Taking opera from colonial to community
During a year of deep introspection and change due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and social revolution nationwide, Michigan Opera Theatre is making a noble attempt to align its work with the urgency of the times. Part of that effort was naming Yuval Sharon lastmonth as the company’s first ever Gary L. Wasserman artistic director.
Sharon — whose work is widely acclaimed overseas and in Los Angeles, where he runs his own company, The Industry — seems up to the task, as he is excited to celebrate the rich history of MOT and its art form. But his sights are set onensuring that audiences and artists previously disconnected from its work will be courted and convinced that they’re critical to the future of opera.
The first move in this direction begins just outside the Detroit Opera House, where MOT presents an adaptation of Richard Wagner’s “Twilight of the Gods” in the company’s parking garage this month. Participants will immerse themselves in theworld of the “Ring Cycle” (“Der Ring des Nibelungen”) where they will enjoy scenes from the final opera of the fourpart music drama.
But this effort to attract audiences outside the traditional cultural landscape of an industry built on mostly Eurocentric systems is just the tip of the iceberg. And Sharon understands that change doesn’t come from one production or site-specific event— it comes over the long haul.
“I would consider my appointment here a success if, after five years, it’s very clear that opera in this city looks, sounds, and feels like no other opera in this country,” he says.
Sharon also recognizes that Detroit has a lot to offer when it comes to place-based artmaking or site-specific work that takes performance to the people. These days, especially, in a COVID-19 world, even post pandemic, reaching audiences authentically and uniquely, in his viewpoint, is vital.
“This is crucial to me, and I am excited to imagine what kind of site-specific work Detroit’s architecture and landscape will inspire,” he says. “I hope that the work we do pushes people to leave their comfort zone and engage deeply with the world around them — the city that they are a part of.”
Living outside comfort zones has been a theme everyone — no matter what neighborhood, city or country they are from — has had to reckon with in 2020. Sharon’s tenacity for creating work that pays homage to the bold seems to fit right in to these unique times. He says that opera must move forward or it risks being left behind.
“Opera must create these opportunities for diverse talent or it will be doomed to remain a colonial holdover,” Sharon says. “We can do this so easily— we just need to commit tomaking this development an essential part of who we are.”
It is time for opera to see the world through a new lens, he adds.
“One of the great things about art is being able to see the world from entirely new eyes,” Sharon says. “This is something we desperately need now, as our ability to empathize or understand people with a different viewpoint has become so strained.”
The MacArthur Genius Grant recipient acknowledges, though, that aswith any good aria, listening is key. Detroit has many stories to be told and theworld is changing more rapidly than ever before, he says. “I have a lot more listening to do.”
“Twilight: Gods” plays at 3:50 p.m. Oct. 17, 18 and 20 at the Detroit Opera House Parking Center, 1426 Broadway St., in Detroit. A waiting list available. Visit michiganopera.org or call 313-237-7464 for more information.