One of opera’s greatest features as an art form is its inherently collaborative nature. Uniting music, drama, and dance, along with costumes, lighting, and set design, the power of live opera directly stems from its unique capacity for layered storytelling.

More recently, however, another element has emerged that’s changing the way that opera and the entire arts sector looks at itself and our shared future: digital technology.  Leaps in technical innovation are opening exciting new doors of possibility, from being able to drastically alter the way a production might look, to exploring new ways of sharing art outside a fixed venue, to the many ways an organization could provide valuable additional resources for guests to enhance their experience.

The Canadian Opera Company is proud to spearhead and guide these explorations, through a year-long collaborative project called the Digital Stage, in partnership with The National Ballet of Canada (NBoC) and Sheridan College’s Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT).

Generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Digital Stage will bring together Canadian arts companies, union representatives, and a number of audience viewpoints to facilitate important, open dialogue about expanding digital capacity and outline strategies that create a new model for success. Taking these proactive measures today is the first step in not only maintaining the industry’s relevance to arts and entertainment consumers, it is imperative in ensuring the health and viability of the performing arts sector in a quickly-evolving cultural landscape.

Get a quick overview of what we have planned – and why the COC is involved – in the video below. We’ll be providing updates every step of the way and look forward to sharing our findings!

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A core component of this project is building insight through collaboration. If you or your organization would like to explore participating in the Digital Stage, or to attend the symposium, please visit digitalstage.ca.