r/UpliftingNews • u/ArgentineBeauty • 2h ago
Mayor Mamdani Launches “Opera for All,” Bringing 70,000 Free Metropolitan Opera Tickets to New Yorkers
https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/09/mayor-mamdani-launches--opera-for-all---bringing-70-000-free-met393
u/churningaccount 2h ago edited 2h ago
The Met Opera has been significantly struggling for a while now.
Since COVID they’ve drawn down nearly half of their endowment, continue to have a significant budget shortfall despite layoffs, and their debt was downgraded to junk.
These tickets would’ve been unsold otherwise, and it doesn’t sound like the city is paying for them; instead they are just providing the lottery infrastructure.
Perhaps they are using this to try to drive demand or prices back up for the remaining tickets. It’s particularly telling that you won’t be eligible for the lottery if you’ve attended an opera since 2019; they don’t want to cannibalize the shrinking pool of their existing customers.
They’re going to be bankrupt by 2030 unless things turn around soon, so I imagine that they are just throwing everything at the wall at this point to see what sticks.
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u/chitowngirl12 1h ago
Well, that makes it even better in my mind. Mamdani and the Met came up with a scheme that will cost the city almost nothing.
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u/IHateTheColourblind 1h ago
I'll be visiting New York next month and wanted to see what ticket prices looked like for The Met were looking like.
I shit you not, there was nothing under $100/ticket that didn't have an obstructed view. Plenty of seats available at $300+/ticket.
Absolutely no shot in hell that I would pay that much for tickets, even if it would be a bucket list item.
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u/3BlindMice1 1h ago
That's bizarre, why are they charging so much when they're having attendance issues?
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u/twirling-upward 1h ago
Rule 1 of keeping your failing business failing: never reduce your price or accept any profit margin reduction, cause that could be permanent and you are just about to turn the entire thing around /s
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u/laowildin 1h ago
Selling thirty 700$ tickets: 21,000$
That's over 200 100$ seats. Meaning if you want to make 21,000$, you can either sell 30 expensive seats, or 200 cheap ones...
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u/ToolTimeT 1h ago
You think seeing the opera for 120 dollars in NYC is a lot?
LOL, I just paid 230 to fill up my truck with diesel.
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u/3BlindMice1 1h ago
That's fair, but a movie ticket is a whole lot less. That said, I did the math on it. They have 3777 seats, in 365 days, they need to sell the average seat for $240 just to break even, but that's assuming they have no other sources of revenue.
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u/ToolTimeT 1h ago
a movie ticket vs a live performance of singing with an entire orchestra playing? I mean the kids play center at McDonalds is free as far as I know.
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u/tenzindrolma 53m ago
Yes it’s insane to me that it’s ok to pay a lot for sports but not the Opera? Each Met performance includes hundreds of people including orchestra, singers, stage hands, supernumeraries, and the greatest singers in the world — it’s very costly! And it’s a unique and special experience!
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u/Zealousideal-Film982 1h ago
Wouldn’t you rather have those kids playing in the audience at the opera instead? Come on! Don’t you want people who think this is comparable to going to the movies to have free tickets that you paid for? No? /s
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u/kissingkiwis 59m ago
You don't have to pay singers, musicians and crew for every performance at a movie theatre.
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u/CompEng_101 43m ago
The economics of the MET are different from many other forms of entertainment. Ticket sales and touring proceeds only cover about 20-25% of the cost of running the opera. Most of it comes from endownments and donations. If they optimize ticket sales by reducing the cost they might fill some more seats, but it wouldn't substantially change their accounting. Eg: if they can drop ticket prices by 15% to go from 75% occupancy to 100%, their revenue is basically the same. And I doubt that a $255 ticket would bring in 33% more people than a $300.
Note: Ticket sales used to be a bit higher (pre-COVID it was ~30% of operating costs), but I don't know if it was ever dominant in the last 40 years.
