The Lyric Opera of Chicago reported record ticket sales during the 2013-2014 season year, largely attributable to its production of The Sound of Music. While data on the 2014-2015 season has not be released, rave reviews of this spring’s production of Rodger and Hammerstein’s Carousel imply the trend may be similar.
Branching out into more diverse repertoire is undoubtedly one means through which the Lyric is trying to attract younger audiences. This and other efforts by the company were recognized in April, when the Lyric Opera of Chicago was officially named one of 26 national recipients of a shared $52 million grant from the Wallace Foundation’s Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative.
The initiative hopes to expand arts engagement within less participatory age, race, and profession demographics through broad experiments and changes in programming. The ultimate goal is not only to improve participation in the selected companies, but to gain new insights that are broadly applicable to the arts community as a whole.
Although how the Lyric will allocate these funds is yet unknown, the Wallace Foundation provides a sample project from Opera Theatre Saint Louis, another recipient. This company plans to increase cultural diversity by broadcasting performances and performing in places of worship. Following the Met’s successful broadcast initiatives (Live at the Met movie broadcasts, opening nights in Lincoln Center plaza, and summer encore broadcasts in parks across the city), Chicagoans may hope that Lyric also incorporates broadcasts into its strategy.
Three other Chicago area arts organizations were also selected to participate in this initiative: the Goodman Theatre, the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and Victory Gardens Theater.