 01:15:47,978 --> 01:15:51,285 I've had letters from people who run other opera companies 1432 01:15:51,372 --> 01:15:52,809 and they wanna hear her. 1433 01:15:52,939 --> 01:15:55,072 But I can tell you, already, 1434 01:15:55,202 --> 01:15:58,292 that's a sign of success. 1435 01:15:58,423 --> 01:15:59,467 - But you have to really hear somebody 1436 01:15:59,555 --> 01:16:02,427 in a theater with an orchestra. 1437 01:16:02,514 --> 01:16:03,863 It's a kind of a unique thing in that sense 1438 01:16:03,994 --> 01:16:06,126 because it's not about the small room, 1439 01:16:06,257 --> 01:16:09,390 it's not about the microphone, it's about really connecting. 1440 01:16:10,609 --> 01:16:12,785 - [Tobias] The response I saw today from the invitation 1441 01:16:12,916 --> 01:16:16,136 that her agent sent out on my behalf, 1442 01:16:16,267 --> 01:16:18,748 I said it's very good. 1443 01:16:18,878 --> 01:16:21,664 And she said, "Well, yes, I have a very good agent." 1444 01:16:22,360 --> 01:16:25,189 And I was thinking, "But, do you...do you... 1445 01:16:25,319 --> 01:16:28,279 you remember that I got you that agent, right?" 1446 01:16:28,584 --> 01:16:30,455 I think she's very loyal. 1447 01:16:31,151 --> 01:16:33,197 She does remember that and that she will. 1448 01:16:33,284 --> 01:16:34,677 She will remember. 1449 01:16:36,330 --> 01:16:38,376 Some people forget, you know. 1450 01:16:38,985 --> 01:16:40,857 You--you give them a chance, they... 1451 01:16:41,988 --> 01:16:44,121 they do forget or they don't care, they move on. 1452 01:16:45,688 --> 01:16:48,038 I don't think hindsight is 20/20, 1453 01:16:48,168 --> 01:16:50,997 I don't see things clearly. 1454 01:16:51,911 --> 01:16:54,522 My clearest vision is when I'm creating something new. 1455 01:16:56,742 --> 01:16:58,004 - [Lucia] Tobias is why this is happening. 1456 01:17:00,441 --> 01:17:02,400 I--I feel an enormous amount of gratitude 1457 01:17:03,488 --> 01:17:06,360 and I will always have that gratitude towards him, 1458 01:17:06,491 --> 01:17:08,972 no matter where I'm singing, no matter what I'm doing, 1459 01:17:09,102 --> 01:17:10,800 and I'm always going to wanna check in with him 1460 01:17:10,887 --> 01:17:13,890 and make sure that I'm going in the right direction. 1461 01:17:14,020 --> 01:17:16,414 I--I see him as a mentor as well. 1462 01:17:17,328 --> 01:17:20,897 To say, look, we've cast a trans woman as Giovanni. 1463 01:17:21,811 --> 01:17:24,291 It's her US debut. 1464 01:17:24,422 --> 01:17:26,859 She's actually American, she grew up here, 1465 01:17:26,990 --> 01:17:28,382 she got training here, 1466 01:17:28,513 --> 01:17:30,558 she went away and now she's come back. 1467 01:17:30,689 --> 01:17:32,473 Like there's a lot of things 1468 01:17:32,560 --> 01:17:36,173 that if you just put my name in the program booklet, 1469 01:17:36,564 --> 01:17:37,957 yeah, then it's not anything. 