Music | guardian.co.uk: In 1998, Sir Colin Southgate, the former Royal Opera House chairman, infamously gave his verdict on what to wear to the opera. "I don't want to sit next to somebody in a singlet, a pair of shorts and a smelly pair of trainers".
But the English National Opera was today making an effort to be a little more relaxed at the launch of an initiative to attract younger audiences. "Come in shorts, armour, jeans, pumps, anything!" said artistic director John Berry.
13 comments:
Major props to the English National Opera! I've never been to an Opera, but I know that ballets have a similar reputation, I would go with my sister to ABT shows with our summer camp on group days- I thought a lot of the magic happened with dressing up, but also seeing what other people, the real theater goers would wear! I could see how this seems scary though, I for one would feel like I would need a plan (dressing up/ etiquette!) to see what was supposed to be a huge show with an expensive ticket seat. I think this "undress for the opera" takes a lot of the pressure out of those people who might not want to go to an Opera, just because their scared it might be stuffy. Whether dressed up or not, I would love to go see an opera! There's so much happening, and I'm happy that "schemes" like this are happening.
It seems that this has been a general trend over the past decade at least. People are dressing more and more casually at productions and events that have traditionally been considered "high art." When I was younger my family would dress up head to toe to go see a play. It wasn't until I was maybe 12 that I went to the theater in pants instead of a dress. Now whenever I see a show anywhere, including Broadway, I always spot a few people who look like they just came from the gym or cleaning out their garage. What is most surprising is that they barely stand out from the sea of casual jean clad theater goers. This is simply how audiences are progressing and it's good to hear that even the English National Opera is willing to adjust to fit modern audiences.
I think a general consensus is that opera is all the things the article stated......stuffy, scary, intimidating to some. My brother sings opera so I was exposed to it at an earlier age than some. I will admit it's not my favorite genre, but it has definitely grown on me and I have even enjoyed a few! The ones in English have been the best because I could understand and follow the story. Subtitles are ok, but then I find myself not enjoying the costumes and the acting because I am trying to keep up with what is happening. I have seen everything from dressed to the hilt ,to jeans and t-shirts. I will say that the dressier operas have taken place at large and well known places like the Fair Park coliseum in Dallas and the less formal dress has taken place at Oklahoma City University where my brother studies music. I think the undress for opera scheme is brilliant! Getting people exposed to this art is the most important goal in my opinion. Then making it affordable is critical too. If opera can be made appealing to the masses, I think it is an art that could be enjoyed by everyone. Taking away the stereotypical view of opera is an excellent first step!
I have to commend the English National Opera for their for first of all, making their work intriguing to English speaking audiences and two, trying to attract younger audiences.I have always been taught and expected to dress up for the theatre. I feel we should try to preserve the idea of theatre being a fine art, something sophisticated, as this art does require some thinking and interpretation. However I don't feel people should have to dress to the 9's to do it. No, formal dresses and dinner jackets aren't necessary, but I don't think jeans and t-shirts should be acceptable either. Something like a happy medium is where I think we should set the bar for preserving the fine art and keeping audiences growing.
"Personally I like the ritual of dressing up, but I think people need to know that you don't have to."
I've always been interested in how people dress for the theatre. It's always interesting to see people dressed up surrounded by people not. I applaud those people that still stick to tradition of dressing up for shows because that is what they feel is important. While I appreciate it, I also don't feel it's entirely necessary in today's society.
We should focus on making people feel comfortable and want to come back to see shows. That is what is important.
I feel as though this is following the general trend of modern theater audiences, which is good, because usually the goal is to actually have an audience for your productions. This is something that the English National Opera realized. I'm glad of the push to get new people exposed to opera, much some other initiatives that I've read about in previous articles. Promoting a more relaxed dress code will hopefully allow this to happen.
What a great idea, instead of complaining about society's youth, adjusting to it seems like a much more productive idea. I honestly had had no exposure to Opera until this summer when I worked for Pittsburgh Opera Theater. This is probably because although I had never been the only thing I associated opera with was people in super fancy clothing and lots of Italian. After working backstage for a bunch of operas I realized how cool it was. Even liking it though, I would never put on a tux and go sit somewhere for 3 hours to listen to people sing in Italian or any other language I don't understand. The ones I saw over the summer were all in English and I was in blacks. It would be wonderful if this became a more common thing, making any form of theater more accessible is probably a good thing. You might lose a little bit of your older audience but its probably worth it to get those younger numbers up.
Opera has been getting a bit more accessible in the last few years. Take the Met's "Live at the Met" video series, where they stream live opera performances to the movie theaters. Some of their larger operas sell out hundreds of theaters across the country for $12-15 per ticket. And the view you get in those theaters is WAY better than anything you would get sitting in the opera house at Lincoln Center. You are up close, seeing the expression, being a part of the performance. All of these efforts to expose younger, broader audiences to opera are good business choices, but also open up this art form- one of the most spectacular of the performing arts- to the masses, which hopefully will cause audiences to experiment with the smaller theater and music companies.
I also think it is a wise business decision to try to attract a larger audience by creating an environment they feel more comfortable in. Not only a wise business decision, but a wise decision for the industry in general. Some people are really funny about going to see opera and theatre... They think only a certain type of person goes, and if they go they will be categorized as that type of person. But if they feel more comfortable and feel like they "fit in", then maybe that will broaden their opinions on the arts in general.
I like this idea of a casual opera. I just read the article about the One Ounce Opera Company, and I think it is great that opera is being revolutionized. Before I went to opera, I was intimidated, but not by the formal attire. I was just not interested in watching a play in which I could not understand the language. But then again, I was 6, and did not realize that there were subtitles above or below the stage. I can definitely understand that people would be intimidated by the stereotypical opera viewer (old, classy, rich, educated, etc). And in some cases, these stereotypes are true. But it is good to see opera companies realizing that the stereotypes' generation is quickly dying out. They are looking for a new, younger audience, and I think it is great how the tickets are cheaper, the atmosphere is more relaxed, and the audience is able to simply be entertained. I'm a little saddened that they feel that the opera's have to be in English in order to get people to come. I guess it is fine for newcomers into the opera world, but I think that the foreign language aspect of opera not only brings cultures closer, but also adds to the whole spectacle of theatre.
I feel like there should be a certain respect when going to any production however the rules should be a little more relaxed to bring in a bigger audience which hopefully will teach the younger audience how to dress and act at an opera. I think not only is it a good way to fill more seats but a good way to teach a younger generation proper ettiquette and dress attire.
This is a complicated issue because you have two generations and cultures clashing. On the one hand you want to bring new audience members in to see the opera and appeal to a larger audience. But opera is also a tradition itself. Dressing up and being posh and refined is part of what opera is and some people want to preserve that culture. I think we need to find a happy medium by enticing new members but also making the opera an event you want to get classy for. It doesn't have to be a tuxedo or three piece suit but maybe just a button up shirt and nicer pants.
I definitely believe his last statement in the video applies to all theatre; there truly is no reason to not attend performances. I feel that the director's philosophy on dress code and headphones and such are fantastic. Why not enjoy the show your way? I believe that this video by the ENO is a great way to show that the opera (and theatre in general for that matter) are open for everyone and not the high class citizens. It's there for your enjoyment so why not enjoy it? If I were a person who felt they couldn't go because of those matters and I saw this video, my whole perception of these performances would be changed. I wish everyone had the ability to see this video in order to just let them know that the theatre is there for them. For everyone.
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