Park Slope Reader

Bronwen Crowe

The Regina Opera’s Cavalleria Rusticana

By Filed Under: The Arts

Regina Opera continued their 54th season of classical Italian opera with a free performance of Cavalleria Rusticana this Tuesday evening, February 27th. The production runs March 2-10th.

Photo by Michael Wong

The Regina Opera is a professional opera company in Sunset Park whose mission is to bring world-class performances to music lovers at a price they can afford. Their goal is to make opera accessible to more people, with the hope that young audiences will fall in love with their craft, allowing it to live on to future audiences, too. 

The entire production – orchestra, costumes, set design, lighting, cast, vocal performances – is Metropolitan Opera caliber for $25 or less, and in the intimacy of a small theater where there are no bad seats. The first performance of each opera series is always offered as free to the public.  Join their mailing list to stay in the loop on the latest Regina Opera productions and offerings.

Pictured: Conductor Scott Jackson Wiley accompanied by pianist Catherine Miller at the free performance on February 27th. Photo by C. Michael Clark. The remainder of the performances will feature a full 32-piece orchestra. 

We live in such a talent-rich city, made clear by the high-quality production of these affordable shows. I spoke with the President of The Regina Opera, Fran Garber-Cohen, about the incredible caliber of their performances.

“We are never left wanting for talent in this community.” Garber-Cohen explained that the opera world is a small, but international one. Much of their cast and crew come from around the globe, having studied and performed at some of the most esteemed opera houses in the world.

Soprano Sara Beth Pearson stars in the role of Santuzza, the scorned lover of Turiddu. She has performed extensively with Baltimore Opera, Annapolis Opera, Washington National Opera, and The Metropolitan Opera. Her incredible vocals brought me chills and teary eyes more than once throughout the performance. Photo by C. Michael Clark. 

The artistry is also clear in every stitch, seam, and set piece. Director Sabrina Palladino is quite the history buff, and takes great pleasure researching the history of each opera she directs – down to the historical gossip surrounding her characters and the artwork they may have owned. 

I was lucky enough to see her production of Rigoletto this fall, which featured replicas of artwork from the real Duke of Mantua’s palace in 16th century Italy. On the love she has for her craft, Palladino said, 

“When you look at a Van Gogh and you examine the brush strokes, you are there with the artist. You are looking at him. It’s the same with opera. When you look at the composer’s notes, you are spending time with them. You are hanging out with Verdi.”

Opera has been a part of Palladino’s life from the beginning, and Cavalleria Rusticana is particularly close to her heart. She sang it every Easter morning with her mother. 

“I’ve watched it, I’ve sung it, I’ve performed it – that opera is a part of me.” 

Cavalleria Rusticana is a decadent melodrama which tells the story of two unfaithful lovers played out on an Easter Sunday in late 19th century Sicily. And of course, the whole village is in their business. Don’t miss your opportunity to see Palladino’s production of this classic tale which will run March 2-10th. 

Tickets to Cavalleria Rusticana can be purchased on Regina Opera’s website. General admission is $25, with discounts for seniors, students and teens who can go for as little as $5. Children under 12 are admitted for free. 

The Regina Opera will also be presenting performances of Lucia Di Lammermoor in May 2024, as well as a few outdoor concert series to round out their 54th season. 

A New Joint in Town for the Creative Soul

By Filed Under: Park Slope Life

The ShapeShifter Lab is open in their new location, and that means music, yoga, art and much more.

The 1970s music scene in the lofts of SoHo has been replaced by high end apartments and retail, but the energy of that era is still thumping at ShapeShifter Lab in Park Slope. Business partners Matt Garrison and Fortuna Sung have made a career of supporting artists and creating experimental, collaborative spaces.  

Matt grew up in the Soho loft scene in the early 1970s. His parents were artists; his mother, Roberta Escamilla Garrison, a modern dancer/choreographer and his father, Jimmy Garrison, a bass player most notable for his work with the classic John Coltrane Quartet. His mother bought a loft, for pennies on the dollar at the time, and put on shows and performances inside their home.  