1470 01:17:38,088 --> 01:17:40,177 - [dramatic music] - [singing] 1471 01:17:44,877 --> 01:17:47,227 Switching back and forth between gender, 1472 01:17:47,358 --> 01:17:49,360 the greatest thing about it 1473 01:17:49,490 --> 01:17:53,190 is that it shows how silly these boxes are. 1474 01:17:53,320 --> 01:17:57,673 It's all a play that everybody does all the time. 1475 01:17:57,760 --> 01:17:59,892 [singing continues] 1476 01:18:02,155 --> 01:18:04,027 It's just a lot of people buy into it, and I don't. 1477 01:18:04,157 --> 01:18:05,202 [laughing] 1478 01:18:05,289 --> 01:18:06,986 [grand music] 1479 01:18:11,861 --> 01:18:13,297 [ensemble singing] 1480 01:18:24,308 --> 01:18:26,527 [dramatic music] 1481 01:18:26,658 --> 01:18:28,007 [audience applauding] 1482 01:18:36,407 --> 01:18:38,844 [Hidenori singing] 1483 01:18:41,847 --> 01:18:43,806 [singing] 1484 01:18:46,765 --> 01:18:47,940 - I make... 1485 01:18:49,812 --> 01:18:52,031 I make my art for me. 1486 01:18:52,162 --> 01:18:54,381 [Lucia singing] 1487 01:19:08,482 --> 01:19:11,181 Your art has to be for you. 1488 01:19:12,356 --> 01:19:14,750 [singing] 1489 01:19:20,016 --> 01:19:21,104 You can't... 1490 01:19:21,234 --> 01:19:23,628 [singing] 1491 01:19:26,979 --> 01:19:30,200 You can't make other people like you. 1492 01:19:30,330 --> 01:19:32,376 - [singing continues] - [breathes deeply] 1493 01:19:43,822 --> 01:19:46,825 - You can't live your life for other people. 1494 01:19:49,785 --> 01:19:53,179 I tried. [scoffs] Doesn't work. 1495 01:19:53,310 --> 01:19:55,268 [muffled singing] 1496 01:19:55,921 --> 01:19:58,445 If you're good, then people like you. 1497 01:19:59,925 --> 01:20:02,058 And if it's honest, people like you. 1498 01:20:03,233 --> 01:20:04,582 Or they won't. 1499 01:20:04,712 --> 01:20:06,279 And the people who don't like you, don't... 1500 01:20:06,410 --> 01:20:08,847 don't give a shit about them, they don't matter. 1501 01:20:11,328 --> 01:20:12,851 The people who like you, hold on to them. 1502 01:20:16,028 --> 01:20:18,030 I mean, that was the ultimatum to my family. 1503 01:20:18,161 --> 01:20:20,293 [ensemble singing] 1504 01:20:30,086 --> 01:20:31,565 - Awesome. Just awesome. 1505 01:20:32,479 --> 01:20:33,872 I'm so proud of you. 1506 01:20:36,962 --> 01:20:39,704 [audience applauds] 1507 01:20:49,888 --> 01:20:51,803 [applause continues] 1508 01:21:01,508 --> 01:21:03,293 Amazing, just amazing. 1509 01:21:04,468 --> 01:21:05,208 [indistinct] 1510 01:21:07,558 --> 01:21:08,515 - Thank you for coming. - It was really... 1511 01:21:08,646 --> 01:21:10,169 [applause continues] 1512 01:21:11,997 --> 01:21:14,739 Very, very good. Yeah, you did great. 1513 01:21:14,826 --> 01:21:15,653 - Thank you, Dad. - [indistinct] 1514 01:21:17,742 --> 01:21:20,658 Well, I've been doing it--doing it for 10 years, full time now. 1515 01:21:20,788 --> 01:21:24,314 So it's a little bit different than Del Oro High School. 1516 01:21:25,010 --> 01:21:26,577 [chuckles] Pajama Game. - Yeah, absolutely. 1517 01:21:26,707 --> 01:21:28,187 Uh, yeah, it really turned out good. 1518 01:21:28,884 --> 01:21:30,886 [soft music] 1519 01:21:32,452 --> 01:21:35,151 - Hi, long time no see. - [Lucia] Thank you so much for coming. 1520 01:21:35,281 --> 01:21:37,675 - It was beautiful, you're beautiful. 1521 01:21:38,589 --> 01:21:41,070 - [Lucia] It's-- it's a wild show.[laughs] 1522 01:21:41,374 --> 01:21:43,159 - It is a long time from DO, 1523 01:21:43,246 --> 01:21:45,683 from high school days and college days, so. 1524 01:21:46,902 --> 01:21:48,773 - [Lucia] Yeah. - [Kaitlin] It's been great, though. 1525 01:21:49,687 --> 01:21:51,776 We'll let you change. - [Jack] Okay. 1526 01:21:52,168 --> 01:21:53,909 - [Lucia sighs] - Deep breath. 1527 01:21:54,039 --> 01:21:55,736 - [Jack] There's a party out there. 