The New York Times: Venice’s ornate opera house, La Fenice, has survived floods and been rebuilt after devastating fires. So it was determined to keep going after the coronavirus forced it to cancel its performances: This week a string quartet gathered in the empty, eerily silent theater and played Beethoven, streaming the concert online and winning an ovation of handclap emojis.
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“All the doctors and nurses were working so hard to help people, so we thought: what can we do as musicians?” In Japan, many manga artists are publishing their works online for free for young people stuck in their houses to read. I think it is beautiful how artists are believing in the power of what they are doing and reaching out to people in this kind of emergency situation. People are feeling stressed, and surely the show-must-go-on spirit would cheer people up. On the other hand, there has been an argument in Japan of whether the show must go on or not for theatrical performances. Some people are affirmative in live streaming shows, while others strongly disagree with the idea. People who disagree say that since a theatrical piece is completed with the live existence of the audience, streaming shows would cause ‘the death of theatre.’ I wonder what other people think about this, but I think under these circumstances, thinking what is good for people is far more important than thinking things philosophically.
This opera house is really determined to let the show go on, and I really respect that. I think their value for performance is really admirable and brave for a company. The fact that they’ve managed to recuperate after floods and fires means that they are headstrong on producing their shows and giving their audiences what they want, even in a time of trouble. Especially now, with the Corona virus outbreak, different steps need to be taken in comparison to what you should do when there is a flood or fire. I think with all the setbacks in the entertainment industry as a whole, it is a good idea to make sure everyone is safe before allowing the show to go on. The idea of streaming the concert online really shows the true colors and morals of the Venice Opera house, and shows that there are ways to go about setbacks and continue performing, one way or another.
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