About

Opera and Mediatization: 
An Investigation into Presence and Spectatorship   

My doctoral thesis investigates the impact and importance attached to ‘presence' (specifically considering the audience’s experience) in the reception of mediatized opera. I am currently examining how the concept of presence has been reconfigured (from the merging of the conventions and rituals of stage and screen) and how the process of mediatization generates a hybrid art form of film, television and opera. 

My particular interest lies with the notion of a ‘virtual’ or ‘mediatized’ spectator in cinema simulcasts, which brings into focus the dual audiences and multiple perspectives that need to be explored (spectators at the opera house and those who attend the cinema productions).

One of the primary questions I am posing is how audiences are to come to terms with the cultural, social and aesthetic practices associated with mediatized performance? The virtual audience experiences an event that combines loss and excess. The participation of the ‘virtual’ audience is made possible by mediation, yet an attempt is made to adapt presentational practices from opera house conventions, as though trying to promote a sense of inclusivity or to preserve a sense of tradition. Opera houses such as The Royal Opera House and The Metropolitan Opera maintain a strong presence on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook (and additionally accommodate spectators with pre-performance talks and experiments). Their constant interaction with fellow users substantiates their position as a platform for a global cultural experience.

 Furthermore, I am interested in investigating the manner in which sports broadcasts and opera simulcasts are being presented and represented to communicate with dual audiences (physically co-present and virtually present). The form that broadcasted sporting events take is not dissimilar to the Metropolitan Opera's Live in HD simulcasts, in fact it may be argued that The Met: Live in HD have developed their form of capturing and streaming their productions in real-time by adapting practices from televised sporting events and cinematic conventions (particularly considering the format, context, content, and aural management of their mass performance-events). By consulting material from performance studies, media theory, sports studies, and sociology (amongst others); I will question how both audiences of spectator-centred performance events are provided with a privileged insight, access, and additional layers of cultural and social context.