Matt and Fortuna opened ShapeShifter Lab in 2010, but their friendship dates back much farther. They met at high school in Rome, Italy where both of their families, each with their own fascinating stories, relocated for a time.  

Business partners Matt Garrison (left) and Fortuna Sung (right). Photography by Michael Torres

Years passed; they lost touch. Fortuna became an interior designer and Matt followed his father’s footsteps and became a bass player, himself. They reconnected in Japan while Matt was on tour, and Fortuna learned he had relocated to New York City. She was ready for a change and decided to visit. Her trip was supposed to be 4 days long, but upon arrival she unpacked and moved in.  

This wasn’t an unfamiliar motif in their lives. When Matt’s family went to Rome, it was for a 3-month stay that turned into 10 years for him. His mother still resides in Rome, today. 

Fortuna and Matt began hunting down different spaces and nontraditional buildings to house their vision. They wanted to build a creative laboratory.  

They found this in their Gowanus space, where they operated for 10 years. They started out as a music venue, but began hosting events such as recitals, mitzvahs, workshops, music lessons, and even weddings. Hosting these private events helped them make enough money to support their initial goal of supporting artists who lacked the following and profitability of sold-out  shows.  

 Saying “YES!” to all artists has come with its misfires, but none they can’t laugh about now.  When they first opened their doors, their initial booking agreement was 2 pages long. Now it’s 15.  

Their AC has been busted by fog machines, their space has been spray-painted mid-show, and  their stage has even been set on fire.  

One artist took to the stage completely naked aside from the food they arranged on their body, which they invited the audience to eat off of them. This performance was not a favorite of the NYC Health Department. 

ShapeShifter Lab now occupies the former location of the Tea Lounge, a Park Slope landmark that has significant meaning to the pair. Matt used to bring his kids to the Tea Lounge to hang out and listen to music. It’s also where Matt and Fortuna met regularly with their liquor license attorney to prepare for their original Gowanus location.  

They kept the Tea Lounge in mind as they created their new space, which houses The ShapeShifter Café. It’s a huge, open, inviting space with plenty of room to work, relax, and even sit in on rehearsals if you’re there at the right time. They’ve got homemade chai, a stocked bar, and plenty of spaces to gather and get creative.

 The ShapeShifter Café is open from 8AM – 3PM weekdays, and 9AM – 4PM on the weekends. 

The building at 837 Union Street itself is black-owned, and their lease was as meaningful to  ShapeShifter Lab as it was to the building owners.

They’ve continued to grow their business in their new space with yoga and dance offerings. The dance program will be overseen by Matt’s sister, professional dancer and choreographer, Maia Claire Garrison.  

Their new location comes complete with a beautiful studio upstairs for yoga and dance classes.

 Everyone that works at ShapeShifter Lab is an artist or musician – baristas, bartenders, interns and all.  

ShapeShifter Lab offers internships and training in recording, production, performance, event planning, and more. This summer, they had 18 interns on rotation. Many graduate from their internships to work for part or full-time for them. 

Among their many internship offerings is their audio engineer training program.
Photography by Matt Garrison

If you’re interested in internships, reach out on their website.  

They’re passionate exploring technology in the music industry. They even developed an app that ultimately caught the eye of Apple CEO, Tim Cook. They’ve worked closely with Apple in developing and marketing their software. Their app, TuneBend™, allows musicians to play, collaborate, and even record tracks together from different locations. 

In 2014, Matt and Fortuna launched ShapeShifter Plus, their non-profit 501(c)(3) that supports art of all disciplines. This allowed them to accept charitable donations while continuing to support young artists looking for spaces to perform or present their crafts.  

In October 2022, ShapeShifter+ partnered with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) to put on an outdoor festival in Fort Greene Park honoring Grammy-winner Jack DeJohnette.  

