[Dixielandjazz] Getting to the audience

[Steve Barbone]

Not OKOM, but OKOM concert/festival producers might learn a thing or two
from the contents of this article. . . . see Marketing rationale below;

"Mr. Gelb (the Metropolitan Opera's General Manager) has said he wants to
generate excitement about the art form by making it more accessible,
relevant and theatrical."


Cheers,
Steve Barbone


Puccini for the People: The Met¹s Free Lunch

NY TIMES - By DANIEL J. WAKIN - September 23, 2006

Playing Friday at the Metropolitan Opera: ³Madame Anomaly.²

Opera goers sat cross-legged on the red-carpeted floor of the grand tier,
eating bag lunches. Patrons nestled into $375 seats free. People wandered
across the stage, snapping pictures.

It was open house at the Met, when the hoary and staid home of grand opera
allowed the unwashed rabble (actually, many seemed to be opera lovers)
through its doors, free, to wander the house, view exhibits and listen to a
question-and-answer session.

The highlight was a dress rehearsal of Puccini¹s ³Madama Butterfly,² which
will open the season Monday in a gala evening. The house was full and
enthusiastic, listening attentively and cheering forcefully.

³This is incredible,² said Jill Goldberg, a chiropractor who has homes in
New York and Milford, Mass. ³This is what makes New York like nowhere else
in the world.² 

Actually, open houses at performance halls are not completely new. But it is
the first time the Met has done such a thing. The event was part of a
carefully calibrated buildup of publicity set in motion by Peter Gelb, the
new general manager, in the days leading up to Monday¹s opening night.

It included announcements that the Met will simulcast in movie theaters,
broadcast opening night in Times Square and put performances on a dedicated
Sirius satellite radio channel. The Met also opened a lobby art gallery and
draped a banner in front of the house with the opera¹s title in Japanese
characters.

Mr. Gelb has said he wants to generate excitement about the art form by
making it more accessible, relevant and theatrical.

During a brief intermission interview, he said, ³This is opera as it should
be ‹ music and theater in perfect harmony,² referring to the visually
striking production by Anthony Minghella, the film and theater director.
Later, Mr. Gelb said many people had come up to him to say thank you.

³The reaction was incredibly positive,² he said. ³It was a very powerful
experience for people inside the house as well as outside. It¹s heightened
the sense of community.²

The open house was not completely open. Tickets were necessary to enter the
doors, although they were free. About 3,000 were passed out by noon on
Wednesday, some to people who had been waiting much of the night. Those
tickets included a chit for a free lunch: three finger sandwiches with
slivers of arugula, cheese and turkey, two bottles of water and two cookies.

In the comprimario role of mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg took the stage after
the first intermission.

³Thanks to Peter for bringing this opportunity to everybody,² he said.
³Anybody who¹s said there¹s no free lunch hasn¹t met you. This is what¹s
wonderful about New York.²

Inside the auditorium, there were few neckties and even fewer suits, with a
higher quotient of denim and plaid than at most Met performances. One young
woman had green hair. Public relations officials from other Lincoln Center
residents were on hand, perhaps to get ideas. A row of photographers with
large telephoto lenses snapped away during the performance, as at a
basketball game. 

A number of those present said they had never been to the Met, or rarely
went to the opera at all. The free tickets were a lure. Others were brought
by friends and relatives.

During the first intermission, people munched their lunches along the
sweeping staircases, on the balcony or standing in the lobby. They wandered
into the Eleanor Belmont Room, a club used by members of the Metropolitan
Opera Guild, which Eleanor Belmont founded, past a sign saying ³Members
Only.² 

³Members only? Excuse me!² one woman said.

After the performance, Mr. Minghella, other members of the production staff,
the music director James Levine and the cast sat in a row and answered a few
questions from a moderator.

Then a Met official invited people to take a walk across the stage. Hundreds
lined up and passed from left to right along two upside down carpets, to
protect the highly polished floor, designed to reflect off the production¹s
overhead mirror. Stagehands answered questions. People craned their necks
and took pictures. 

³Oh my God, it¹s unbelievable,² Mary Gomez of the Upper West Side said,
adding that she was a regular ticket buyer.

Some sang out notes or phrases. One of the visitors was Marguerite Scully, a
29-year-old soprano. Speaking to no one in particular, she looked out at the
house and said: ³I¹ll be back here. Don¹t worry.²