You might have to shut down this blog (and we would miss it), but imagine the possibility of a blog from that position: Candor, detail, and behind-the-scenes reports are compatible with a modern online presence for an arts institution and are potentially an attractive and valuable addition to a complete public relations program. With opera in particular, the business has always thrived in no small part because of its chatty, indeed gossipy, side, but I'm certain that a smart manager could handle this in a way that is lively but not lurid and actually help steer the broader conversation back to real artistic discussion by making the case that that is where the authentic thrill is.
SF Opera has a blog, and occasionally I read it - really, I should put it in my RSS reader. They do have quite a few behind-the-scenes reports.
Candor: I'm sure there are limitations to how candid the blog can be. "You may think that X is leaving the production for personal reasons, but actually she showed up without having learned the role." Noooooo, as much as I would wish to be able to publish something like that. However, you are right about steering the conversation back to the artistic side of the art form!
The job description is huge, by the way; I honestly think it's about 1.5 people, knowing what I know. Getting the publications out seems like the most predictable part. For any opera, the program layout is known and there's a template; you need to have an essay on the opera and an essay on something related to the opera, composer, director, production, or period (or something). Etc.
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You might have to shut down this blog (and we would miss it), but imagine the possibility of a blog from that position: Candor, detail, and behind-the-scenes reports are compatible with a modern online presence for an arts institution and are potentially an attractive and valuable addition to a complete public relations program. With opera in particular, the business has always thrived in no small part because of its chatty, indeed gossipy, side, but I'm certain that a smart manager could handle this in a way that is lively but not lurid and actually help steer the broader conversation back to real artistic discussion by making the case that that is where the authentic thrill is.
SF Opera has a blog, and occasionally I read it - really, I should put it in my RSS reader. They do have quite a few behind-the-scenes reports.
Candor: I'm sure there are limitations to how candid the blog can be. "You may think that X is leaving the production for personal reasons, but actually she showed up without having learned the role." Noooooo, as much as I would wish to be able to publish something like that. However, you are right about steering the conversation back to the artistic side of the art form!
The job description is huge, by the way; I honestly think it's about 1.5 people, knowing what I know. Getting the publications out seems like the most predictable part. For any opera, the program layout is known and there's a template; you need to have an essay on the opera and an essay on something related to the opera, composer, director, production, or period (or something). Etc.
The rest of it....
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