Audiences Returning to See Opera ... In a Parking Garage

WDCB’s Gary Zidek checks in with Lyric Opera president & CEO Anthony Freud to talk about the past 12 months and the company’s new production, TWILIGHT: GODS.

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“To me it was not just crazy, it was wonderfully crazy. And an idea that immediately stuck me as something that could be a wonderful first step towards the return of live performances, and at the same time it was an environment which our audiences and artists could observe strict Covid safety protocols.” - Lyric Opera President & CEO Anthony Freud talking about his initial thoughts upon hearing about an idea to present an opera in parking garage.

Lyric Opera president & CEO Anthony Freud in the January of 2020

It’s been over a year since Lyric Opera has been able to present live performances to in-person audiences. But thanks to an innovative approach and a lot of logistical planning, live opera is returning to Chicago at least for a few days.

This week, Lyric will present the Chicago premiere of a work titled TWILIGHT: GODS to a sold out crowd. but the ticketholders won’t be sitting inside the Lyric Opera House on Upper Wacker Drive … rather they’ll be in their vehicles making their way through a parking garage about a mile to the east.

The production, which is described as a reimagining of the fourth part of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, will be staged in the Millennium Lakeside Parking Garage. The audience will experience the opera from their cars, driving around to six different installations and tuning into listen on specific frequencies on their car radios.

Image from Lyric Opera’s TWILIGHT: GODS. Photo credit: Kyle Flubacker

Tickets for the drive-thru performances of TWILIGHT: GODS sold out pretty quickly. But a film version will be made available virtually for free at some point this summer (likely in June) you can find out more at lyricopera.org

Image from Lyric Opera’s TWILIGHT: GODS. Photo Credit: Kyle Flubacker