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u/salty_sashimi 16m ago
Of course this is the dominant argument, but it is foolish. More audience means a larger potential donor pool. Discounts could be made steeper or broader instead of reducing the base ticket price. Maybe most importantly, discounts for poorer groups often draw donations such that they are self funding. The only real argument I see is that high prices support the luxury brand of the met
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u/CompEng_101 12m ago
I think this is why Gelb, the GM of the MET, has been pushing programs like rush tickets, Met Under 40, HD broadcasts in schools, free summer HD screenings, Access Opera, and digital streaming for the last 20 years. As well as the current lottery program which is basically giving away ~10% of the tickets for free.
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u/definitelyainoreally 12m ago
they should lower prices to increase attendance then sell booze
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u/CompEng_101 3m ago
They do, you can even pre-order booze for intermission: https://xpr.inseat.menu/?subId=metopera#/
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u/tenzindrolma 1h ago
They also $25 orchestra seats. They’re lottery style and most of the time you’ll get your seats.
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u/Beamed_Up_Scotty 57m ago
I hear it used to be much easier to win tickets via the lottery, but I’ve entered more than 50 times, and I think I’ve won on only three occasions.
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u/salomeless352 1h ago edited 1h ago
Were you looking on the Met’s website or a second party site? I go to 5-6 productions a year, I usually buy my tickets a week or so beforehand and I never spend more than $100, often well under that. The Met can be cheaper than a Broadway show!
Edited to add these are not obstructed view seats. The obstructed view seats are generally even cheaper than that. I suspect this is either a bad faith comment or you were getting scammed. I just looked at seats for Macbeth on 10/20 as a random example and there are loads of seats available for under $100.
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u/IHateTheColourblind 1h ago
That's from the Met's website. Thanks for the tip though, I'll definitely look in to that as an option
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u/salty_sashimi 9m ago
Note though that that is only in the nosebleeds of a massive house. All the decent seats are over 100
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u/canopus12 1h ago
If you're under 40, there's discounted tickets starting at $50. If you're a student there's even steeper discounts. There's also rush tickets you can buy the day of for $25.
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u/Dreddddddd 14m ago
I always tell people, movie theatres don't count ticket sales for patrons, they count drink sales cause they make so little on entrance tickets. That was true when I worked there 15 years ago and I reckon the same now.
This is smart because it fills seats, people buy concessions and maybe a percentage even come back again. It's a brilliant thing to do.
Lots of operas also do cheaper tickets for people under 40 for the same reason.
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u/bbman1214 1h ago
They will most likely get a massive donation from a rich billionaire to keep the doors open. The arts have always been patronized by the rich
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u/previouslyonimgur 2h ago
It really does seem like he’s doing things that are simultaneously great and also pissing off rich people.
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u/Replicator666 2h ago
Isn't that the same?
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u/previouslyonimgur 2h ago
Not necessarily.
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u/classic4life 2h ago
Fuck it I'll bite. What can you point to that would piss off rich people without helping anybody.
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u/carnoworky 2h ago
I guess you could take a dump on their lawns. Doesn't really help anyone, but they probably would not like that very much.
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u/Capitan_Scythe 2h ago
For people caught short in public areas without a nearby toilet, this would be quite helpful if you could just drop trow and lay a log.
What they happen to be doing inside the gated community in the first place is another question that's totally unrelated to the now steaming turd.
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u/amybrown1220 50m ago
Kids. They’re probably doing kids inside the gated community. I hate that I now live in a world where this comment isn’t 100% sarcasm.
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u/Esava 2h ago
Steal money from some rich people and give it to other rich people.
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u/R4ndyd4ndy 1h ago
But that's a zero sum of rich people happiness
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u/Esava 33m ago
Ah but that's not true. Neither of the rich people will actually feel having more or less money, but they absolutely despise having to share or even losing money. So the group who gets the money gets veeeeeery little additional satisfaction from it while the group who has the money taken away is foaming at the mouth from it even though it genuinely doesn't matter for them at all.
