Contact:
Sommer Hixson/Peter Clark
Metropolitan Opera
(212) 870-7457
shixson@metopera.org
pclark@metopera.org
Andrew Shearer
Rubenstein Associates
(212) 843-8061
ashearer@rubenstein.com
New York, NY (September 15, 2006) – As part of the Metropolitan Opera’s new initiative to widen the appeal of opera, the Met will broadcast a full-length performance in Times Square for the first time in the history of the company. The opening night performance of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Anthony Minghella and conducted by Music Director James Levine, will be presented on Panasonic’s AstroVision screen located at One Times Square on 43rd Street. The Met will also present a simultaneous outdoor broadcast of the performance in Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza. The Times Square broadcast (no tickets required) will be held opening night, September 25, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Lincoln Center Plaza Cast (tickets required) will begin at 6:00 p.m.
“We want to bring the Met to the heart of New York,” said Peter Gelb, the Met’s new General Manager. “This effort is symbolic of our plans to keep the Met connected to mainstream culture and contemporary life and will help build new audiences. Thousands will have the chance to see and hear our opening night performance who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend.”
The opening night broadcasts and the Met’s first-ever open house on September 22 for the final dress rehearsal of Madama Butterfly are part of the Met’s larger mission to revitalize opera. The Times Square transmission is made possible with the cooperation of the City of New York and the generous sponsorship support of Deutsche Bank and Panasonic, which is donating valuable screen time and audio equipment in Times Square.
Tickets are not required for the Times Square broadcast. Approximately 650 seats will be provided for the public on a first-come first-served basis, with additional standing room provided. Advance tickets are required for attendance to the broadcast in Lincoln Center Plaza. Tickets are available at the Met box office beginning at noon on Sunday, September 24. Tickets are available on a first-come first-served basis, are free of charge and limited to two tickets per person. The Lincoln Center Plaza Cast will feature exclusive pre-show and intermission coverage by Daljit Dhaliwal, who has served as a news correspondent for CNN International and BBC World News. The intermission programming will feature an original, behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Madama Butterfly by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke.
Met Partners and Sponsors
The live broadcast of Madama Butterfly at Lincoln Center and opening night gala celebration are made possible with leadership support from Deutsche Bank. Leadership support for the broadcast is also provided by the Metropolitan Opera Guild with additional support from the Plaza Cast Committee, Sanford H. Fisher, Chairman. Additional services for the Plaza Cast are being provided by All Mobile Video and Scharff Weisberg.
Panasonic is donating up to four hours of time on the AstroVision screen at One Times Square for the Met broadcast, and is also providing state-of-the-art audio equipment between 43rd and 44th Streets. The donation is part of a larger partnership of Panasonic and the Met that includes the installation of state-of-the-art high definition (HD) television screens throughout the Metropolitan Opera House, including in List Hall.
“The Times Square broadcast on the NBC Astrovision by Panasonic is a tremendous opportunity for Panasonic to help make culture more accessible to a wider, more diverse audience,” says Bob Greenberg, Vice President, Brand Marketing Group, Panasonic Corp. of North America. “The partnership with the Met embodies our mission to utilize state-of-the-art technology like High Definition Plasma TVs to enable the communication of new ideas and new experiences.”
“Sharing the excitement of opening night at the Met with thousands of New Yorkers is a wonderful privilege for Deutsche Bank. Under Peter Gelb's leadership, the Met is reaching out in all directions and inviting everyone to experience the magic of opera,” said Gary Hattem, President, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation. “All communities and all generations can take pride in the important role the Met plays in our great city.”
“This is an exciting opportunity to bring the thrill of opening night to a whole new audience. The mission of the Metropolitan Opera Guild is two-fold: to support the Met and to build awareness and appreciation for opera. This venture accomplishes both,” said David A. Dik, Managing Director, the Metropolitan Opera Guild.
About Madama Butterfly
Academy Award-winning film director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and the forthcoming Breaking and Entering) returns to his theater roots with a new production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, to open the 2006-07 Metropolitan Opera season. At the English National Opera (ENO) last season, the production became the hit of the London opera world, playing to sold-out houses and winning the coveted Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production. The Met’s gala opening, conducted by Music Director James Levine, features Chilean soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domâs as Cio-Cio-San and Sicilian tenor Marcello Giordani as Pinkerton.
Under the leadership of new General Manager Peter Gelb, the Met has launched many initiatives to connect the company with a larger audience. They include: a free open house event on September 22 that will offer the general public an opportunity to attend the final dress rehearsal of Madama Butterfly; an extensive Madama Butterfly transit advertising campaign during the month of September; new $15 tickets (formerly $26) to the Family Circle section; and the new Arnold and Marie Schwartz Gallery Met to exhibit contemporary art. The Met recently announced the use of advanced distribution platforms and state-of-the-art technology to attract new audiences and reach millions of opera fans around the world. Beginning on December 30, the Met will transmit six of its performances live in high definition into movie theaters in the United States, Canada, and Europe that have been equipped with high-definition projection systems and satellite dishes. In addition, more than 100 live performances will be broadcast either over the internet or on digital radio.