Why is opera so expensive?

[Jack Hamilton]

A friend asked me a question that I don't have a good answer to: Why is
an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers, actors,
dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets. Is there some
single element that is more expensive for opera, or is it that the fixed
costs (primarily rehearsals and sets) are spread across fewer
performances, or is it something else?



==
Jack Hamilton
***@acm.org

==
In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted comfort and security.
And in the end, they lost it all - freedom, comfort and security.
Edward Gibbons

[OmbraRecds]

Post by Jack Hamilton
Why is
an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers, actors,
dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets.

How do you know an opera is more expensive? Broadway is a very expensive
ticked, as are touring productions. I don't think I pay any more for an evening
of opera than for a musical. Where are the actual figures on this?

PCB

[EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)]

Post by OmbraRecds

Post by Jack Hamilton
Why is
an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers, actors,
dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets.

How do you know an opera is more expensive? Broadway is a very expensive
ticked, as are touring productions. I don't think I pay any more for an evening
of opera than for a musical. Where are the actual figures on this?

You're right! I made my initial reply before I thought about actual
ticket prices, but I don't think musicals (or even just "rock" concerts)
are any less expensive than opera - often au contraire.

[Jack Hamilton]

Post by OmbraRecds

Post by Jack Hamilton
Why is
an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers, actors,
dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets.

How do you know an opera is more expensive? Broadway is a very expensive
ticked, as are touring productions. I don't think I pay any more for an evening
of opera than for a musical. Where are the actual figures on this?

I'm speaking only from my own experience. The Barber of Seville last
fall cost $90 for a second balcony ticket. Dreamgirls tonight cost $54
for an orchestra ticket. Seating capacity of the opera house is 3,176;
seating capacity of the Community Theatre is 2,452.

Not from my experience, but from the web: tickets to The Lion King at
the Orpheum, a few blocks from the SF War Memorial Opera, are $42 for a
balcony ticket; orchestra seats are $82, with something called "VIP" at
$160 (but box seats at the opera are $195 for La Boheme).

So yes, it appears that opera tickets are more expensive than similar
tickets to musicals.



==
Jack Hamilton
***@acm.org

==
In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted comfort and security.
And in the end, they lost it all - freedom, comfort and security.
Edward Gibbons

[Rubberbandgirl]

Not opera, exactly, but I'm paying $155 to see Bryn Terfel in recital in a
few days...

Hope he's worth it. I'm sure he will be!

Rubberband Girl

Post by Jack Hamilton

Post by OmbraRecds

Post by Jack Hamilton
Why is
an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers, actors,
dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets.

How do you know an opera is more expensive? Broadway is a very expensive
ticked, as are touring productions. I don't think I pay any more for an evening
of opera than for a musical. Where are the actual figures on this?

I'm speaking only from my own experience. The Barber of Seville last
fall cost $90 for a second balcony ticket. Dreamgirls tonight cost $54
for an orchestra ticket. Seating capacity of the opera house is 3,176;
seating capacity of the Community Theatre is 2,452.
Not from my experience, but from the web: tickets to The Lion King at
the Orpheum, a few blocks from the SF War Memorial Opera, are $42 for a
balcony ticket; orchestra seats are $82, with something called "VIP" at
$160 (but box seats at the opera are $195 for La Boheme).
So yes, it appears that opera tickets are more expensive than similar
tickets to musicals.
==
Jack Hamilton
==
In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted comfort and security.
And in the end, they lost it all - freedom, comfort and security.
Edward Gibbons

[Leonard Tillman]

Post by Rubberbandgirl
Not opera, exactly, but I'm paying $155 to see
Bryn Terfel in recital in a few days...
Hope he's worth it. I'm sure he will be!

It's a foregone conclusion. Terfel is one of the finest
bass-baritones, and not only of this era. In concerts, his mastery in
"Crossover" selections is, itself, of the highest level.