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u/R4ndyd4ndy 31m ago
I think you severely underestimate how happy rich people can be to get stolen money from someone else.
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u/RipVanWiinkle_ 27m ago
Easy, bureaucracy
being unimpressed by their possessions.
old money hate driving by a poverty stricken neighborhood, and entering a home is beneath them and will refuse even if it’s their family members home. They’re disgusted by it.
Wasting rare or luxury items or destroying a status symbol (like a fancy wine or designer bag)
Having a life outside of work
And they absolutely hate seeing cashiers or desk staff sitting, as if standing makes a difference in entering words on a keyboard
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u/HDThoreauaway 2h ago
Why would rich people hate this?
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u/previouslyonimgur 2h ago
Because the met opera is usually considered “high brow” and giving out free tickets is introducing elitest culture to those who aren’t in the exclusive 1% club.
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u/BasvanS 1h ago
I’ve been to many free open air operas (in Europe) and they’re great events that people of all backgrounds enjoy thoroughly.
The elitism perhaps comes from exposure, which is tied to cost, but is not intrinsic to the art. For instance, the people’s music in the Netherlands (volksmuziek) is based on opera, and belcanto in particular. Arguing that this music was high brow is a choice.
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u/HDThoreauaway 2h ago
Just like fans of many other art forms and attractions, people who love opera want more people to love opera. And a full house is a much better experience as an audience member than one that’s partially filled.
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u/previouslyonimgur 1h ago
I don’t disagree with that. But as someone who grew up with family who went to the opera and ballet, that’s not necessarily the view they’ll all take.
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u/StylisticArchaism 2h ago
Wait 'till they look like they "don't belong."
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u/salomeless352 1h ago
Have you ever been to the Met? The audience is not all wearing tuxes and ballgowns. As long as you’re not sitting in the $300 seats there’s a range of ages and races and gender expressions. I go regularly in jeans and a sweatshirt and no one has ever given me a second glance. And I’m willing to bet most first time attendees who win these tickets will put a lot more effort into their appearance than I do.
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u/HDThoreauaway 1h ago
You seem to be making up somebody to be mad at.
Mamdani isn’t a great mayor because he’s sticking it to rich people. You’ll notice these tickets aren’t means-tested, they’re just intended for first-time opera goers, rich or poor.
He’s great because he’s doing things that are good for all of New York and all New Yorkers.
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u/xopoc 1h ago
The Met opera tickets are not so expensive. Compare them with NY Knicks game tickets in MSG.
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u/previouslyonimgur 1h ago
They’re not. But people aren’t going to consider spending money on opera tickets to “try it out”
Especially a potentially low income family in NYC.But it’s a great experience and something that exposing people to for free. And then that introduction might create life long fans.
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u/clarinetJWD 1h ago
I'll be a little more generous here. I've spent my whole life going to events like these (Symphony mostly, but plenty of opera and a splash of ballet).
I also want the audiences to grow, and love the idea of bringing people to experience these amazing art forms that I love that otherwise wouldn't get the chance.
But there is also a lot of concert etiquette that exists in these spaces, and is mostly learned by watching the audiences and emulating what they do.
Most places do concerts specifically aimed at engaging new audiences, and as an ADHD person who can't help but focus on that person talking, or unwrapping their candy for 10 minutes, or pulling out their phone, I avoid these concerts because they are a bad experience for me.
To be clear: I love the program this post is about, and am absolutely in favor of bringing people into the fine arts. But I can also see where people who love these things already might be concerned.
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u/kissingkiwis 1h ago
I'm sorry, but as someone who attends theatre regularly, and also works in both theatre and opera, audience behaviour has been on a decline since covid, it has nothing to do with new people going to see live theatre.
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u/Consistent_Rent_3507 1h ago
Opera isn’t high brow. The days of dressing for opera are over. Most people wear casual street clothes, same as Broadway shows. Opera is an acquired taste and it’s not for everyone. I go maybe once a year if the tickets prices are good, but it’s not a form of entertainment I’m dying to see.
