With festivals and tastings, opera companies seek ways to retain audience interest
When Eva Tierno entered the medieval cloister at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with columns dotting the perimeter around a large, ornate fountain, she wasn鈥檛 sure what to expect from her first experience at the opera.
鈥淚 found it surprising how close you were, how really in the middle of it all you were,"聽says Ms. Tierno, a Philadelphia resident who works for the William Penn Charter School.聽"My expectations were really traditional, and it took me by surprise.鈥澛�
The performance Tierno attended, 鈥淲ar Stories,鈥� was part of Philadelphia鈥檚 O17 (for Opera 2017) festival that took a 鈥淣etflix-binge鈥� approach in efforts to attract new audiences. Thirty-one opera performances were offered across the city over a span of 12 days in mid-September.
鈥淲ar Stories鈥� paired Monteverdi鈥檚 seventeenth-century work 鈥淚l combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda鈥� with a contemporary response titled 鈥淚 Have No Stories To Tell You.鈥� With a small audience and intimate seating, the backdrop of the art museum created an immersive performance. 鈥淭here was no way you weren鈥檛 feeling it,鈥� says Tierno. 鈥淭he voices were so strong in that small space. It was impressive.鈥�
Tierno鈥檚 status as a newcomer to opera marks a small victory for Opera Philadelphia. Low attendance at traditional opera houses across the United States has already driven companies to perform in unique and unexpected places such as public parks, train stations, movie theaters and even in one case, a particle accelerator. And in many cases, these creative stagings have succeeded in drawing new audiences. But now opera companies are facing the next hurdle: How to get those audiences to come back.
鈥淎s an industry, that鈥檚 where we need to work even harder. There鈥檚 a lot of great things happening to get new audiences in for the first time,鈥� says Joe Gfaller, the director of marketing and public relations for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. 鈥淏ut we鈥檝e not yet worked out the calculus as how to get larger numbers of first time operagoers to become repeat operagoers.鈥�
The typical opera audience tends to be white, affluent, and older. But opera audience numbers measured through 2013 show that the attendance that was seen even at the beginning of the millennium is a thing of the past. Many opera companies are well aware that to survive, they must crack the code of attracting younger and more diverse audiences put off by the formality perceived around grand opera, with its four to five acts, massive castings, and elaborate set designs.
鈥淭here can be a lot of preconceived notions about the art form that can create the impression that the art form is elitist and inaccessible,鈥� says Mr. Gfaller. 鈥淭hose perceptual barriers are among the strongest challenges the art form faces to engage people who have not had a previous experience with opera.鈥�
Many are hopeful that opera companies have the creative talent to reverse this trend. Strategies already in play in opera houses around the US have brought positive results.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good news report at many companies about how many people are trying opera out,鈥� says Marc A. Scorca, president and chief executive officer of Opera America.
For example, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis (OTSL) has found that pairing opera with food prepared by local chefs and sommeliers in a relaxed, outdoor environment has drawn new faces. A majority of the people attending Opera Tasting have never been exposed to opera before. At a more traditional performance, only 1 in 5 members of the audience is younger than 50, and only 1 in 10 is nonwhite. But with its more creative stagings, those numbers go up. Among newcomers, one-third of those audience members are younger than 50 and the number of nonwhite audience members doubles.
Opera San Jose in California takes opera to the workplace with a series entitled 鈥淎rias in the Office,鈥� which stages performances in Silicon Valley businesses. The Minnesota Opera found success in presenting relatively contemporary material as opera, performing Stephen King鈥檚 novel 鈥淭he Shining鈥� during the 2016 season. All four performances sold out.
With two Philadelphia-centered performances, Opera Philadelphia capitalized on the relevancy of the festival by creating connections between the venue, the community, and the performance. In 鈥淲e Shall Not be Moved,鈥� which had its world premiere in Philadelphia, the plot centers on Philadelphia鈥檚 own history and ties into current discussions around race and police brutality. The headquarters for the black liberation group MOVE, which was bombed by the Philadelphia police in 1985, serves as the backdrop. During 鈥淭he Wake World,鈥� another opera that had its world premiere at the Philadelphia festival, the performance moved from room to room in the art institute the Barnes Foundation. The opera is inspired by the life of its founder and the art he collected.
Though Tierno hasn鈥檛 ruled out a return, she鈥檚 waiting for another nontraditional opera experience. 鈥淣ow I鈥檓 curious,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if I鈥檓 ready for 鈥楳adam[a] Butterfly,鈥� but [鈥榃ar Stories鈥橾 definitely piqued my interest.鈥�
