Contents
1. ‘My dear, there is no such thing as just chorus!’
The Reality Fairy
2. Let’s start at the very beginning
The long road to success
Becoming a chorister
4. ‘Let’s go from the chorus of the traumatised’
Life in an opera chorus
5. ‘Does anyone die in this opera?’
A chorister’s journey from page to stage
6. ‘This is your call, the executioner, and the executioner’s assistants’
The understudy
7. ‘Ladies’ chorus, this is your call to stage for the fight scene’
Sharing the spotlight
8. ‘I want you to enter the stage like a vomit’
Directing a chorus
My Fair Lady and Dame Julie Andrews
10. Keep the ghost lights shining
When Covid silenced the arts industry
Part Three: Behind the curtain
11. ‘Strung-up girls, this is your call to stage’
My second home
12. ‘When you’ve stabbed yourself, can you please come back to the centre to die?’
The show must go on
13. ‘Just for tonight, please do exactly as we rehearsed’
Confessions of a chorister
14. ‘Stop laughing in the asylum, you’re not meant to be happy!’
Perfecting the art of corpsing
15. ‘Ladies, can I please collect your facial-hair boxes?’
The magic of a costume
A successful career