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u/CompEng_101 57m ago
Peter Gelb, who is the General Manager of the MET (effectively the Met’s chief executive) seems to be behind the program. He's been pushing for expanding the audience a lot with other programs like Met Under 40, HD broadcasts in schools, free summer HD screenings, digital streaming, and other audience-expansion programs. He is a former Sony executive and is paid about $1.3-$2.1M a year for the last 20 years as head of the MET. I'm not sure if that qualifies him as 'rich'.
Looking at the MET executive board, they seem to come from high-profile corporate executives, wealthy families, and major law firms. I would guess they are all pretty well off and they seem to have supported Gelb's attempts over the last couple of decades to bring more people into operas.
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u/FreddoMac5 5m ago
Guess what? The Met Opera loses money every year and relies on donations from rich people to stay open but that get's in the way of Reddit's hate boner for rich people
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u/AldoRainedrops 1h ago
I was a stand up comic. People paying 20 bucks to get in with 2 drink minimum respect the performers much more than the free to get in penny draft college night kids at the club. I'm no bootlicker but this has disaster written all over it.
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u/ReformedBaptistina 2h ago
Mamdani has done so much cool stuff so quickly it's almost hard to believe in today's world.
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u/Seinfeel 2h ago
It’s also shows just how much other politicians aren’t doing.
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u/nice_guy_threeve 2h ago
To try and give those assholes the benefit of the doubt I will say that it probably truly is easier to affect your city-size sphere-of-influence as mayor, than it is to effect broad change for the hysterically large United States of America as a congressman, but yeah those guys have done jack shit in ages, so fuck em.
Let's be honest though, the federal government is trying to do too much, and that's part of the reason for the deadlock. States need more power over most non-human-rights issues. Of course that's a blurry line too. Shit is hard.
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u/NotAddison 2h ago
There are thousands of Mayors dude. Literally zero of them have cities the size of NYC. If he can do it, then they aren't doing it because they don't want to.
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u/da2Pakaveli 1h ago
The NYC mayor also has more executive authority than say the LA mayor does. So depends on city how far they can take it.
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u/Air320 2h ago
Don't really agree with the states doing things better by themselves shtick.
Some do yes, but even apart from human rights, the scars of a civil war more than a century in the past haven't healed yet in a lot of states. That affects economic development measurably, so it's better to have it regulated at the federal level. Things like healthcare, housing, education and minimum wage at the minimum. Education in particular is deadly if left to the states, as the last two decades have shown.
Otherwise, the situation just ends up as a worse version of the EU.
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u/PatrenzoK 1h ago
I agree. If you let them Louisiana would literally bring back mainstream slavery like tomorrow lol
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u/MrPatienceX 1h ago
That would have been a much stronger argument back when ‘the federal level’ wasn’t a chimps tea party.
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u/boatbomber 2h ago
NYC is more populated than 38 of the 50 states. Just in case you thought NYC mayor was a small sphere.
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u/nice_guy_threeve 10m ago
It is small in that the issues in NYC are NYC issues. The issues in the USA are... manifold.
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u/Upstairs-Region-7177 2h ago
Bro my mayor is ignoring infrastructure after a major storm and is talking about bringing pandas to our zoo (we live in a climate that would be hard on them)
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u/_bufflehead 1h ago
The federal government is dicking around giving taxpayer money to shell companies to execute non-bid government contracts. The federal government is spending time strong-arming medical centers financially. The federal government is building a Triumphal Arch that will be a defense stronghold Transformer. The federal government is wasting its time allowing a bellicose and truculent little newscaster implement testosterone therapy.
tf?
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u/AnonAmbientLight 55m ago
I like to play this game where I check to see if what Mamdani has done is similar to what other Democrat mayors or politicians have done.
Most of the time, it’s the same.
The reason people don’t know that to be the case is that they do almost zero research and have no critical thinking skills.
