NYTimes.com: The offices of the San Diego Opera once filled the penthouse atop the Civic Center Plaza, with 12-foot ceilings and sweeping views of this city and its harbors. No more. These days, opera executives toil away in the decidedly less glamorous former offices of the public defender, with hallways stacked with boxes and unhung pictures lined against the walls.
6 comments:
It is very sad to read about a place that has created so much art and has contributed to such a great city to have to downsize due to money. This article does not cite a specific reason why the opera downsized or had money problems but I'm glad to see that they are back on track. We can relate this to any theatre, we as the theatre community must be able to not only balance time and art with our lives but we must always keep money in mind in order to keep contributing to the world.
It's always sad to see that operas are struggling to stay open. It quite possibly is because the new generation has not been exposed to opera. I personally have never seen an opera show even though I have always wanted to do so. I think that the downsizing and budget cuts might keep the opera open, but unless there is a huge spike, this may be the first step in the San Diego Opera's downfall. Hopefully since the opera is so well renowned, someone will donate money in order to keep the art alive.
It's good to hear that people can come together to save the arts. The issue with Opera Companies lies in the declining subscriber. Because of this, I think the diverse season may do well to bring opera to a better place.
Good for San Diego Opera in managing to stay open, but I question how they will remain solvent going forward. I suppose that the fact that they currently have no debt is certainly a card in their favor, but I wonder how they will continue that trend in the face of declining subscribers.
Opera does seem to be on the decline as less subscribers continue to pay dues. Anecdotally, I have not felt very exposed to opera thus far in my life.
Hopefully going forward, the San Diego Opera can continue to raise awareness for their craft and continue to entertain and enthrall audiences.
Yes, it's sad to hear about companies having financial troubles. However, it sounds like their facilities were a bit luxurious. It's less sad to me to hear about them simply having to bring themselves back into reality. I do wonder if this concerns them. Will they look for ways to put more butts back into their seats? There is only so much you can do to branch out with traditional opera. Will they look beyond just traditional opera? To stay afloat in today's world, where industry is competitive and everything is easy to access, it's important to be innovative. We can't entirely blame patrons for ceasing to attend the opera. We also must look at the company itself and see how it could better keep up with the desires of today's viewers.
I am from San Diego. Hearing this news after leaving my home town and coming to Pittsburgh, I am torn between my honest opinion that new audiences want new and modern theatre and the fact that I loved the San Diego Opera and I know how hard working their company is. That being said, I actually am a fan of moving forward and letting things fall by the waist-side if it needs to. If people aren't going to watch the opera, money shouldn't be put into it as often. Yes it's great to know about the opera and see opera frequently, but if we tried to reserve every style of theatre we would all still be watching Noh Theatre every weekend and people committing suicide on stage. Things change, and while I love this company, I think it may be its time.
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