Post by Rubberbandgirl
Rubberband Girl

Best,

Leonard Tillman
"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense."
-- Tom Clancy

[Rubberbandgirl]

Post by Leonard Tillman

Post by Rubberbandgirl
Not opera, exactly, but I'm paying $155 to see
Bryn Terfel in recital in a few days...
Hope he's worth it. I'm sure he will be!

It's a foregone conclusion. Terfel is one of the finest
bass-baritones, and not only of this era. In concerts, his mastery in
"Crossover" selections is, itself, of the highest level.

Post by Rubberbandgirl
Rubberband Girl

Best,
Leonard Tillman
"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense."
-- Tom Clancy

Thanks, Leonard!

I'm looking forward to it, a huge amount. Not only because it's Bryn Terfel,
but because he's singing the Vaughan Willams "Songs of Travel" which is just
about my favourite song cycle. I've played the songs for many a baritone in
my acquaintance and one day intend to do a Barbara Bonney (with
Dichterliebe) and sing them myself.

Rubberband Girl

[Mike Richter]

Post by Jack Hamilton
A friend asked me a question that I don't have a good answer to: Why
is an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers,
actors, dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets. Is
there some single element that is more expensive for opera, or is it
that the fixed costs (primarily rehearsals and sets) are spread
across fewer performances, or is it something else?

To the extent that your assumption is correct - and I join OmbraRecds in
questioning it - opera is more expensive because each production
requires a great deal of initial cost for relatively few performances.
That's why productions are shared and are reused in several seasons. Of
course, that does not cover costs of rehearsal and all the rest of the
preparation needed for moving the production to a new venue or even
reviving it after a hiatus.

Mike

[Parterrebox]

opera is more expensive because each production requires a great deal of

initial cost for relatively few performances

Opera is also far more labor-intensive. A large-scale Broadway musical may have
20-something musicians in the pit, and here we are talking about revivals of
the big R&H shows. Most Broadway shows have orchestra personnel numbering in
the teens, and some of the newer rock-oriented musicals offer a half-dozen or
fewer. The ensemble in a Broadway show may number nearly 30, and again, that's
a big show. Many shows have casts of 15 or 18, and some even are smaller.

In contrast, an opera averages an orchestra of 60 - 80 pieces, a lot more on
Wagner and Strauss nights, plus a full-time chorus of 40 or 50 in addition to
the principal artists.
=============

parterre box
www.parterre.com

[Michael Volpe]

Indeed it is expensive for all of those reasons (although permanently
contracted chorus could be sorted another way).
But here are a few others

- Extremely high fees for less than exceptional performers
- Gross mismanagment
- too much artistic masturbation by those of moderate talent
- far too many staff
- far too much time taken to achieve anything
- extraordinarily restrictive practice amongst certain workers
and sundry other nonsense

Post by Mike Richter

opera is more expensive because each production requires a great deal of

initial cost for relatively few performances
Opera is also far more labor-intensive. A large-scale Broadway musical may have
20-something musicians in the pit, and here we are talking about revivals of
the big R&H shows. Most Broadway shows have orchestra personnel numbering in
the teens, and some of the newer rock-oriented musicals offer a half-dozen or
fewer. The ensemble in a Broadway show may number nearly 30, and again, that's
a big show. Many shows have casts of 15 or 18, and some even are smaller.
In contrast, an opera averages an orchestra of 60 - 80 pieces, a lot more on
Wagner and Strauss nights, plus a full-time chorus of 40 or 50 in addition to
the principal artists.
=============
parterre box
www.parterre.com

[a***@alaska.net]

I thought this Mr Volpe had some experience in opera production (no, I
wasnät mistaking him for his much maligned cousin Joe)but the
following leads me to believe he hasnät.

