Once in Lifetime Chance: Singing in an 800 Year Old Italian Opera House
Nearly a Millenia Years Old Yet This Italian Opera House Keeps It's Charm!
Italian Opera Houses litter the landscape in Italy. Yet THIS one in Ripatransone, Italy is remarkable.
(Video of Inside of the Opera House)
Remember from the first blog post about how I was recruited to sing in college? --It's an amazing story so go back to the first one and check it out, please.
We went on tour singing in Italy, and the town where we were staying in a old, medieval town with a wall surrounding the town, etc, etc...it's literally approx 800+ years old. INSIDE this town, they have a theater which has stood the test of time. One day on the performing schedule, we were to perform in this opera house.
So that's the HOW I wound up actually inside, performing.
First, the actual seating itself is crazy. MOST of the theaters in America...the seating lowers from the back of the room on a forward slant towards the stage. This is for the acoustics as sound "rolls" upward and over the people towards the back of the room....this is so everybody can hear.
The ITALIAN theater was built/designed the opposite way: the STAGE is slanted (this is actually where we get the "foreground" vs the "back ground") at a steep angle and the seating around is completely flat. It's actually really crazy to experience this for the first time if you are used to the flat stage version.
Honestly, I think the Italian theater had the best acoustics. The back of the auditorium was also rounded instead of flat/squared which allowed the sound to bounce off the walls and bounce around the room---which is great for the audience!
If you are planning a trip to Italy, at least try to stop in and see an opera house or local theater. About 90% of the time it free admission! "Free Admission" is something Italy does in hopes to increase local pride but also to increase the experience of Italian culture through the arts and theater.
For more information about some really great places check out Rick Steve's Travel Guides over tourist places in Italy...you will love it!
Direct Link to Amazon for Rick Steves' Book:
Thanks for staying with the blog and please check us out on the next blog post!
Italian Opera Houses litter the landscape in Italy. Yet THIS one in Ripatransone, Italy is remarkable.
(Video of Inside of the Opera House)
1. How I got to Sing.
Remember from the first blog post about how I was recruited to sing in college? --It's an amazing story so go back to the first one and check it out, please.
We went on tour singing in Italy, and the town where we were staying in a old, medieval town with a wall surrounding the town, etc, etc...it's literally approx 800+ years old. INSIDE this town, they have a theater which has stood the test of time. One day on the performing schedule, we were to perform in this opera house.
So that's the HOW I wound up actually inside, performing.
2. About The Actual Theater.
First, the actual seating itself is crazy. MOST of the theaters in America...the seating lowers from the back of the room on a forward slant towards the stage. This is for the acoustics as sound "rolls" upward and over the people towards the back of the room....this is so everybody can hear.
The ITALIAN theater was built/designed the opposite way: the STAGE is slanted (this is actually where we get the "foreground" vs the "back ground") at a steep angle and the seating around is completely flat. It's actually really crazy to experience this for the first time if you are used to the flat stage version.
Honestly, I think the Italian theater had the best acoustics. The back of the auditorium was also rounded instead of flat/squared which allowed the sound to bounce off the walls and bounce around the room---which is great for the audience!
3. The Curtain Falls.
If you are planning a trip to Italy, at least try to stop in and see an opera house or local theater. About 90% of the time it free admission! "Free Admission" is something Italy does in hopes to increase local pride but also to increase the experience of Italian culture through the arts and theater.
For more information about some really great places check out Rick Steve's Travel Guides over tourist places in Italy...you will love it!
Direct Link to Amazon for Rick Steves' Book:
Thanks for staying with the blog and please check us out on the next blog post!
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