Pittsburgh Opera productions to have small, live audiences
Share this post:
Pittsburgh Opera will welcome small, live audiences back to productions of its modified 2020-21 season, in addition to livestreaming all performances.
First up is Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” opening Oct. 17 for six performances in front of socially distant audiences at its headquarters in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.
Stage director Crystal Manich has set the production during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, when universal mask-wearing applied, according to a release.
All tickets have been sold for these performances, although limited spaces are still available on a waiting list.
The opening date will be livestreamed free on the opera’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, courtesy of UPMC.
It will be sung in Italian, with subtitles projected above the stage and on the livestream. An audio commentary program for hearing-impaired patrons is available at the Oct. 27 performance.
“There are still a limited number of seats available for the final three operas,” said Christian Cox, the opera’s director of marketing and communications. “Some of the individual performances are already sold out, but for each of the final three operas, at least some performances still have seats available.”
Subsequent live-audience productions include:
• “Soldier Songs,” six performances, Dec. 5-17
• “Semele,” six performances, Feb. 20-March 4
• “Charlie Parker’s Yardbird,” six performances, April 10-22
Pittsburgh Opera has made modifications to the production, rehearsal process and building and audience protocols in order to accommodate live audiences under covid-19 restrictions.
Seating capacity of the studio in opera headquarters has been reduced to no more than 52.
“The same seating arrangement will be in place for all four of our operas,” Cox said.
Singers will wear masks during the performances, including while they’re singing.
The “Così fan tutte” program has been compressed into 90 minutes, with no intermission, to prevent patrons interacting with each other or waiting in line for the bathroom.
The orchestra has been reduced to 17 players to allow for proper distancing among them.
The cast are all Pittsburgh Opera’s resident artists, who quarantined for 14 days upon arriving in Pittsburgh last month.
All audience members will undergo health screenings on arrival, and will be required to wear a mask at all times while in the building.
Details: pittsburghopera.org