A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of hearing a panel discuss the Metropolitan Opera's HD Broadcast program. The panel included Marc Scorca, President and CEO of Opera America, Marcus Kuechle, Director of Artistic Operations for Cincinnati Opera, and Robin Guarino, CCM Opera Chair and international director, with Majorie Fox, CCM Electronic Media Division Head as mediator. Many of the questions asked were centered around the audience building aspect of the HD broadcasts. Are these broadcasts actually bringing in new audiences? The sentiment expressed by the panel is that this initiative is still very young, being started in the 2006-2007 season, and it is rather early to tell. Throughout the evening's discussion a few points were brought up that I'd like to address here. (If you'd like a review of the session check out these articles: ConcertoNet.com and Cincinnati.com.)
The first issue I'd like to discuss is the lack of age diversity in the broadcast audiences. One gentleman mentioned that youngsters did not want to spend a Saturday afternoon in a theatre. That may be true on several accounts. However, I would like to mention that as a "youngster," one still in school at that, I don't have the time to spend sitting in a theatre on a Saturday afternoon. It isn't that I don't want to, I just don't have the time. I'm usually sitting in my favorite coffee shop writing papers or reading for class on Saturdays and Sundays. Then, when the operas are rebroadcast on Wednesday evenings, I'm actually in class. You can see how this causes a problem or two. However, another gentleman suggested the performances be rebroadcast at a more suitable time for the younger audiences members, such as 1:00am. I do agree that showing an opera in a movie theatre in the late evening would probably be better for capturing the younger demographic, though 1:00am may be a bit extreme.
Thank you to Robin Guarino who mentioned that the $22 ticket price is still pretty expensive for a student. Twenty-two dollars is a lot of money for a someone who has a negative income. If I'm going to spend that much money on an arts event, I'd rather spend it on a live, in house performance. Mr. Kuechle did touch on the idea that going to the opera is still an event for the younger audiences. Again, this is something with which I agree, to an extent. I have to admit I still get very excited to watch an opera in house because I really enjoy the live aspect. Personally, I would much rather go to the actual opera house rather than watch a broadcast because I can choose what to look at. With the broadcast, I only get to look at what the HD Director chose as the appropriate shot. While that allows me to have an intimate view of a duet, I don't get to see how the singers are relating to the rest of the set or the other singers on stage.
Ms. Guarino discussed how today's audiences are much more sophisticated than they were fifty years ago. We expect the sets to be more realistic. We expect a consumptive Violetta to be slender with a sense of fragility and not like she spends her time sitting on her recamier, eating bonbons. What does that mean for the opera industry as a whole? Will this sort of expected realism lend itself to an increase in smaller opera houses that allow for a more intimate setting giving the audience an up close look at the action? Or will we trend towards grandiose spectacle. I hope for the sake of everyone's pocketbook that we do not become excessive. How will the conservatories and music schools react to the need for stronger actors? Will there be an increase in acting class requirements, or will these additional acting classes be substitutes for other classes? Truth be told, acting classes may be more beneficial than most advanced theory classes. How would that affect the staff and faculty associated with teaching such classes -- will they be paid more; will the schools hire more individuals to teach?
If the nation's conservatories and music schools are truly invested in the success of their students, they will provide adequate stage training through acting classes, opera scene workshops and on stage roles. Singers who possess the ability to physically communicate the ideas and emotions in the text of an aria or song have a better advantage than their counterparts. I am not implying that every singer will perform at the Met during an HD broadcast. However, in this transitive time, as more houses are starting their own HD programs, it is imperative that singers be prepared to do what is expected of them. The ultimate goal should be artistry rather than technical perfection. Emotion is not perfect, but it is real. In the quest for realism, in an industry that is based on survival of the fittest, it would be in every artist's interest to become a stronger actor.
--Caro
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