As one who has served on the board of a regional company for a dozen
years, as an officer for most of them, and on the finance committee
for almost all - it ain#t that simple. Extremely high fees? Maybe at
the the Met, for the leads - but ten grand a performance is pretty
near the upper limit for most regional companies - which might work
out thirty-forty grand a month for the one or two months involved.
But nobody works at the rate throughout the year The smaller
companies pay fees that are close to laughable - almost singers could
make more money working as paralegals in New York City
Gross mismanagement: easy to say, but generally said only by those
with no experience Those who have had experience are much much slower
to use those terms
Far too many staff: same comment
Far too much time etc etc - spoken like somebody who HASN'T been there
"Michael Volpe" wrote
Restrictive union work rules - yeah, sometimes - but a very very small
part of the problem
For everybody else reading this: reread what Jordan said. Nothing
like being there, doing that, to clear up one's thinking on the
subject

Indeed [oper] is expensive for all of those reasons (although permanently
contracted chorus could be sorted another way).
But here are a few others
- Extremely high fees for less than exceptional performers
- Gross mismanagment
- too much artistic masturbation by those of moderate talent
- far too many staff
- far too much time taken to achieve anything
- extraordinarily restrictive practice amongst certain workers
and sundry other nonsense

Post by Mike Richter

opera is more expensive because each production requires a great deal of

initial cost for relatively few performances
Opera is also far more labor-intensive. A large-scale Broadway musical may

have

Post by Mike Richter
20-something musicians in the pit, and here we are talking about revivals

of

Post by Mike Richter
the big R&H shows. Most Broadway shows have orchestra personnel numbering

in

Post by Mike Richter
the teens, and some of the newer rock-oriented musicals offer a half-dozen

or

Post by Mike Richter
fewer. The ensemble in a Broadway show may number nearly 30, and again,

that's

Post by Mike Richter
a big show. Many shows have casts of 15 or 18, and some even are smaller.
In contrast, an opera averages an orchestra of 60 - 80 pieces, a lot more

on

Post by Mike Richter
Wagner and Strauss nights, plus a full-time chorus of 40 or 50 in addition

to

Post by Mike Richter
the principal artists.
=============
parterre box
www.parterre.com

[Mark D Lew]

Post by a***@alaska.net
I thought this Mr Volpe had some experience in opera production (no, I
wasnät mistaking him for his much maligned cousin Joe)but the
following leads me to believe he hasnät.
As one who has served on the board of a regional company for a dozen
years, as an officer for most of them, and on the finance committee
for almost all - it ain#t that simple.

Perhaps things are different in Britain, where Mr Volpe works.

I assumed he was exaggerating as a vent for his frustrations, but it
seems quite possible that the matters of too much staff, uncooperative
workers, mismanagement, etc, are not the same as they are here in
America. Particularly if his company is state-run.

mdl

[Jack Hamilton]

Post by a***@alaska.net
As one who has served on the board of a regional company for a dozen
years, as an officer for most of them, and on the finance committee
for almost all - it ain#t that simple. Extremely high fees? Maybe at
the the Met, for the leads - but ten grand a performance is pretty
near the upper limit for most regional companies - which might work
out thirty-forty grand a month for the one or two months involved.

$10,000 per performance is a fairly high fee. How many regional actors
in musical theatre would earn that much?

Or did you mean $10,000 total for all performers in a show?



==
Jack Hamilton
***@acm.org

==
In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted comfort and security.
And in the end, they lost it all - freedom, comfort and security.
Edward Gibbons

[a***@alaska.net]

Post by Jack Hamilton
$10,000 per performance is a fairly high fee. How many regional actors
in musical theatre would earn that much?
Or did you mean $10,000 total for all performers in a show?

I assume that you meant "opera" when you wrote "musical theatre"

The $10,000 per performance figure talks about well known singers,
with a history of leading roles at the Met or LOC and/or major
internation venues e.g Opera National de Paris, Weiner Staatsoper, etc

In the smallest regional companies the bill for one performance, for
all the singers, won't approach $10,000 It is all a matter of supply
and demand, with the demand effectively limited by the economics of
the business. You aren't going to pay $10,000 a performance, or even
half that, unless it pays you, in a business sense, to do so. If your
venue and audience demand singers that, by their relative scarcity,
can demand the larger fees - you pay them when you must, and try to
engage singers on the way up whom have not yet been "discovered"

[OndineUno]

Opera may well be expensive but has anyone recently gotten a plumber to do some
work? Take your heart medicine before the bill arives! o¿o

[donpaolo]

...or, taken a pet to the Vet? These people charge what MDs charge!!!

