Regina Opera will present the opera “Cavalleria Rusticana” for 6 performances from March 2 to March 10, and 6 Performances of “Lucia di Lammermoor” in May 2024.
New interest unlocked: I’m now an opera-goer
On a chilly, sunny Sunday in November I took a quick train ride south to Sunset Park. I found myself outside of an unassuming catholic academy, Our Lady of the Perpetual Help, home of Brooklyn’s Regina Opera. I had never heard of this opera company before, and I was unsure of what my next few hours would be like. I stepped in line to check in and hand over my ticket information. Beyond the line of patrons, I could see peeks of a beautiful auditorium that didn’t seem to match the mundane façade I’d just stepped into.
As I funneled into the theater, the President of the Regina Opera, Fran Garber-Cohen, hosted a raffle on stage for vouchers to local restaurants like Johnny’s Pizza. “The BEST”, she called it. There are so many versions of New York to experience in this city, and this was one I hadn’t yet seen. The audience was filled with mostly seniors who I assumed had lived their lives around these blocks, with a sprinkling of younger folks here and there. I people watched as everyone filed into their seats, eavesdropped on complaints about the holidays, discussions of where to eat after the show, and witnessed many a patron shushed by quiet onlookers awaiting the start of the performance.
Then orchestra began to play.
My seat neighbors and I looked around at each other with wide eyes as the room quickly transformed from school-like raffle to the ominous moody scene that is Act I of Rigoletto – and that was just the string section. As the full 30-piece orchestra began to play, the lights dimmed, and a moody apprehension crept over the crowd. The curtains parted to reveal the grandeur of the stage and those sharing it.
The opera world is a small but international one. Many of the artists here come from acclaimed stages and programs around the world such as Julliard, the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, The Royal Opera House Muscat, and the Korea National Opera to name a few. Many take part in Regina Opera productions between shows overseas.
The entire production – orchestra, costumes, set design, lighting, cast, vocal performances – was Metropolitan Opera caliber but at the cost of $25 and in the intimacy of a small theater where there are no bad seats.
Regina Opera’s mission is to bring opera to new audiences and communities affordably. In doing so, they support an underserved community with art and commerce, and the craft lives on beyond its notably senior audiences. But these affordable tickets don’t come with any lack of effort or output.
The entire cast and crew is extremely dedicated to their craft and does the research to ensure each production is of a traditional, professional quality. The stage director, Sabrina Palladino, spoke to me about the research that goes into producing and directing an opera. History is one of her passions and she was excited to bring every detail to life in her directorial debut at the Regina Opera. She even included replicas of paintings that hung in the real Duke of Mantua’s palace in the set.
Passion, creativity, and excitement for her craft so genuinely spilled into our conversation as she told me about the joy it gives her to bring productions to life.
Opera has been a part of Palladino’s life from the beginning. She sang Cavalleria Rusticana each Easter morning with her mother, an opera that’s particularly close to her heart. “I’ve watched it, I’ve sung it, I’ve performed it – that opera is a part of me.” This spring, Palladino can add directing it to her resume, as well. You can see Cavalleria Rusticana at the Regina Opera in March 2024.
The Regina Opera will also be hosting performances of Lucia Di Lammermoor in May 2024, as well as some outdoor concert series to round out their 54th season. You can find free online recordings of their performances on YouTube, a platform they utilized to cope with the pandemic. Sadly, many of the relief funds doled out to small businesses didn’t apply to them as they are a non-profit. They took to the streets to share their craft and uploaded videos for those who couldn’t leave their homes.
They will also be hosting “date-night” performances on Fridays for their upcoming productions. If you’d like to get involved – be it volunteering, fundraising, or performing – reach out via their website.
Take advantage of this incredible, enriching, affordable resource in our community. I’ll see ya at Johnny’s Pizza after the show.
Bronwen Crowe
Bronwen Crowe is a writer and product manager from the gulf coast of Alabama. She calls Park Slope home now and enjoys feeling a part of the community for its small-town meets big city energy. She graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Civil Engineering, and now works at Effie, an international marketing awards organization. She loves bopping around the neighborhood, meeting new people, cooking with her friends, classes at Pure Barre, and Survivor marathons.