Suspended Disbelief: The tech advancements shaping new operatic productions

White Snake Project’s 2022 Cosmic Cowboy blended virtual reality and video projections. (photo: Kathy Wittman)

Article Published: 03 Oct 2024

Suspended Disbelief: The tech advancements shaping new operatic productions

By Jeremy Reynolds

There is an inherent tension between opera and certain kinds of technology. On the one hand, the opera field has long been an early adopter of innovative technology and stagecraft, from special effects machinery in the 1600s to the digital projections that have become so prevalent today. On the other hand, it is an art form with a strong and storied sense of tradition, and there is a reluctance in some corners to innovate purely for the sake of doing so.

This article was published in the Fall 2024 issue of Opera America Magazine.