In 1983, and ‘84, I worked at the Met Opera in the set shop. Those with some connection to NY theater will understand that working in IATSI Local 1, was a desirable position. Being new and much younger than most of the others, at first they had me building flats, but by the second year, they’d discovered that while I lacked skill with that I could do intricate work reasonably fast.
In 1984, we began work on Franco Zeffirelli’s opulent, production of Tosca, which was staged the following year. I produced all of the architectural details and flourishes that weren’t faux for these scenes. The budget for this show was so large, that the following work, the Met downsized their production staff, and I had to find other work.
Like many collaborative art forms, I cannot claim credit for the overall product, but it was privilege to be involved in a major work by Zeffirelli.
