'Divas,' minus horns, to coax you to the opera
In today's fast-track, high-tech world of easy accessibility and immediate gratification, the leisurely pace and rarefied air of opera can be a bit of a tough sell. There's also the matter of all those pesky jokes about fat ladies singing.
"Unfortunately," acknowledges Boston Lyric Opera general director Janice Mancini Del Sesto, "opera has had some really awful stereotypes -- oversized people with loud scary voices, the woman with the big horns."
But Brookline's Coolidge Corner Theatre, with the help of Boston Lyric Opera, is doing its bit to change that perception with a new collaborative project called "Divas in the Dark." The brainstorm of Elizabeth Taylor-Mead, the Coolidge's director of events and membership, the pilot project kicked off in September and will present five more opera-based films at the theater over the next eight months , each preceded by a live mini-performance and/or introduction by professional opera educators. The programs include refreshments and are free to seniors and students. Regular-priced tickets are $9.50, $6.50 for Coolidge members.
The series doesn't just feature filmed opera performances, but films that artistically take advantage of the medium to show opera in a new way, like the first presentation in September of Frédéric Mitterand's screen adaptation of "Madame Butterfly," which portrays its heroine in Japan looking at her lover's ship in the harbor.
"Unlike staged presentations," says Taylor-Mead, "film allows you to go into the world of the story."
"Film is such a wonderful medium," says Del Sesto, "to bring opera to life for people who love it and want it in every shape or form and for those who haven't tried it." She hopes the movies will whet viewers' appetite for live performance, translating to larger and broader audiences for Lyric Opera's subscription season at the Shubert Theatre downtown.
The organizations see the collaboration as mutually beneficial, cross-pollinating audiences as well as providing a combination of entertainment, education, and an opportunity for dialogue.
"Divas in the Dark" is only one of Lyric Opera's ongoing projects to make opera more accessible. The company offers preperformance lectures, an opera history/appreciation class, free summer concerts in the parks, and free programs with a live music component at the Boston Public Library. In addition, touring school presentations serve almost 25,000 children each spring.
"We look for entry points that are familiar so people might think, 'Actually, I would like to try that,' " says Luke Dennis, the company's education and community programs manager. "I feel like once they try it, 100 percent of time they're happy they did."
For the Coolidge, the series is one of a number of venturesome programs reflecting an ongoing mission to serve as a creative and educational resource for the neighborhood. Joe Zina, the theater's executive director, says a collaboration with Lyric Opera has been on his wish list for years. "I've always loved opera and have wanted to bring it to the Coolidge in some way for this community," he explains. "Our audience is diverse and culturally sophisticated and appreciates so much more beyond our regular feature films. Our theater is continually reinventing itself and broadening our programming." The Coolidge is also collaborating with The Boston Conservatory Children's Opera, which was to present "Billy Goats Gruff" Oct. 22.
"Divas in the Dark" is underwritten by the Trust Family Foundation in partnership with Finagle a Bagel. By the presenters' accounts, the first program was a big success, drawing in more than 200 people, from college-age to seniors. Dennis emceed the event, soprano Patrice Tiedemann was the featured soloist in a selection of arias from the Puccini opera, and Coolidge board members and volunteers were on hand to distribute information fliers, serve bagels, and pour coffee and juice.
"I think we made some new fans," says Dennis. "The vibe was very positive, and it was not our regular subscription audience. My sense is that we were reaching new people." Indeed -- at least one new enthusiast signed up for Boston Lyric Opera's subscription season on the spot.
Upcoming "Divas in the Dark" Programs Nov. 19 -- Mozart's "The Magic Flute," directed by Ingmar Bergman.
Jan. 7 -- Verdi's "La Traviata," directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
March 11 -- "Carmen Jones" (based on Bizet's "Carmen"), directed by Otto Preminger.
May 20 -- Offenbach's "The Tales of Hoffman," directed by Michael Powell.
July 22 -- The surreal French cult film
"Diva," directed by Jean Jacques Beineix.