Matt’s network within the music industry has helped secure big names for fundraising events.  He even plays bass alongside the headliners, many of which he has performed with throughout his career. While recovering from the pandemic, they put on sold-put shows with the likes of Dave Holland, Jason Moran, Jon Batiste, John DeJohnette, Savion Glover, Living Colour, Carlos Santana, Cindy Blackman, Roy Wood Jr and many others. 

You can find Matt playing bass at ShapeShifter Lab’s free weekly workshops and jam sessions. Musicians of all ages and skill levels are invited to come play and learn.  

Check out all upcoming events on their ShapeShifter Plus website, such as live music, yoga &  dance classes, film screenings, fundraising events, volunteer opportunities, and artistic  performances of all kinds.

Opera For A New Audience: The Regina Opera

By Filed Under: Park Slope Life, The Arts

Regina Opera will present the opera “Cavalleria Rusticana” for 6 performances from March 2 to March 10, and 6 Performances of “Lucia di Lammermoor” in May 2024.

New interest unlocked: I’m now an opera-goer

On a chilly, sunny Sunday in November I took a quick train ride south to Sunset Park. I found myself outside of an unassuming catholic academy, Our Lady of the Perpetual Help, home of Brooklyn’s Regina Opera. I had never heard of this opera company before, and I was unsure of what my next few hours would be like. I stepped in line to check in and hand over my ticket information. Beyond the line of patrons, I could see peeks of a beautiful auditorium that didn’t seem to match the mundane façade I’d just stepped into. 

As I funneled into the theater, the President of the Regina Opera, Fran Garber-Cohen, hosted a raffle on stage for vouchers to local restaurants like Johnny’s Pizza. “The BEST”, she called it. There are so many versions of New York to experience in this city, and this was one I hadn’t yet seen. The audience was filled with mostly seniors who I assumed had lived their lives around these blocks, with a sprinkling of younger folks here and there. I people watched as everyone filed into their seats, eavesdropped on complaints about the holidays, discussions of where to eat after the show, and witnessed many a patron shushed by quiet onlookers awaiting the start of the performance. 

Then orchestra began to play.

My seat neighbors and I looked around at each other with wide eyes as the room quickly transformed from school-like raffle to the ominous moody scene that is Act I of Rigoletto – and that was just the string section. As the full 30-piece orchestra began to play, the lights dimmed, and a moody apprehension crept over the crowd. The curtains parted to reveal the grandeur of the stage and those sharing it.

Peter Hakjoon Kim (left) and Veronica Mak (right) as the father-daughter pairing of Rigoletto and Gilda in Rigoletto. Photography by C. Michael Clark.

The opera world is a small but international one. Many of the artists here come from acclaimed stages and programs around the world such as Julliard, the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, The Royal Opera House Muscat, and the Korea National Opera to name a few. Many take part in Regina Opera productions between shows overseas. 

Christopher Trapani (left) as the Duke of Mantua alongside Veronica Mak as Gilda. Photography by Meg Goldman.

The entire production – orchestra, costumes, set design, lighting, cast, vocal performances – was Metropolitan Opera caliber but at the cost of $25 and in the intimacy of a small theater where there are no bad seats.

Regina Opera’s mission is to bring opera to new audiences and communities affordably. In doing so, they support an underserved community with art and commerce, and the craft lives on beyond its notably senior audiences. But these affordable tickets don’t come with any lack of effort or output.

The entire cast and crew is extremely dedicated to their craft and does the research to ensure each production is of a traditional, professional quality. The stage director, Sabrina Palladino, spoke to me about the research that goes into producing and directing an opera. History is one of her passions and she was excited to bring every detail to life in her directorial debut at the Regina Opera. She even included replicas of paintings that hung in the real Duke of Mantua’s palace in the set. 

