Daily Life and Work at Inspiration Point

Life at Opera in the Ozarks is busy, stimulating, and fulfilling.  Our season divides along lines of four weeks each of rehearsals and the a month of festival performances and enriching activities. 

Daily Schedule

There are three daily rehearsal periods of three hours each: morning, afternoon and evening. Each main stage production (examples as X, Y, Z below) will have scheduling priority for one of these periods. The Studio Artist production has its first performance during the second week of June and rehearses in the same rehearsal block as one of the other shows.  Private vocal instruction, coachings, chorus and other rehearsals, costume fittings, etc. are scheduled around the priority blocks.  The artistic director and production stage manager assemble the next day’s schedule and is posted by 11:00 P.M. A long-range master calendar is posted on the main bulletin board for reference.

Typical schedule (XYZ blocks rotate to different times every 3-4 days)
8:00  Daily movement and stage skills class (company divided into two groups so all have six classes per week until dress rehearsal week).  
10:00 – 12:30 Rehearsals/coachings: Opera X has priority in scheduling
12:30 Lunch
1:30 – 2:25 Production Hour. See below. After all shows have opened at the end of June, there are frequent staff-lead sessions on a variety of topics.
2:30 – 5:30 Rehearsals: Opera Y has priority in scheduling
5:30 Dinner
7:00 – 10:00 Rehearsals Opera Z has priority in scheduling

Production work

All artists participate in assigned work, supervised by the staff, to assist in preparing our operas for performance: set construction, costumes, props, wigs/makeup, etc. Each day all vocalists participate in Production Hour–an all-hands-on-deck effort for an hour before the afternoon rehearsal.  Artists leave OIO with an appreciation for the technical aspects of opera production.

Rehearsal and practice facilities

The 2017 OIO Company was the first to work in the new Langley Rehearsal Building which houses two rehearsal studios of nearly the same dimensions as our theater stage, restrooms and a stage management office/props storage. The dining hall is a (cool!) center for study and socializing relaxation; the resident voice instructor and orchestra use adjacent rooms for rehearsals and lessons. This building also houses the main coaching studios. Other rehearsal spaces include the theater and the basement of the men’s dorm. There are air-conditioned practice cabins, with pianos or electric pianos.  After the orchestra members arrive our throng swells to nearly 90 people living on campus and all facilities are at a premium.

Our theater was constructed in the 1950s and has seen many additions and changes to it over the years. In 2014 a cooling system was added, making for a much more temperate and enjoyable experience for all.

Outreach, religious services and civic club engagements

OIO artists may be involved in various outreach performances, and church and civic club engagements. Many local churches love to feature our singers on Sunday mornings (which are always free of rehearsals).

Housing 

Artists live in the air-conditioned men and women’s dormitories, two to a room, with communal bathrooms.  The living is close, but so are the artistic bonds and friendships developed at Inspiration Point.  In 2021, to assure a safe experience during the COVID pandemic, significant improvements were made to the dormitories’ inner structures and ventilation systems.

Dining

With professional chefs in the kitchen, we eat like kings and queens at Opera in the Ozarks.  Three meals a day, 7 days a week are included in the program fees.  For vegetarians, vegans and those with special needs, our kitchen is more than accommodating with creating tasty alternatives.

Relaxation, recreation

Other than a weekly day off, during the initial month-long rehearsal process, there is little downtime.  However, once all operas and casts have opened there is more opportunity for some swimming in nearby Beaver Lake, canoeing/tubing and trout fishing in the White River, visiting Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge or exploring the beautiful Thorncrown Chapel and beautiful Eureka Springs.

Inspiration Point Fine Arts
16311 US-62
Eureka Springs, AR 72632

Artist inquiries
auditions@opera.org
orchestra@opera.org

General inquiries
info@opera.org

Opera in the Ozarks
P O Box 127
Eureka Springs, Arkansas 72632

479-253-8595

Opera in the Ozarks does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. Opera in the Ozarks is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit company.