1528 01:21:55,867 --> 01:21:57,521 - [Lucia] Yeah, yeah, you're invited to the party. 1529 01:21:57,608 --> 01:21:58,696 I don't know exactly where it is. 1530 01:21:58,826 --> 01:22:00,132 Can you--can you let them know? 1531 01:22:00,263 --> 01:22:01,438 This is Tobias Picker who-- 1532 01:22:01,568 --> 01:22:04,006 - Tobias, we met him, he brought us down. 1533 01:22:04,093 --> 01:22:06,443 Yeah, absolutely. - Yeah, he hired me a little over a year ago 1534 01:22:06,573 --> 01:22:08,619 and sang his piece for him and uh... 1535 01:22:10,708 --> 01:22:11,752 yeah. 1536 01:22:13,624 --> 01:22:15,060 And we're gonna--we're gonna do something in the future, 1537 01:22:15,321 --> 01:22:16,757 well, it's public now, right? 1538 01:22:18,063 --> 01:22:19,021 - [Tobias] Yeah, we're-- - So he's writing an opera for me. 1539 01:22:19,108 --> 01:22:20,631 So we're gonna do Danish Girl 1540 01:22:20,718 --> 01:22:22,807 and we'll see what happens with it. 1541 01:22:23,547 --> 01:22:25,114 I don't know if you've seen the movie, but... 1542 01:22:25,244 --> 01:22:28,726 - [Kaitlin] Oh, no, no. - Um, yeah, it's a historical person. 1543 01:22:28,856 --> 01:22:29,945 And then there was a book and a movie 1544 01:22:30,075 --> 01:22:31,772 and all sorts of stuff, so. 1545 01:22:31,859 --> 01:22:32,817 - [Kaitlin] That's fantastic. - Okay. 1546 01:22:33,600 --> 01:22:34,906 - [Lucia sighs] - [Kaitlin] A lot going on. 1547 01:22:35,037 --> 01:22:38,214 - Yeah, I need to, like, get out of this. 1548 01:22:38,344 --> 01:22:40,129 But we can have a calm time tomorrow. 1549 01:22:40,259 --> 01:22:42,740 I mean, as calm as it is with--with the media circus 1550 01:22:42,870 --> 01:22:45,264 that is my life right now. 1551 01:22:45,395 --> 01:22:47,832 But thank you so much. 1552 01:22:49,312 --> 01:22:50,226 Thank you so much. 1553 01:22:51,096 --> 01:22:51,923 - [Kaitlin] We'll let you get changed. 1554 01:22:52,054 --> 01:22:53,229 - [Lucia] Thank you. 1555 01:22:53,359 --> 01:22:55,231 [soft music] 1556 01:23:07,591 --> 01:23:09,158 Hey! 1557 01:23:10,072 --> 01:23:12,683 - [Ariana] Hey, so? - [chuckles] 1558 01:23:14,076 --> 01:23:15,425 I had a great show. 1559 01:23:15,555 --> 01:23:16,817 - [Ariana] I tried to stay up all night. 1560 01:23:16,948 --> 01:23:18,384 - [chuckles] Did you? 1561 01:23:19,298 --> 01:23:21,692 - [Ariana] Lucia, are you okay? 1562 01:23:21,822 --> 01:23:23,259 - I'm not just saying that, it was really good. 1563 01:23:25,304 --> 01:23:26,784 - [Ariana] What am I telling about? 1564 01:23:26,914 --> 01:23:28,916 - About our 10-year anniversary. 1565 01:23:29,743 --> 01:23:31,093 - [Ariana] Do you want me to cry? 1566 01:23:31,180 --> 01:23:33,747 - [Lucia] We'll celebrate when I get back, okay? 1567 01:23:35,053 --> 01:23:36,794 - [Ariana] No, I'm gonna like, hold her in my arms 1568 01:23:36,924 --> 01:23:38,491 and I'm not gonna let her go 1569 01:23:38,578 --> 01:23:40,102 because I'm scared that she left 1570 01:23:40,232 --> 01:23:42,017 and went to scary America. 1571 01:23:42,104 --> 01:23:45,672 Everything I read online of what people are saying 1572 01:23:45,803 --> 01:23:49,589 about gay people, queer people, all people, 1573 01:23:49,720 --> 01:23:52,288 it scares me and she's my wife. 1574 01:23:52,418 --> 01:23:54,855 I love her and I worry about her 1575 01:23:55,769 --> 01:23:57,989 and especially when she travels far away from me. 1576 01:23:58,120 --> 01:24:00,035 That's always in the back of my mind. 1577 01:24:00,165 --> 01:24:03,473 I mean, it's so important what she's doing. 