If opera lovers were expecting the usual grand theater, they got a shock when they traveled to Bushwick for a performance by LoftOpera.
“To get there, audience members had to walk along a badly lit street where the sidewalk had ended,” recalls Brianna Maury. “And they were thinking, ‘Is there really opera here?’ Then they see an open door with light coming out, and music playing, and we are welcoming them to LoftOpera.”
As Maury tells this story, her eyes light up with unbridled enthusiasm at the unique experience being provided to an audience. Her stepbrother and fellow co-founder, Daniel Ellis-Ferris, is smiling and nodding in agreement. The WeWork Dumbo Heights members seek out post-industrial spaces and locations for their small-scale productions of classic operas.
“To me, these spaces provide the audience with the same feeling of awe that an opera house inspires,” says Ellis-Ferris.
LoftOpera sees itself as a populist opera company focusing on works that are “expressly pleasing” to an opera audience.
“We want to meet the expectations of those who have them, while giving something exciting to those who don’t,” explains Maury. “Ultimately, we may unpack the story in a new way, but we want the stories to speak for themselves.”
LoftOpera was born out of a desire to make opera more accessible and welcoming, not just for audiences, but for performers as well.
“In music school, they don’t offer many paths after graduation,” says Ellis-Ferris. “They focus on auditions and competitions. There’s the idea that it doesn’t make sense to sing for your friends.”
While studying jazz and contemporary music at The New School, Ellis-Ferris also liked to branch out and study genres like classical Indian and Brazilian Forró.
“En route home from two months studying music in India, I decided to take opera more seriously and commit myself to it in a real way,” he adds.
As for Maury, she had no relationship to opera prior to joining her brother in this endeavor.
“It’s funny because now I’ve read so many books about entrepreneurs who just threw themselves into something and hoped to figure it out,” she says. “I think my distance from the opera world made me question everything and figure out what was the status quo or absolutely necessary.”
Ellis-Ferris underscores the unapproachability of the “opera-industrial complex” as part of the motivation for LoftOpera. “Actors can do Shakespeare anywhere, and I think it can be the same with opera.”
A recent open audition garnered almost 400 applicants, “and we were able to see 40,” he says. This does not sit well with Maury and Ellis-Ferris, who want LoftOpera to be experienced as approachable. But it’s testament to the growing interest and reputation of LoftOpera, now in its third year.
The pair sees themselves at the forefront of a grassroots movement. The hope is that others will pick up on this idea in cities all over the country. LoftOpera is eyeing places such as Detroit and New Orleans for future expansion.
Maury’s advice for those looking to form an opera company is simple and direct: “Do what it takes.”
This means Maury selling tickets and tending bar, and Ellis-Ferris repairing costumes at the last minute before curtain.
They have also learned much from their mistakes, notably when a surprise inspection on opening night of La Bohème led to a $500 fine over an exit sign. To avoid this for future productions, Ellis-Ferris had to take a course to become certified as a New York City fireguard.
When the company first formed, Maury and Ellis-Ferris discussed Tosca as their dream production, but ruled it out as too large and ambitious. “We thought we’d need to wait at least three years,” Ellis-Ferris recalls.
Now three years later, Tosca is part of their 2016 season.
Photo credit: Emanuel Hahn