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u/nankerjphelge 2h ago
Which only illustrates that with all the other useless politicians we've been used to, if they wanted to they would.
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u/chaiteataichi_ 2h ago
It’s one of the richest cities in the world, he should be able to!
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u/IamGeoMan 2h ago
Josh Johnson had a bit on this. He said he imagined Mamdani entered office and discovered this button that got things done whenever it was pressed. And Mamdani thought to himself, "why hasn't anyone just pressed the button?".
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u/Jackol4ntrn 2h ago
Everytime the mayor doesn’t press the button the money goes to their pocket and Isr*el instead.
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u/MATE_AS_IN_SHIPMATE 2h ago
He's like the anti-Trump.
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u/IHateTheColourblind 1h ago
Mamdani makes things better at the same speed Trump makes things worse.
It truly is the duality of man.
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u/BlackSwampMage 1h ago
I’m starting to think he’s done this before. Like he used to be the king of Spain or something.
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u/Competitive-Tea-6141 1h ago
Found this in another article:
A spokesperson for Mamdani's office told Fox News Digital the city is not paying for the program. The Metropolitan Opera is donating tickets from its pool of unsold seats, representing about 10% of its seasonal capacity, while the city will help promote and distribute them.
So the city gets the tickets for free and uses their already existing communications channels to promote them, and will pay to distribute them (but with a huge upside for promoting the arts in NYC and a huge upside for the Met Opera in making lifelong fans who are likely to return).
Seems like a win all around
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u/disc2slick 1h ago
Seriously, even if the city was buying the tickets i'd have been OK with it. Subsidizing the arts and encouraging a new generation of viewers is a win/win
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u/JTP1228 43m ago
Dont worry, someone from Texas or Oklahoma will inform us on how this is destroying NYC and the country.
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u/MtnDewTangClan 19m ago
These libtards are worried about the sissy plays while my gas is 7 a gallon for the coal roller!?!
/s but honestly it's not sarcasm this exact quote will be said south of the union line.
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u/gimmiesnacks 49m ago
Doing this on the same day that Trump announced kids can’t get loans for degrees in the arts anymore is frying me
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u/MagnusBrickson 2h ago
This is really gonna piss off rural Mississippi folks who wouldn't ever consider going to the opera anyway.
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u/KDY_ISD 2h ago
I'm rural Mississippi folks, vote blue and have been to the Metropolitan Opera myself. My farmer grandfather loved listening to opera on vinyl records.
We rightly and often give some Republicans shit for stereotyping people in order to feel superior to people who are different from them, let's try not to do it ourselves
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u/MagnusBrickson 2h ago
*Your average Fox News viewer.
Better captures the stereotype I'm going for this way.
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u/KDY_ISD 2h ago
Watching Fox is a choice people make and not a way they were born, so that's an improvement.
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u/chadius333 27m ago
A lot of people’s politics come from their parents. So, in a way, some of them were kinda born that way.
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u/Competitive-Tea-6141 1h ago
They try to characterize it as a waste of money even though the tickets are being donated by the Met Opera and it's supporting a large employer in the city (with big knock-on effects like those people getting free tickets buying a new outfit or going out for a special dinner, etc.)
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u/OscarCobblepot 1h ago
I'm also originally from Mississippi and love opera. But I'm also a dirty commie pinko lol
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u/daaaaaaBULLS 1h ago
No you aren’t and you know it. You’re a single person living in rural Mississippi. A state that hasn’t voted for a democratic president in 50 years. That’s rural Mississippi folks.
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u/Smallwhitedog 2h ago
You should have seen the rage on the Calassical FM instagram account. I'm very confident not a one of them were New Yorkers, listen to opera, or listen to Classical FM. I'm not convinced they were Americans or real humans, for that matter.
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u/crouscruz 2h ago
It is sad that a politician actually doing positive things for the whole community, and not just the biggest donors, is shocking to us
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u/spectrumhead 2h ago
I was at a Jazz at Lincoln Center show last night that was part of there pay-what-you-wish program. I’m so glad that there are people sponsoring arts for everyone and recognizing that it benefits us all to do so.
