The Naming of Things

Finally getting to spend some time in Cenerentola staging rehearsals. What fabulous voices, and how lucky we are.

Yet, from an marketing standpoint, it’s a conundrum.

A bit of a recap: Cinderella began life as a two-performance fully produced opera in our large outdoor venue (the Filene Center), with rented sets and costumes. About two months ago we turned Cinderella into a single performance concert staging. (See the June 30 entry if you want more background on the decision.) You wouldn’t know it, though from the rehearsals. Looks pretty much fully staged. Just with no walls, drops, flats, stairs, etc. But with plenty of props, costumes, lights, and more energy and dramatic integrity than many “staged” performances I’ve seen.

I’m afraid that, in the spirit of truth-in-advertising, we’ve further hurt our sales potential. The audience will undoubtedly perceive this as a “real” opera production, even though the orchestra is onstage. And I’m certain that there are folks out there who would truly enjoy this performance but won’t attend because they’re put off by the “in Concert” description. We’ve decided to err on the side of understatement, but in doing so, may have misrepresented ourselves.