DonP.

Post by OndineUno
Opera may well be expensive but has anyone recently gotten a plumber to do some
work? Take your heart medicine before the bill arives! o¿o

[Jack Hamilton]

Post by donpaolo
...or, taken a pet to the Vet? These people charge what MDs charge!!!

They go to school as long, and office space doesn't cost any less.



==
Jack Hamilton
***@acm.org

==
In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted comfort and security.
And in the end, they lost it all - freedom, comfort and security.
Edward Gibbons

[Mark D Lew]

Post by donpaolo
...or, taken a pet to the Vet? These people charge what MDs charge!!!

Not surprising, now that so many people treat their pets as if they're
equal to human family members (and in some cases better).

I'm not that old, but I remember a time when, if the dog had a serious
medical condition that was just a big bummer and the dog would die.
Now they take them in for all sorts of complicated surgeries.

If you want to pretend your pet is your kid, fine, but don't be
surprised when it costs just as much.

mdl

[REG]

Perhaps we could do a restaging of Rigoletto where the baritone confuses
Gilda with a pet Alsatian and...

Post by Mark D Lew

Post by donpaolo
...or, taken a pet to the Vet? These people charge what MDs charge!!!

Not surprising, now that so many people treat their pets as if they're
equal to human family members (and in some cases better).
I'm not that old, but I remember a time when, if the dog had a serious
medical condition that was just a big bummer and the dog would die.
Now they take them in for all sorts of complicated surgeries.
If you want to pretend your pet is your kid, fine, but don't be
surprised when it costs just as much.
mdl

[EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)]

Post by donpaolo
...or, taken a pet to the Vet? These people charge what MDs charge!!!

Not really, it only SEEMS that way, because even if you have "medical
insurance" for your pets, the premiums cost almost as much as the vet
bills (especially if your pet is older) and don't really give you that
much in the way of benefits.

Post by donpaolo
DonP.

Post by OndineUno
Opera may well be expensive but has anyone recently gotten a plumber to do

some

Post by OndineUno
work? Take your heart medicine before the bill arives! o¿o

[EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)]

Post by Jack Hamilton
A friend asked me a question that I don't have a good answer to: Why is
an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers, actors,
dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets. Is there some
single element that is more expensive for opera, or is it that the fixed
costs (primarily rehearsals and sets) are spread across fewer
performances, or is it something else?

I think an opera orchestra is generally larger, isn't it? The costumes
are most likely more expensive to design and construct (if it's not
translated into modern dress, you can't just go out and buy the men's
suits from Armani), and props (like period swords, etc.) are not readily
available but must be made to order. Also, as you say, there are fewer
performances - not all with the same cast, nor running consecutively for
however long the "run" can be sustained. (Thus in opera you have the
cost of "striking" the sets after each performance and setting them up
again for the next, and stage hands are skilled professionals, not day
laborers, so they don't work cheap!) I'm sure shows like "Cats" cost as
much or more in the initial production, but those costs can be recouped
when the show runs for virtually years! (True, the singers and
orchestra must be paid by the performance, but playing to capacity
houses night after night brings in a lot more money from the box-office
than any opera can - at least in America.)

[The Old Bag]

T'aint necessarily so....

Some productions ARE expensive, in particular those with a mega-starry
cast. It's not uncommon for an opera house to up the price for a
Pagliacci (I'm talking about Covent Garden, at this point)if Domingo,
Gheorghiu and Ataneli are in town than when the "second" cast
(O'Neill, Foccile, Nucci) are appearing;
If you are in a position to "do your homework" on a theatre, you could
work out where to get the best seats for a reasonable price; in this
sense the internet has been a very useful reference guide; the online
seating plans and pricing lists DO help a great deal (well, they've
helped me, anyway).

Taking EVG's point about the size of orchestra, even though a musical
tends to have fewer orchestra members and choruses, the prices can
still be steep. In one sense, the costuming and sets for a musical
makes no difference in cost if the musical has a historica background
or setting. Again, like opera, it depends on who is in the cast. A
"Chicago" with three absolute top rate musical stars will have a
higher demand for tickets then those with an "up and coming" group of
singers.

