THE BRAVO BACKSTAGE QUEEN

It all began 50 years ago in December 1974, when San Francisco Ballet asked a small group of SF Ballet School parents to help chaperone young students backstage at Nutcracker. Backstage life for chaperones was pretty chaotic then. There was little continuity. Every year or two, a new parent would step in to run the volunteer effort. Directions were minimal—a few pages of guidelines and no booklet telling people what to do—and certainly no Nutcracker orientation.

In December 1989, Giovanna Jackson walked through the War Memorial Opera House stage door to chaperone for the first time. Her son, Christopher, a student in the SFB School who was dancing in Nutcracker, accompanied her.

Giovanna’s talent for organization was apparent to Rudy Picarelli, then BRAVO president, and the following year he asked her to head up the backstage effort. In those days before the Internet and email, everything was on paper! Parents mailed in the dates they were available, and confirmations were mailed or phoned back. It took reams of paper and lots of time.

Fast forward three decades. Volunteers sign up online; assignments are made at the touch of a button; and chaperones can see confirmation almost instantly.

Backstage these days, every volunteer has an assigned task. Children move smoothly from dressing rooms to makeup and wig departments, to other dressing rooms to don costumes, and then upstairs to the stage to take their places.

In addition to the adults ferrying children from post to post, there are a supervisor and assistant supervisor to oversee a smooth operation, to step in when needed, and to handle any unforeseen situation.

Over the years, Giovanna—with the support and advice of the Artistic staff—has developed a handbook for backstage chaperones that has become a model for other dance companies.

Ballet staff members are not Giovanna’s only fans. Those of us who chaperone backstage with her are really grateful for the many years she has spent honing her work. Before Nutcracker begins each year, Giovanna and the Artistic staff review the previous year, identify any problem areas, and work to refine the system. An online Nutcracker orientation introduces the backstage protocols to new volunteers and reminds veteran BRAVO members what to expect. This approach is made possible by Giovanna’s meticulous notes and her report to Artistic after every production.

The attention to detail also resulted in splendid carryover to a new production of Nutcracker when it was launched in 2004, as well as to many repertory season productions with student performers.

Giovanna, herself, feels honored to have contributed to BRAVO’s success. “In addition to the privilege of watching from the wings as our marvelous productions come to life, being a part of the teamwork among the backstage chaperones, is one of the delights of belonging to BRAVO. I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to be a part of such a wonderful group of volunteers, who devote so much time and love to one of the premiere ballet companies in the world, SF Ballet!”

This 2024 Nutcracker will mark Giovanna’s 36th year backstage — truly an amazing accomplishment and major contribution to the history of San Francisco Ballet!

NUTCRACKER TICKETS

San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker runs from Dec​ember 6–29, 2024 at the SF War Memorial Opera House.

Tickets Here