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u/durangojim 2h ago
Did the MET donate the tickets or is the city gov't paying for them, or something else like a tax break?
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u/Mist_Rising 57m ago
The Met donated them, Mamdami is just getting the credit in the title because news media love those titles. They will give him credit for shit he did not even do. Of course, in fairness, they also blame him for shit he did not do.
...gotta love the news.
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u/cosgrove10 2h ago
Some dude from Bumfuck Alabama who has never left his town of 400 people is gonna be furious at this.
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u/Adventurous_Ad7442 2h ago
Please try to find a different internet talking point. This is posted ALL of the time.
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u/MessiahPrinny 1h ago
It really feels like watching everyone get a puppy while I'm over here in diarrhea forever land.
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u/KindToSpiteTheCruel 49m ago
Insanely jealous but also sooooo excited for everyone who gets to enjoy this.
Fuck. It’s so refreshing to see someone in power via the people actually do shit for them. A real civil servant.
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u/Ghuarran 2h ago
Are the tickets funded by something/someone/taxes? Or are they set aside by the opera for this purpose, with no funding attached?
I scanned the article but didn't see the answer.
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u/Competitive-Tea-6141 1h ago
From another article:
A spokesperson for Mamdani's office told Fox News Digital the city is not paying for the program. The Metropolitan Opera is donating tickets from its pool of unsold seats, representing about 10% of its seasonal capacity, while the city will help promote and distribute them.
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u/CompetitiveAutorun 1h ago
Wait, so what's mayor role in this? Just promotion and running lottery?
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u/Competitive-Tea-6141 1h ago
Yes. The City has a much larger communications base than the Met Opera, and the infrastructure to.rum a large scale lottery (and have now run quite a few for tickets to other events like the world cup). It's a low effort, big return initiative for the Mayor which is why this partnership makes a lot of sense.
And the Met Opera gets a significant amount of advertising and goodwill at a time they are launching a massive fundraising drive, and will hopefully build lifelong fans that will someday return.
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u/Ancient-Commercial75 2h ago
I do not like listening to opera. My grandmother somewhat tried to force it on me. I would however LOVE to see an opera at least once.
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u/SquilliamFancySon95 1h ago
You should go, they make it very accessible these days. Some operas will bring in the audience in advance to lay out the story and they have translation running overhead during the performance so people can understand.
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u/NeitherEntry6125 15m ago
I felt same, went to the met opera two years ago. The stage sets and experience was stunning. Highly recommend adding it as a bucket list item
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u/lLikeCats 2h ago
I can confidently say that Mamdani is underpaid. I don’t think I’ve ever had that opinion of any other politician.
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u/GoProOnAYoYo 2h ago
City council voted to increase city officials' salaries, and Mamdani refused to accept his pay hike. What a champ
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u/djinnisequoia 1h ago
I remember being a little girl with no exposure to the fine arts, being taken on a school field trip to see The Nutcracker Suite. It had so much impact on me, especially the score.
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u/Technical_Ad_4894 1h ago
Do they have mayoral term limits in NY? If so once he’s done there he needs to be mayor of Chicago next. Just as many cities as possible.
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u/EdgarVerona 29m ago
Oh shit, and Lisette Oropesa is coming to the Met in December. Some lucky people are in for a once in a lifetime treat.
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u/gloomdweller 2h ago
It's crazy he does things that benefit the people of the city he is mayor of. instead of just taking bribes and speaking out for Israel.
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u/AccomplishedPhone6 2h ago
Timothee Chalamet just fell to his knees somewhere
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u/abicusroad 2h ago
the way i see it, the tickets being available to give away kind of proves his point, doesn’t it? he was not making a value judgement on ballet or opera at all. the conversation was about the state of cinema and his comment was referring to the struggle those art forms have had reaching a wide audience. he was just saying that he didn’t want movie-going to become niche, too.