Then, in Britain, there's football (soccer). An average second grade
match can cost about £25 to watch, often in the cold and wet, and
often a restricted view. In regional/local opera houses and theatres,
one can get virtually the best seat in the house for that price; and
you have the advantage of a reasonably friendly environment, and in
the warm, dry and comfort.

It is a matter of "shopping" around for the best bargain you can
get...

Gertie

[Valfer]

Thanks for a most interesting question. The makeup of production
costs in opera and musicals is very different, and the difference lies
in the issue of fixed vs. variable costs. Fixed costs, such as
directors and choreographers fees, publicity, costumes, sets, lighting
and props can, and often are, higher in a musical than an opera.
Variable costs, such as orchestra, music royalties, programs, fees for
singers, chorus, dancers, technicians, etc. tend to be higher in
opera. Thus, a production with a run of, say, 50 performances will
incur in the variable costs, plus 1/50 of the fixed costs per
performance. Ticket sales being a variable revenue, the show with the
lower variable costs done more times has the advantage. This makes it
possible for a musical to actually turn in a profit, while operas have
to be kept to a minimum of performances in order not to bankrupt the
company.

Here is an oversimplified example:
Where Fixed Costs (FC), Variable costs (VC), Variable Revenue (VR).
Variable revenue is ticket sales, assuming sellouts in an opera house
of 1,000 seats and a musical theater of 650 seats, ticket prices
averaged at $60 ea.

For 10 performances:
Musical: FC 1,000,000 + VC (30,000 *10)= 1,300,000 Costs
VR (39,000 * 10) = 390,000 Shortfall (910,000)

Opera: FC 700,000 + VC (100,000*10)= 1,700,000
VR (60,000 * 10) = 600,000 Shortfall (1,100,000)

For 125 performances:
Musical: FC 1,000,000 + VC (30,000 * 125) = 4,750,000
VR (39,000 * 125) = 4,875,000 Profit 125,000

Opera: FC 700,000 + VC (100,000 * 125) = 13,200,000
VR (60,000 * 125) = 7,500,000 Shortfall (5,700,000)

In this example, the musical turned a small profit while the shortfall
for the opera multiplied more than five-fold. This is why a run of
125 performances for an opera is unheard of, while 125 performances
for a musical is a rather short run.

Opera companies, mostly non-profits, make up their deficits with
fund-raising, their only source of fixed revenue. Musicals have
almost no fixed revenue, so the companies must borrow money to make
shortfalls. I disregarded these factors in this model.

These are the financial realities which killed operas such as Les
Huguenots, which requires seven leading singers, plus a 50-piece
orchestra and a large ballet and chorus. Musicals will seldom have an
orchestra bigger than 15, and the leads, choristers and dancers tend
to be fewer than in grand opera.

Valfer

Post by Jack Hamilton
A friend asked me a question that I don't have a good answer to: Why is
an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers, actors,
dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets. Is there some
single element that is more expensive for opera, or is it that the fixed
costs (primarily rehearsals and sets) are spread across fewer
performances, or is it something else?
==
Jack Hamilton
==
In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted comfort and security.
And in the end, they lost it all - freedom, comfort and security.
Edward Gibbons

[Jack Hamilton]

Post by Valfer
Thanks for a most interesting question. The makeup of production
costs in opera and musicals is very different, and the difference lies
in the issue of fixed vs. variable costs.

[...]

Thank you for the detailed expalanation. That sounds reasonable.

==
Jack Hamilton
***@acm.org

==
In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted comfort and security.
And in the end, they lost it all - freedom, comfort and security.
Edward Gibbons

[Harry Haller]

Opera is quite affordable if you live in, say, Germany as opposed to the
United States.

Post by Jack Hamilton
A friend asked me a question that I don't have a good answer to: Why is
an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers, actors,
dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets. Is there some
single element that is more expensive for opera, or is it that the fixed
costs (primarily rehearsals and sets) are spread across fewer
performances, or is it something else?
==
Jack Hamilton
==
In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted comfort and security.
And in the end, they lost it all - freedom, comfort and security.
Edward Gibbons

[Lis Froding]

Post by Harry Haller
Opera is quite affordable if you live in, say, Germany as opposed to the
United States.

