High School Night

Teenagers today bear little resemblance to anyone I knew when I was one. They all carry cell phones, they wear low-low-rise jeans and belly shirts, and they get way more action than I ever did in high school (although that's not a difficult record to beat). High schoolers now are inundated with media: movies, TV shows, YouTube clips, blogs, and huge numbers of advertisements. Sex, violence, and bad language are de rigueur to keep a teenager's interest, and nothing will stop them from text messaging each other, butchering the English language in the process.

Tonight was High School Night at the opera. The house was packed with high school students, many of whom were wearing suits and recycled prom dresses. And all these teenagers, the ones who have become inured to anything the world can throw at them, who are rarely shocked and even less frequently awed…they loved the show, loved every minute of it. Their reactions were vocal and immediate. They laughed at every joke, both the convoluted Shakespearean ones ("I think this is your daughter?" "Her mother hath many times told me so.") and the improvised contemporary ones (predictably, mentions of the Jonas Brothers and High School Musical were big hits). They paid attention in a way that our regular audiences often don't; not a single nuance went unnoticed. And never has anyone wanted Beatrice and Benedict to end up together as much as tonight's audience did. In their last dialogue, Beatrice says, "You're like my shadow, I can't get away from you!" When Benedict responded with, "If only I could be your shadow, and never leave your side" their was a collective chorus of "Awwws" from the female contingent in the house, followed by roaring laughter from the rest of the audience. When the two lovers finally kissed for the first time, the cheering and applause were deafening.

I think maybe I've got some intense emotions left over from last night, because as I sat in the balcony (I managed to get out of sitting in the booth for this performance), I was overcome by the energy in the house, radiating from these kids. This is a tumultuous time to be in the arts. Companies are making big sacrifices, canceling productions, and in one case closing their doors all together. Donor bases and endowments are shrinking, and people are less likely to buy opera tickets when they're worried about money. But as I sat in the dark, still buoyed by last night's incredible results, watching opera surrounded by rapt teenagers, I couldn't help but think…

We're going to be okay.