Eyes aren’t the only windows to the soul
Passion of opera becomes accessible to visually impaired with ‘barrier-free’ performance
In Act I of “La Bohème,” Rodolfo is writing in his rented room when another tenant in the building knocks on his door. Mimì’s candle has gone out and, having no matches, she asks Rodolfo to light it. They talk a few minutes, until a draft blows out both their candles. As Rodolfo and Mimì fumble for her house key, they touch hands and fall in love — in the dark.
Normally, U.S. audiences watching “La Bohème” soak up the poverty and romanticism of 1830s Paris via sets and costumes, often reading the original Italian translated into English subtitles near the stage. The experience is at least as visual as auditory.
But at a special performance of the Giacomo Puccini classic Nov. 28, the audience will see none of this. Like the characters, the audience will be in pitch blackness.
Houston is one of two U.S. cities, along with New York, chosen for the international premiere of the award-winning “barrier-free” production from South Korea. Opera in the Dark aims to provide the same immersive experience for both sighted and visually impaired guests via a complete absence of light, both onstage and in the theater seats. Sighted guests will be given blindfolds to “watch” with an enhanced sense of hearing.
The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Houston
and the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs are sponsoring the event.
The performance will retain the signature arias and duets in Italian by the primary characters of “La Bohème” — Mimì, Rodolfo, Musetta and Marcello — but will condense the story to one hour. In addition to the singers, four voice actors will act out scenes in English, and a narrator will give the audience a better understanding of what’s taking place (“Rodolfo lights the candle,” for example). And rather than a full orchestra, a pianist will provide accompaniment (she will have a small light to see the sheet music).
For performers’ safety in the darkness, they won’t be moving around onstage; sound effects will indicate, say, footsteps from stage left. That lack of traditional blocking of scenes or ability to make eye contact with the pianist has let cast members stretch in new ways, giving them a greater understanding of their potential audience’s disability.
“Opera is for everybody,” says soprano Stella Bokyung Yoon, who will sing the role of Musetta and is pursuing a doctor of musical arts degree at the University of Texas at Austin. “I have to express everything Musetta says and feels with my voice, not with my body.”
Yoon and her castmates have prepared by listening to recordings of tenors Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti without any visuals.
“It makes me realize and understand that the drama is more in my head,” the Seoul native says.
For director Hee-Jung Chung, choosing “La Bohème” for such a challenging, first-of-its-kind undertaking last year in Korea was a no-brainer. Not only is the darkness of the scene in Act I perfect, but the story opens on Christmas Eve, “which makes it very suitable to show in this season,” Chung says.
Her hunch that a barrier-free opera would have a market proved true last year. The venue sold out, and a survey found that before the performance, 57 percent had never considered the need for barrier-free content, but afterward, 97 percent thought more should be produced. More specifically, a visually impaired man thanked her for offering a new experience for everyone, sighted or not. Chung says feedback like his has made all
the technical challenges worthwhile.
“I don’t think there is a bigger award than receiving positive responses from audiences,” she says. (Be that as it may, Chung, executive producer/director for Korea News Network, earned this year’s Gold Trophy from New York Festivals for the production, among other awards.)
Her only regret is that the blind vocalist who portrayed Rodolfo in Korea is unavailable for the U.S. shows.
Chung and the sponsoring consulate are working with Majestic Metro, the venue, to eliminate as much light as possible while complying with fire regulations. Chung says an adequate number of ushers will ensure guests’ safety.
A five-minute video preceding the performance will explain how best to enjoy it, and programs are being printed with both regular text and Braille, according to Ggochnim Bak, consul in charge of cultural affairs.
A reception will feature light bites and a silentauction fundraiser for Opera in the Dark. Three of watchmaker Eone’s Bradley Timepieces, which allow users to tell time by touch or sight, will be available for bidding.
For Yoon and her castmates, all of whom are from New York or Korea, a “barrier-free” “La Bohème” means no wall between them and the audience for the expression of art.
“We’re all feeling the same thing. It’s passion and love that we will hear and feel,” she says. “It’s all about the imagination, you know?”
“A Special World” relates programs and experiences by and for the disabled community in Greater Houston. suzanne.garofalo@chron.com