Opera throws out tuxedos for jeans

02 March 2015 - 02:01 By Nivashni Nair
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When Edward whisked Vivian off to the opera, he certainly didn't do it in jeans and a T-shirt. And Pretty Woman, Vivian, wouldn't have dared show up in anything but a glamorous evening gown.

But times have changed and now opera production companies have to look at new ways of attracting younger audiences, even if it means throwing out dress codes and debunking the idea that classical music is only for the rich and the elderly.

Gauteng's new opera company, Big Wig Opera, hopes to attract "real people" in jeans and T-shirts - and especially people who were under five when the 1990 hit movie Pretty Woman was released.

The company's founder, tenor Stéfan Louw, said it was a challenge to attract people of 20 to 29 to the opera.

Last year only 3% of the people in the audiences at the Roodepoort Theatre, on the West Rand, were in this age group.

"No matter who you are, or what you do for a living, or what you look like, or what you believe in, or what you drive, or where you live, or how you prefer to dress, the music of opera is to be shared and enjoyed by all of us," he said.

When Louw started producing concerts in 2010 his audience was predominantly elderly. Four years later, about 20% are between 10 and 19 years old.

He attributed the growth to a youth audience development programme.

Over the past few years, opera companies and theatres have thrown out dress codes and some have even started to present the music in "club style" to attract the young.

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