Passion. Deceit. Power. No, it's not an episode of Mad Men, but the common themes found upon an opera stage.
The persistent image of opera as an old-fashioned medium has for too long concealed the fiery and passionate nature of productions. Like Shakespeare, opera's tales are timeless and evoke the rawest of human emotions.
This injustice should soon be redressed by the Vancouver Opera's recent O.U.T. (opera under thirty) campaign. Offering $25 tickets to patrons aged 18 to 29, VO hopes to lure younger faces to its audiences and squash the antiquated notion that opera is a grandparent domain.
Past attempts to rejuvenate the opera realm include manga representations of all productions, vibrant animations which can be viewed on the VO's website.
The VO's golden anniversary season opens this weekend with Bellini's Norma and also includes favorites Nixon in China (March 13-20), The Marriage of Figaro (April 24-May 4), and Madama Butterfly (May 29 to June 10).
Norma runs Nov. 28 to Dec. 5. at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. O.U.T. tickets are available online at www.vancouveropera.ca by quoting promo code 2256.