Passion, creativity, and excitement for her craft so genuinely spilled into our conversation as she told me about the joy it gives her to bring productions to life. 

Opera has been a part of Palladino’s life from the beginning. She sang Cavalleria Rusticana each Easter morning with her mother, an opera that’s particularly close to her heart. “I’ve watched it, I’ve sung it, I’ve performed it – that opera is a part of me.” This spring, Palladino can add directing it to her resume, as well. You can see Cavalleria Rusticana at the Regina Opera in March 2024. 

The Regina Opera will also be hosting performances of Lucia Di Lammermoor in May 2024, as well as some outdoor concert series to round out their 54th season. You can find free online recordings of their performances on YouTube, a platform they utilized to cope with the pandemic. Sadly, many of the relief funds doled out to small businesses didn’t apply to them as they are a non-profit. They took to the streets to share their craft and uploaded videos for those who couldn’t leave their homes.

They will also be hosting “date-night” performances on Fridays for their upcoming productions. If you’d like to get involved – be it volunteering, fundraising, or performing – reach out via their website. 

Take advantage of this incredible, enriching, affordable resource in our community. I’ll see ya at Johnny’s Pizza after the show. 

The Ripped Bodice and the Power of Reclaimed Femininity

By Filed Under: Park Slope Lit

It’s Portlandia’s Women and Women First but this one seems a bit more pink, a lot more inclusive, and all about love and community. 

By now you’ve heard about them, read about them, joined one of their book clubs, or at least been stopped in your tracks by our lovely new pink neighbor on 5th Avenue. The Ripped Bodice is the talk of the Slope.

Lucky me, after all the wonderful and well-deserved press that sisters and co-owners Leah and Bea Koch have already received, Leah agreed to sit down with me for an interview. And for my Park Slope Reader debut!

Landing in step with the likes of Barbie, Heartstopper, and The Summer I Turned Pretty, there was a line down the block awaiting the grand opening of their Park Slope location on August 5th. Their opening day featured a book signing by Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White and Royal Blue, just five days before the movie based on it was released. These sisters know when to pounce on opportunities. 

“It was an idea we came up with and believed in and just went full speed ahead with. I don’t really wait for anything,” Leah told me with a laugh. The sisters were 23 and 25 when they launched their first store in Los Angeles. 

“When you have an idea that you think no one else has thought of, it’s for one of two reasons. One, it’s not a good idea. Or two, this is a huge hole and I’m going to be the one to fill it. We went with option number two.” 

The Koch sisters opened the first romance-only bookstore in the United States, and their idea caught on. Since they opened their first store in LA in 2016, more romance bookstores have popped up around the country, and they have found community with one another. “It’s a tiny network literally 10 people,” Leah counted them on her fingers. They’re all in touch, and each new store has reached out to the trailblazing Koch sisters who are excited about the growth of romance bookstores in the US.It’s a beautiful network of women supporting women. 

As for choosing Park Slope for their second location, it just made sense. Their family is here and growing! Leah moved here to run the Park Slope location, while Bea runs the original LA store. 

“To be honest, THIS is why we moved to Park Slope.” Leah held up her phone for me to see the background. Her nephews, Mo (3 ½ years) and Saul (7 months).  

Bookstore culture and the importance of reading was woven into the sisters’ lives from early on. Trips to local bookstores were a Sunday afternoon treat in their family. 

“Our parents encouraged us to read a lot but also spent a lot of time emphasizing how vital bookstores are to communities”. That sentiment is palpable inside The Ripped Bodice, which has been transformed from a pet supply store into a truly whimsical, welcoming space. 

Aided by her degree in Visual and Performing Arts Studies, Leah performed the renovations herself. She documents the process on TikTok which earned her a huge following before the store even opened its doors. Artistry and passion have been etched into every corner, and the patrons can feel it. Many have mentioned spending more time in the store than they would have anticipated due to the environment Leah has carefully created. 

