Brian August
Brian August (CFA’10) of Houston, Tex., writes, “I’ve gone through some major life hurdles in 2019, losing both my father and boyfriend within one week of each other, but it made me realize there’s more to life than the work I do. Immediately after, I completed what was probably the most artistically fulfilling and challenging project of my career: Wozzeck, at Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO). There was a huge crop of CFA students and alumni, from performers to stage managers to production staff. This summer would have been my 10th at DMMO, but sadly that milestone will have to wait until next year. Reevaluating some priorities in life, I left the Atlanta Opera after four and a half seasons as their production stage manager to become one of the two head stage managers at the Houston Grand Opera. It’s been a long dream of mine to work at one of the ‘Big Five’ opera houses, so I’m overjoyed to check that off my bucket list. While I very much miss many of my friends and colleagues in Atlanta, I am much happier here. In February, I called a new coproduction of Aida, with the English National Opera and Grand Theatre Geneva, and I learned how difficult and how much time it takes to translate theatrical French paperwork. I had started to work on Salome, in a production from Valencia (more translating...) when we were shut down due to coronavirus. While I’m not currently working, I’m spending more time with my dog, Rupert, Zooming into colleagues’ classes, catching up with friends, studying Spanish, doing Couch to 5K, and working on some other fun projects. Looking forward to getting back to calling cues, whenever that may be. I wish the best to all of you and your families, and hope we can all celebrate a digital 10-year reunion soon!”
From the Fall 2020 issue.