It probably isn't any more affordable in total. It's just that
there may be more financial support coming from the
public sector than directly from the actual audience at the
time they purchase their tickets.

Lis

[a***@alaska.net]

Post by Harry Haller
Opera is quite affordable if you live in, say, Germany as opposed to the
United States.

It certainly is quite affordable if you live in the US, with US
earnings and/or accumulated wealth (I saw a truly memorable
performance of Orphee et Eurydice last night at the Bayerische
Staatsoper - as good a seat as there was in the house (from my taste,
anyway) for 98 euros - any major house in the US would be 50 percent
or more higher

BUT I used dollars to buy that ticket - not Euros accumulated despite
a tax system that hits people like me - and most of you - at an
effective rate of fifty percent or more

[Singer709]

Post by Jack Hamilton
A friend asked me a question that I don't have a good answer to: Why is
an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers, actors,
dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets. Is there some
single element that is more expensive for opera, or is it that the fixed
costs (primarily rehearsals and sets) are spread across fewer
performances, or is it something else?
==
Jack Hamilton
==
In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted comfort and security.
And in the end, they lost it all - freedom, comfort and security.
Edward Gibbons

I rarely see musicals but from what I see of ticket prices, they are
roughly equivalent to opera, assuming you compare venues equally,
premium pop or rock shows the same. Last year I paid $85 per ticket to
see the Rolling Stones. They sold about 80,000 tickets but they also
had a huge road show, 30+ tractor-trailer units and several hundred
grips and other paid positions.

My Houston Grand Opera tickets to Magic Flute next week cost $40+ but
they are balcony, too. I normally may pay about $70 for HGO box seats
in a middling spot.

In my personal experience with singing in a small venue opera, and
with a choral group, the orchestra is by far the most expensive item,
because they are paid union scale, and the normal small venue singers
are not.

For the type of small and 3rd tier opera I've sung in, chorus is paid
about $200 per production (not per performance) which would be for a
6-performance schedule. Small roles (comprimario) get $300-$500 per
production, small "real" roles about $800-$1200, and lead singers can
get several thousand per production (all based on 6 performances of
the opera). You'll never retire on that.

[Mark D Lew]

Post by Singer709
In my personal experience with singing in a small venue opera, and
with a choral group, the orchestra is by far the most expensive item,
because they are paid union scale, and the normal small venue singers
are not.
For the type of small and 3rd tier opera I've sung in, chorus is paid
about $200 per production (not per performance) which would be for a
6-performance schedule. Small roles (comprimario) get $300-$500 per
production, small "real" roles about $800-$1200, and lead singers can
get several thousand per production (all based on 6 performances of
the opera). You'll never retire on that.

My experience with the second- and third-tier companies, mostly in
California, is similar but not identical.

Most of your figures are a close match to the upper end of the scale
that I'm used to, with several respectable companies paying as low as
about half that.

More surprising to me is that your chorus is paid $200 per production.
Is that for each person? Wow. Most of the small companies I know
don't pay the chorus at all. Even the better ones usually can come up
with budget for a couple of ringers only. (However, I did hear just
recently that Opera San José is doubling its chorus and came up with
enough budget to attract decent singers.)

Another thing I've seen in California is that paying union scale to the
orchestra is not universal. Some do, but some don't. Often (but not
always) the lower pay is correlated to inferior performance. That's
actually not due to inferior players so much as less rehearsal.
Sometimes it's the same musicians playing, but if the show is for cheap
(or even for free) they don't prepare much and just throw it together
at the performance.

