International Theatre Conference: Directing and Authorship in Western Drama

Panel Seven
Saturday October 25th, 1-2:30pm

Henry MacCarthy, Ohio University
Abstract: The Angry Mob: Performance Traditions
and the (Mis) Appropriation of Authorship in Opera 

Opera audiences are the only remaining group of theater spectators that assert their aesthetic objections by booing the stage performance. This form of public criticism is deeply rooted in tradition and aside from being considered rude by some; it remains a valid and acceptable form of expressing disapproval at the operatic stage. Demonstrations of public outcry are propelled by an emotional attachment to the piece that is being performed, in opera the attachment is often to the music component of the story, divorcing it from the whole. Consequently, the director, whose job is to tell the story, is perceived as the outsider, the non-musician whose job is to take care of the stage picture by not interfering with the music.
     Patrons’ preferences are seriously taken into account when a company is planing a new season. If an opera company introduces new works or rarely perform operas, it must compensate by scheduling standard repertoire to meet box office needs. Standard operatic repertoire is limited to ten or so operas. Audiences know them very well and expect to see on the stage what they are familiar with; primarily traditional interpretations that follow the stage directions in the score with utmost rigor, reflecting a realistic view of the events, settings and characters. These spectators find a sense of comfort and pleasure in experiencing the recognizable: an opera production that remains loyal to their first encounter with the work. A directorial interpretation that departs from these expectations is therefore considered threatening. Opera audiences are quick to assert their disapproval, and to defend the opera, claiming that the director’s interpretation contradicts the composer’s intentions. Are they really defending the composer or, is it perhaps, their own version of the opera? Have audience members appropriated authorship of the traditional productions? Is the director a threat to the status quo, and if so, should directorial interpretations be regulated? Does this constitute a form of censorship imposed on the director, or a legitimate claim for the preservation and perpetuation of tradition? In this paper I explore possible answers to these questions and the implications they might have in the future of opera.