‘Carmen’ at the Drive-In

“There’s nothing you can’t do if you have a good story and good music in your hands.” That’s how Kostis Protopapas, the intrepid Artistic and General Director of Opera Santa Barbara looks at the company’s upcoming production of Carmen, which will take place on Sunday afternoon, December 6, at the Ventura County Fairgrounds as a “Live Drive-In” opera experience. Protopapas, who has been working continuously since April to restore live music programming to Santa Barbara, has learned a lot from the process, and he says that no lesson is more important than “never take anything for granted.” Thanks to the team at OSB and the expertise of the crew at the Fairgrounds, who have been presenting live music there since June, opera fans can once again thrill to a live performance after months of deprivation and video-only events.

With mezzo-soprano Audrey Babcock as Carmen, the audience can expect a superb performance at the center of this innovative production. With the cooperation of the American Federation of Musicians, Protopapas and his cast, crew, and orchestra have designed a safe, socially distant procedure that’s taken them from earliest rehearsals and will last until the final note is sung and the last car leaves the lot. Every step of the way has taken place outdoors, and each performer occupies an exclusive personal rectangle on the giant grid that comprises the performing space. There will be scenic elements in this concert version of Carmen, which is being reimagined as a radio play of the 1940s. With everyone in masks unless they are singing or playing a wind or brass instrument, and two rapid tests required for all performers in the 48 hours leading up to the event, this will be an exceptionally rigorous sample of what is possible and necessary for performing arts operations to continue live programming during the pandemic.