+++
author = ["authors/jenna.md"]
categories = "Interview"
date = "2017-02-19T22:15:00+00:00"
lastmod = "2017-02-20T16:21:00+00:00"
preamble = "Earlier this month, Canadian soprano [Aviva Fortunata](/scene/people/aviva-fortunata/) got one of those phone calls that's equal parts exciting and horrifying for any understudy. With about 30 minutes notice, Fortunata stepped in for an ailing [Ileana Montalbetti](/scene/people/ileana-montalbetti/) to sing the roles of Gutrune and Third Norn in *Götterdämmerung* at the [Canadian Opera Company](/scene/companies/canadian-opera-company/). \n\nWe asked Fortunata about all of it, from warming up in her Uber ride to the theatre, to the onstage teamwork with her brand new castmates."
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1487586872615/2017-02-20---Aviva-Fortunata.jpg.jpg"
publishDate = "2017-02-20T16:07:00+00:00"
related_articles = ["articles/mireille-asselins-phone-call-from-the-met.md","articles/in-review-gotterdammerung-at-the-coc.md"]
related_companies = ["scene/companies/canadian-opera-company.md"]
related_people = ["scene/people/aviva-fortunata.md"]
short_description = "&quot;There wasn&#039;t time for much but to put on my costume and have a quick chat with the other Norns about all the rope action. The next thing I remember is the curtain opening and then the scene ending, it was a total blur! After that, I had 16 minutes to change into my first Gutrune costume. There were at least four ladies waiting to get me ready, it was a real team effort, to say the least.&quot;"
slug = "aviva-fortunata-it-was-a-total-blur"
title = "Aviva Fortunata: &quot;It was a total blur!&quot;"
+++

## What were your first thoughts when you got the call?

"Where's my score? Where's my \*\*\*\*\*\* score? Oh, it's in my hand." 

I found out that I was going on at 5:30 for a 6pm curtain, so all I knew was that I had to get to the theatre in rush hour. I ordered an Uber, and ran out of the house with just my score and my jacket. I knew that the first role was at the top of the show and that I wouldn't have much time to get ready at the theatre, but luckily I had the best Uber driver, she let me sing full out in her car!

## What was the plan of attack when you arrived at the theatre?

There wasn't time for much but to put on my costume and have a quick chat with the other Norns about all the rope action. The next thing I remember is the curtain opening and then the scene ending, it was a total blur! After that, I had 16 minutes to change into my first Gutrune costume. There were at least four ladies waiting to get me ready, it was a real team effort, to say the least. 

## How much rehearsal time had you had with the roles?

I had a few sessions to walk through the staging, but no matter how many times you run it with a chair playing Brünnhilde and a magazine playing Siegfried, it feels really different on stage. What filled the gaps were the amazingly kind and friendly colleagues I mostly met for the first time onstage. If I wasn't in the right place, I would be gently guided there before I even really knew what happened. 

<figure data-type="image">{{% md %}}![](https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1487607676128/2017-02-20---Aviva-Curtain-Call.jpg.jpg)
<figcaption>Aviva Fortunata taking a curtain call after *Götterdämmerung* at the Canadian Opera Company.</figcaption>
</figure>

## How did you feel taking your curtain call?

I had the best time. Before my solo scene at the top of act three, I was standing onstage alone, in the dark, while Siegfried's funeral march played and I just started laughing. Wagner is really, really fun and this was a dream cast to sing it with. 

## What advice do you have for understudies who want to be ready for a situation like this?

Treat all show days as though you will be going on. *Götterdämmerung* is a bit of a marathon, to be sure, so I was especially glad I had slept in and taken it easy all day. And, as full-on dorky as it feels, it is always a good idea to go through the staging in your living room on a semi-regular basis. Being called in so last-minute, I had virtually no time to warm up, let alone go over the staging and music, so I just had to trust that I had done enough preparation!

>For more with Aviva, follow her on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/AvivaFortunata).
