Creating for today to thrive tomorrow

For this week’s episode of Living Untitled, I sat down with Beth Morrison, the founder, president and creative producer of her namesake, Beth Morrison Projects, one of the foremost creators and producers of new opera theatre and music theatre. The organization is celebrated as having been an industry disruptor and is now a tastemaker at the forefront of musical and theatrical innovation by commissioning, developing, producing and touring the groundbreaking new works of a diverse group of living composers and their collaborators.

Music theatre–or more specifically musical theatre in my case–has always been a big part of my life. But opera was something I grew to appreciate in my early adulthood. I remember the very first time I attended the opera in NYC. Going to the? Met can be a memorable experience every time you go. Walking up the steps to the plaza in Lincoln Center, seeing the iconic arches of the opera house in front of you, the chandeliers reflecting light off all of the mirrored surfaces, the grand fountain in the center of the plaza. Once inside, the feeling of the plush carpet under your finest shoes as you ascend the staircases. And of course, the drama that unfolds before you for the next three hours, performed by some of the most accomplished voices in the world.?

Since then, I’ve attended an awful lot of opera–and I’ve been fortunate enough to do so in some pretty iconic places–from Berlin to Santa Fe, and of course, here at home in Los Angeles. But in my world, at my age, with my circle of friends, opera can at times feel pretty lonely. All of the legacy and tradition just doesn’t seem to appeal to their interests. Which always makes me wonder what the future looks like for an art form like opera–and so many other art forms in a similar position–if new audiences aren’t eagerly stepping through the door.?

Beth Morrison has been on a mission to ensure these art forms survive. And like any great visionary in their field, Beth’s approach isn’t to preserve what’s been done, it’s to transform it into something new that will resonate with the audiences of today and continue to build something entirely new for the audiences of tomorrow. For Beth, it all starts with asking the question, what’s relevant to people now?

This?doesn’t seem like a radical question by any standards in many industries today. If anything, most companies are always playing catch up in our modern consumer culture landscape. We love stuff–movies, TV, celebrity, fashion–everything that makes us feel like an insider, someone in the know. Beth recognizes this obsession and has figured out a formula for creating work that resonates with this mindset, highlighting the very best (or often very worst) in us to capture our attention and pull new audiences into the world of opera theatre.?

But where the real magic lies is in recognizing just how valuable this work is for the good of so many, supporting a community around the world while providing new pathways for others to join that community. By seeking new answers to that question around relevancy, Beth is actually keeping that legacy and tradition of an art form alive by breathing new life into it every day.?

Some things belong in the canon and should always be preserved as part of any strong commemorative, ritual, or cultural practice. But holding too tightly onto those things and not being willing to look ahead and explore how the rest of the world is changing around you can be a lot more damaging in the long run. Communities–and the works our communities create–thrive when we embrace the new while building on the best of the past.???

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