全新的夏日體驗

小瓊：還記得全世界是如何不斷提醒我們需要適應新冠疫情大流行后的“新常態”嗎？前不久我第一次坐在“豆莢”里欣賞戶外歌劇，想和大家分享我的一些觀后感。

小薇：一段時間以來，戶外音樂會和表演一直是夏季的常態。在上海，上海交響樂團的“上海夏季音樂節”自2010年就開始在戶外舉行，時至今日仍然在公園里舉行一些演出，一直都很受歡迎。

小瓊：如今在美國，新冠肺炎病毒及其德爾塔變異毒株引發的疫情仍在肆虐，適應疫情下的“新常態”仍然至關重要。不久前，我參加了辛辛那提的夏季歌劇節（還記得我幾個月前描述的五月音樂節及五月節合唱團嗎？）。辛辛那提歌劇院非常有創意，將三部歌劇放在距離市中心不遠的山頂公園大草坪上。在連續三個晚上，我坐在一個保持社交距離的“豆莢”里，欣賞了《卡門》《托斯卡》和《塞維利亞理發師》！

小薇：我搜索了辛辛那提歌劇院的官方網站，上面提供了關于這些“豆莢”的信息：尺寸為3.3米×3.3米大小，在大草坪上用白色油漆標記為正方形，每個“豆莢”相隔2米。

小瓊：還有進一步的使用規定。每個“豆莢”最多可容納6人，但他們必須屬于同一組觀眾。這意味著陌生人不可以坐在你旁邊。此外，除瓶裝水外，不允許攜帶任何食物或飲料！

小薇：由于距離舞臺很遠，戶外歌劇演出需要擴音。我注意到辛辛那提歌劇院為此使用了兩個大屏幕，并聘用了一個完整的攝制組。要創造出令人滿意的觀眾體驗，必須具有專業知識并付出巨大的努力。

小瓊：與任何夏季音樂會一樣，我們需要一個完善的票務、人群控制和物流系統。所有的幕間休息都被取消了，甚至連音樂也被刪減了，所以這些作品的平均演出時長只有90分鐘。這確實是表演藝術“新常態”的一部分。

小薇：那么天氣因素呢？

小瓊：如果遇上下雨或雷暴天氣，演出必須停止。但我們很幸運。不過晚間空氣清冷，所以到晚上演出結束時，我總是需要一件薄夾克。

Joan： Remember how the whole world keeps reminding us that we need to adapt to the “new normal” after the pandemic？ I had my first outdoor operatic experience sitting in a pod， and I want to share some of my observations.

Valery： Outdoor concerts and performances have been the norm during summer for some time. Here in Shanghai， the Shanghai Symphony Orchestras “Music in the Summer Air” festival literally started outdoors in 2010， and even today still presents some performances in the parks. These have always been a big hit.

Joan： These days in America， with Covid-19 and its Delta variant still raging， adapting to the “new normal” remains crucial. Not long ago， I attended a summer Opera Festival in Cincinnati （remember the May Festival I described a few months ago， the choral festival in the same city？）. Cincinnati Opera was very inventive in putting together three operas on the Great Lawn of Summit Park， a space not far from the city center. In three consecutive evenings， I enjoyed Carmen， Tosca and The Barber of Seville sitting in a socially-distanced pod！

Valery： I searched Cincinnati Operas website and read about the pods： 3.3-by-3.3 meters in size， marked in white paint as squares on the Great Lawn， each 2 meters apart on all sides.

Joan： There were further guidelines. Each pod could hold a maximum of 6 people， but they must be part of the same group. That means no stranger can sit near you. Also， no food or drink is allowed， except for bottled water！

Valery： Outdoor opera performances need to be amplified， and with so much distance from the stage， I notice that Cincinnati Opera used two large screens and a full camera crew. It must take great effort and expertise to recreate satisfactory audience experience.

Joan： As with any summer concert， we need to have a system of ticketing， crowd control and logistics. Intermissions are all eliminated， and even the music is trimmed so each of these productions averages a running time of only 90 minutes. This is indeed all part of the “new normal” in the performing arts.

Valery： But what about the weather？

Joan： If rain， thunder or lightning comes， the performance has to stop. But we were lucky. The night air can be crisp though， so by the end of the evening I always need a light jacket.