“I wanted to be a production designer, and now I’ve designed my own stores.” Manifestation, baby! 

They also take pride in asking their readers the right questions to find the books they’ll enjoy the most. In fact, Leah helped me pick out three books during our interview.  

Their reach extends far beyond their local patrons and fellow romance bookstore owners. They’ve gained fandom from all over the country, including romance novelist and former Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams, who has been a patron and fan and since their beginnings in LA. In 2017, Abrams tweeted a shoutout to The Ripped Bodice and they are now “internet pals”. 

“We literally got the tweet printed on a t-shirt.” Leah emphasized the impact Abrams had on their business. Small favors from people with influential platforms go a long way for small, family-run shops. They have since hosted twitter Q&As together, hosted fundraisers, and participated in a project that raised nearly $500k for Abrams’ 2018 gubernational campaign.

The Koch sisters admired that Abrams was so proud of her career as a romance novelist during her election, despite criticism. Many of her opponents attacked her romance novels and writing in general, focusing on what they saw as trivial pursuits despite her extensive law career and years serving as a member of the Georgia General Assembly.

Abrams’ unabashed love of the romance genre mirrors the identity of The Ripped Bodice. The genre has historically been painted with a trivial or salacious lens, which has caused many readers to feel a sense of shame for their interests. The psychological pink tax of literature. Leah blames this on the misogyny and sexism still prevalent today. 

“We are doing a better job of interrogating our own internal biases, and other people’s as well. We’re not born thinking romance novels are dumb.” She points to Gen-Z for making progress towards doing away with romance genre shame. As she put it, “Any 19- year- old is thinking, Why would I care about anyone else’s opinion of what I’m reading!”. And that wisdom is catching on, too.  

A “bodice ripper” is an outdated term for sexually explicit historical romance novels. Some readers are offended by the term and even see it as a slur, albeit “a slur against an inanimate object”, as Leah candidly put it. While you can certainly find bodice rippers at The Ripped Bodice, they have a lot more to offer, and the store leans more family-friendly than erotic.

“There is so much power in reclaiming language, especially in a loving way and a way that acknowledges our history”. 

The history of the romance genre, like most, is not without its flaws. Indigenous people have historically been fetishized in romance novels, almost entirely by white writers. 

“This genre is not a paragon of perfection, and we shouldn’t gloss over the sins of our past,” Leah admits. She also explained that historically, a publisher’s choices for engaging with a female character’s sexuality were either to have her stay a virgin until marriage or have her be raped. Luckily, the genre has evolved since those days, and from what Leah says, she’s seen a huge difference in just the last 7 years. 

The Ripped Bodice is a powerful statement of reclaimed, joyful femininity – in their name, in their industry, and in their community. 

Community has been important to them from the get-go. “We just became a part of the rhythm of people’s lives”. Leah beamed as she told me about some of her experiences with their customers turned book clubbers turned friends. 

“Someone will come in and tell us about a date they’re going on, then later they tell us they met the parents. Or one of my customers was pregnant when I met her, and now her son is starting 2nd grade!” 

They’ve watched their community grow, seen customers become friends, go on dates, fall in love, adopt pets, have kids, land new jobs, and intertwine with one another in really beautiful ways. 

One of their LA book club members recently got married with many of her fellow book club members joining the couple at the wedding. Real friendships have been formed through The Ripped Bodice community. 

The store has a full calendar of events planned, including book signings, author talks, book club nights, holiday parties, and standup comedy. Their LA store has been producing a standup show for over seven years now, hosted by comedians Jenny Chalikian and Erin Judge. Among Leah’s favorite events was a book talk held by Dr. Emily Nagasoki, director of wellness education at Smith College and author of books Come As You Are and Burnout. Lucky for us, Dr. Nagaski will be visiting the Park Slope location for an event in January to discuss her latest book. Mark your calendars! 

And while you’re at it, join one of their book clubs. I’ll see you there.