1578 01:24:03,560 --> 01:24:05,083 She's an opera singer. 1579 01:24:05,214 --> 01:24:08,652 The fact that she finds time for everything, 1580 01:24:08,782 --> 01:24:10,175 that she makes time for everything. 1581 01:24:10,306 --> 01:24:11,785 I think that's incredible. 1582 01:24:11,872 --> 01:24:14,527 - We built this together. 1583 01:24:15,789 --> 01:24:17,269 - All of the things that she has, like, that's... 1584 01:24:19,402 --> 01:24:20,490 that you can't find. 1585 01:24:21,317 --> 01:24:22,448 [soft music] 1586 01:24:29,368 --> 01:24:31,631 - Trans is such a small part of my identity. 1587 01:24:35,157 --> 01:24:37,507 It's shaped some things in my life, 1588 01:24:37,637 --> 01:24:39,683 but it's a very small part of my life. 1589 01:24:39,813 --> 01:24:42,642 There are much more single events 1590 01:24:42,773 --> 01:24:44,427 that have impacted my life 1591 01:24:44,557 --> 01:24:45,558 than me being trans. 1592 01:24:51,129 --> 01:24:55,264 History is the present's view of the past. 1593 01:24:55,786 --> 01:24:57,048 I mean, maybe it means something, 1594 01:24:57,135 --> 01:24:58,397 maybe it doesn't mean something. 1595 01:24:59,094 --> 01:25:00,660 I hope that individual peoples, 1596 01:25:00,791 --> 01:25:03,402 individual connections that I have made 1597 01:25:03,533 --> 01:25:05,056 while I've been here, 1598 01:25:05,187 --> 01:25:10,235 with trans people, with LGBTQ people, with opera fans, 1599 01:25:10,322 --> 01:25:13,499 I hope that it is a worthwhile connection, 1600 01:25:13,630 --> 01:25:14,631 human connection that I've made. 1601 01:25:16,023 --> 01:25:18,113 [music continues] 1602 01:25:19,766 --> 01:25:21,464 I know the story. 1603 01:25:21,594 --> 01:25:23,074 In this version of the story 1604 01:25:23,205 --> 01:25:25,468 or in all versions of the story, he's bad. 1605 01:25:25,598 --> 01:25:28,906 Sexual harassment is bad, toxic masculinity is bad, 1606 01:25:29,428 --> 01:25:31,735 but also the groupthink 1607 01:25:31,865 --> 01:25:34,259 that tears people's identities away. 1608 01:25:34,825 --> 01:25:37,001 This idea of repenting, 1609 01:25:37,915 --> 01:25:40,004 that there's only one way to live a life. 1610 01:25:42,441 --> 01:25:45,096 I hope that they walk away just with a feeling. 1611 01:25:46,358 --> 01:25:49,622 I want you to hate Giovanni, I want you to love him. 1612 01:25:50,536 --> 01:25:52,408 I want you to hate yourself for loving him 1613 01:25:52,538 --> 01:25:54,497 and then I want you to feel bad. 1614 01:25:54,888 --> 01:25:56,412 Everyone. 1615 01:25:57,630 --> 01:26:00,155 I want society to feel bad 1616 01:26:01,547 --> 01:26:03,593 for stealing Giovanni's identity. 1617 01:26:04,507 --> 01:26:06,900 [operatic singing] 1618 01:26:09,903 --> 01:26:11,514 A vibrant person. 1619 01:26:11,644 --> 01:26:13,342 [singing continues] 1620 01:26:14,473 --> 01:26:16,562 Who loves life, who has fun. 1621 01:26:17,607 --> 01:26:19,217 [singing continues] 1622 01:26:23,787 --> 01:26:25,049 I want them to feel. 1623 01:26:28,879 --> 01:26:31,490 [soft music] 1624 01:27:03,740 --> 01:27:06,395 [music continues]