On 'Satyagraha' and Occupy Lincoln Center, Last Night
Seth, I think you're absolutely on point. I tried to get "on stack" to speak against the opera-elitism myth but they seemed to skip over my name... it's a shame that so many people (including the eloquent man with the MLK mien & glasses) used the "expensive" ticket prices to position opera as a "1%" art. (I paid $12.50)
It also bears noting that Bloomberg IS indeed a financial sponsor of the Met-- he (or whoever calls the philanthropic shots at Bloomberg LP) sponsors outreach and education programs, not the general fund, not the "Golden Horseshoe," not the patron's circle. The tea party conspiracy-style attacks on "Bloomberg's 'Gandhi' opera" pain me. Institutional arts funding is a gigantic, complicated beast... Bloomberg "funded" this opera only as much as the NEA "funded" Wojnarowicz at the Smithsonian.
It's awesome that the Met chose to revive this production, when many standard rep operas reinforce and normalize elitism, misogyny, and racism. Now if we could only get donors to ALSO give to smaller companies developing new works by contemporary composers...
2
On 'Satyagraha' and Occupy Lincoln Center, Last Night
@chrisnyc1 Let's do a little comparison, shall we? Satyagraha: cheapest ticket is $10 (for standing, $12.50 for family circle). Spider Man: Turn Off The Dark: cheapest ticket is $99. (And that gets you a MUCH narrower seat.)
There is an entire department of the Met Guild devoted to education and outreach, and even though it's "funded by Bloomberg", it DOES enable public school students to go to the opera for a very low cost. (I was one of them!)
For most standard rep productions, the social custom is to buy a $10 standing ticket, and after the first intermission, to take any open seats on the orchestra level. Everyone does it (if it's not a sold-out show), and there is no shame or intimidation by ushers.
"I doubt a single mother making minimum wage would pay hundreds of dollars on high art. [...] It is designed by elites for the elites, and funded by elite." It's a slippery slope, you know... if not opera, then what/which/whose art is "for the 99%"?