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u/bendstraw 1h ago
Yes, to get a wider audience to go to the opera to keep it alive.
And as a friend of someone who directs operas, unfortunately a lot do have a ton of empty seats :/
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u/Mister_Uncredible 2h ago
This is fantastic, but it definitely serves as a reminder of how good I/we have it in St. Louis, MO. We have the largest outdoor theatre in North America, The Muny, it seats 11,000 and 1,500 seats, the last 9 rows, are completely free.
They put on world class theatre productions every season (some local cast, but a good chunk comes from NYC, Chicago and LA) and it's accessible to all.
Same with most of our cultural institution (Zoo, Art Museum, History Museum, Arch museum, etc.), they're world class and mostly free.
I'm glad NYC is getting a taste of how it should be.
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u/Mynock33 59m ago
As much as I despise the rich and would never be able to go myself, handing these out is going to turn the place into a movie theater with morons talking and on their phones and acting like they're in their living rooms.
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u/Vendidurt 2h ago
Some dude living in Cowpoke, Oklahoma is furious that The Poors get to enjoy opera.
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u/Not-original 2h ago
Not trying to be a jerk here or anything, but is there a source for the funding of these complimentary tickets?
Did a donor step up and fund them, or is this coming from the city?
I’m a former arts administrator, our budget/income came from ticket sales and donations. If you’re gonna give away tickets, then you need an increase in donations or grants to survive.
The article doesn’t mention who is underwriting this initiative, so I’m wondering if anyone else has details.
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u/TedIsAwesom 2h ago
They were unused either way snd going to waste. The only tax payer cost in organizing the lottery for them. That’s what I heard.
Also hopefully to bring in more customers for the next year.
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u/czechereds 1h ago
How are tickets for future shows considered unused?
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u/Competitive-Tea-6141 1h ago
The Met is taking a risk that those tickets would have gone unsold based on past data. They are hoping that it will encourage donors to give, and that at least some of those getting free tickets will enjoy it so much that they come back in the future
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u/TedIsAwesom 1h ago
Based on estimates related to previous sales. They have been struggling since Covid and are trying stuff or else will be out of business in a few years (or something like that from the article I read)
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u/jgrumiaux 54m ago
Historically, giving away free tickets rarely translates to future ticket buyers.
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u/Knighth77 28m ago
What is this? Art and culture for the common man? What socialist hell is this?!
/s just in case
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u/Galencourt-Lover 1m ago
LOL let’s see the movie theater crowd also ruin opera for civilized folks now
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u/DaemonDrayke 2h ago
The arts should never be relegated to just the elite. The arts are for everyone.
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u/thoughtcrimeo 1h ago
No one is preventing you from buying a ticket to the opera.
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u/Salty-Spring7096 28m ago
Finances sure are. Do you know what opera tickets cost?
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u/NeitherEntry6125 16m ago
You know these tickets are very expensive. I went to the Met Opera two years ago. Not my thing, but it was very impressive.... stunning, even.
And not cheap.
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u/TheBSQ 1h ago
The people who create that art deserve a living & so you need revenue streams to pay for it.
State & city govts have to balance budgets & can’t run debts indefinitely by a country can, so if you want to do it entirely via govt funding, you also must justify why the govt uses funds for that over all other possible uses of funds.
The compromise has generally been for the arts to get some public support & to otherwise survive off revenues & donations.
If there’s empty seats, by all means, give some away to lower income folks,
But otherwise, you’ll need people to pay. It sucks that not everyone has money for stuff like it, but there’s also a legit concern with interest. A lot of the “fine arts” be it opera, ballet, etc. are struggling to find an interested audience. The reality is the vast majority of the public would prefer a concert w/ a popular musical act, a sporting event, or whatever else they enjoy.
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u/dangerous_service 1h ago
This is pretty cool, but people pretending as if no mayor has ever done something like this. De Blasio admin, for example, introduced IDNYC which arguably had a much larger impact for NYC residents.
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