La Boheme is opening this weekend — here’s what you need to know about Opera Carolina
Long gone are the days that you have to be of a certain age or socioeconomic status to attend a night at the opera. As the times change, so do the arts and the way they are presented.
Local performing arts company Opera Carolina is working hard each season to ensure that the opera is a place that anyone can enjoy. The 2019-20 season kicked off with three big-name shows on the schedule: MacBeth, which wrapped up in November; La Boheme coming in January and I Dream, which will start in April.
Don’t be intimidated. The opera is not just a place for your parents or grandparents to enjoy, and this is why.
You don’t need a fancy outfit.
There’s a preconceived notion that in order to attend a show, you need to dress to the nines. Many assume tuxedos and fancy evening gowns are the standard attire, but that’s no longer true. Sure, it can be a fun way to get dressed up for a night out. But it’s not a requirement, nor will you look out of place.
“Come as you are,” Megan Miller, director of marketing and communications for Opera Carolina, told CharlotteFive. “There’s a high brow stigma with opera, but Opera Carolina is very diverse. You can dress up or come comfortable.”
It’s more approachable.
Companies like Opera Carolina are beginning to think outside of the box to engage more diverse audiences. Instead of only having shows in theaters, they are now moving to more social settings with the performances.
“We’re taking it outside of the Belk to make it more identifiable,” Miller said.
Opera pop-ups are often held at 7th Street Public Market as a way to draw in younger crowds — and, according to Miller, “it’s working.” The pop-ups are announced via the Opera Carolina Facebook page, and there are even surprise flash mobs.
Another effort to make opera more approachable started four years ago, when the “opera beer” concept was introduced. Each season, Opera Carolina teams up with a local brewery to introduce a themed beer based on that season’s theme. This season’s theme, The Struggle is Real, brought a collaboration with Legion Brewing. The beer Carolina Opera Party! is a twist on the brewery’s existing Sparkle Party — a way to party through your struggle.
Queen City Grounds also partnered with Opera Carolina during MacBeth for a special coffee called Something Wicked This Way Comes. There are plans for another collaboration during La Boheme.
The stories reflect real life.
La Boheme, which begins Jan. 18, is based on the life and struggles of a poor poet and poor seamstress. Over the years, other plays, musicals and TV. shows have created their own adaptation of or referenced Puccini’s original story.
If you’re a fan of the Broadway production Rent, then you will see the correlation between the two, as Rent is loosely based on La Boheme and follows the life of its struggling main characters. There was also an episode of The Simpsons, as well as the 1987 romantic comedy ‘Moonstruck’ that made references to the opera.
April’s “I Dream,’ is a musical drama that retells the last 36 hours of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. It also takes a look into the struggle for justice and equality, something that is still relatable to this day.
“Opera isn’t necessarily for everyone, but there’s an opera for everyone,” Miller said.
To make the stories more visually appealing, high-definition projections will make you feel as though you’re at your favorite local movie theater. MacBeth’s set mimicked something that you would associate with the popular series, Game of Thrones.
“What you see on stage is still relevant to everyday life,” she said.
Editor’s note: This story originally published on Jan. 7, 2020.