Even so, I concur that orchestra is typically the biggest cost for a
small company. Another large item for some is renting of the hall,
though that can vary widely depending on what kind of deal the company
has. The further out in the suburbs, the cheaper the rent, and the
more likely that the city government has a nice facility that they're
eager to fill with opera.

mdl

[Singer709]

Post by Mark D Lew

Post by Singer709
In my personal experience with singing in a small venue opera, and
with a choral group, the orchestra is by far the most expensive item,
because they are paid union scale, and the normal small venue singers
are not.
For the type of small and 3rd tier opera I've sung in, chorus is paid
about $200 per production (not per performance) which would be for a
6-performance schedule. Small roles (comprimario) get $300-$500 per
production, small "real" roles about $800-$1200, and lead singers can
get several thousand per production (all based on 6 performances of
the opera). You'll never retire on that.

My experience with the second- and third-tier companies, mostly in
California, is similar but not identical.
Most of your figures are a close match to the upper end of the scale
that I'm used to, with several respectable companies paying as low as
about half that.
More surprising to me is that your chorus is paid $200 per production.
Is that for each person? Wow. Most of the small companies I know
don't pay the chorus at all. Even the better ones usually can come up
with budget for a couple of ringers only. (However, I did hear just
recently that Opera San José is doubling its chorus and came up with
enough budget to attract decent singers.)
Another thing I've seen in California is that paying union scale to the
orchestra is not universal. Some do, but some don't. Often (but not
always) the lower pay is correlated to inferior performance. That's
actually not due to inferior players so much as less rehearsal.
Sometimes it's the same musicians playing, but if the show is for cheap
(or even for free) they don't prepare much and just throw it together
at the performance.
Even so, I concur that orchestra is typically the biggest cost for a
small company. Another large item for some is renting of the hall,
though that can vary widely depending on what kind of deal the company
has. The further out in the suburbs, the cheaper the rent, and the
more likely that the city government has a nice facility that they're
eager to fill with opera.
mdl

Yes the company I sing with pays its chorus. They originally paid $100
per production (6 performances) but that went to $200 for the more
experienced & better singers, and $150 for the remainder. The chorus
however is small, only 4 per voice, maybe 5 at most. And most of the
chorus also sing comprimario from time to time. The chorus for this
small theater opera group is pretty tight and they are all fairly good
voices and hard studies, hard workers. They aren't just cannon fodder
or somebody's nephew or wife or hubbie -- they are pretty professional
for a small venue. Makes for a nice group of folks.

[Mark D Lew]

Post by Jack Hamilton
A friend asked me a question that I don't have a good answer to: Why is
an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers, actors,
dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets. Is there some
single element that is more expensive for opera, or is it that the fixed
costs (primarily rehearsals and sets) are spread across fewer
performances, or is it something else?

I think the length of the run is the main factor here. This,
incidentally, is why I question a jocular claim on another thread that
if opera were more popular it would drive the ticket prices up.
Instead, I think it would make longer runs more feasible, so that any
individual ticket's share of the fixed cost for the whole production
would be smaller.

I join in questioning whether musical theater tickets really are
significantly less expensive than opera when comparing similar
productions. To a large extent, musical theater is more plentiful at
the lower end, so one is tempted to compare low-end MT with high-end
opera.

[ML/NJ]

Post by Jack Hamilton
A friend asked me a question that I don't have a good answer to: Why is
an opera more expensive than a musical? Both have singers, actors,
dancers, an orchestra, and (sometimes elaborate) sets. Is there some
single element that is more expensive for opera, or is it that the fixed
costs (primarily rehearsals and sets) are spread across fewer
performances, or is it something else?

My own introduction to opera came back in the days when "A Chorous
Line" was a big show on Broadway. Their set consisted of a few mirrors
and a strip of adhesive tape. The costumes were mostly sweat clothes,
and the sound system was terrible. A good orchestra ticket was around
twelve bucks.

I went to see/hear La Traviata at the old June Festival. The sets were
amazing: two grand ballroom scenes with costumes to match and more.
There were a zillion people singing on the stage and a zillion more
in the orchestra pit. The acoustics were amazing. (I was in the
Grand Tier.) A good orchestra ticket cost $18.50. I felt like the
Broadway folks had been stealing from me for all those times I
used to go.

And I forgot to mention the difference in talent, and the ballet. The
theater is =just= a bit nicer too.

ML/NJ