Dallas Opera's 4/13 TURANDOT Cowboys Stadium Simulcast Draws 20,000 Ticket Requests

The Dallas Opera, in partnership with Cowboys Stadium and with support from The Dallas Foundation, is delighted to report that more than 20,000 tickets have been requested for the free April 13th Dallas Opera Cowboys Stadium Simulcast in Arlington, TX. Of that number, over 40 percent of the households have no previous purchase history or simulcast history with the Dallas Opera; while more than half of the tickets were requested by households that either attended or requested tickets for the initial simulcast last April.

The Opera's second Cowboys Stadium Simulcast will center on that evening's live performance of Giacomo Puccini's splendid TURANDOT, as it happens on the Shannon and Ted Skokos Stage in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. The curtain will go up at 7:30 p.m. Patrons will be able to enjoy a complete, unabridged performance on the world's largest high-definition video board structure, consisting of four massive viewing screens (the largest, 72 feet tall and 160 feet wide) suspended directly above the playing field.

At 6:45 p.m., prior to the live performance, the Dallas Opera will present the world's largest cartoon screening (based on screen size): Warner Brothers Classics 1957 masterpiece, "What's Opera, Doc?" starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd and voted the #1 cartoon ever produced (in 1994, by a thousand working animators). Directed by animation legend Chuck Jones, the cartoon pokes fun at opera's most persistent stereotypes, Wagnerian heft, and Elmer Fudd's never-ending pursuit of that "wascally wabbit!"

At 7:00 p.m., the Dallas Opera will present a recording of the Dallas Opera's recent live presentation of composer Lee Hoiby's "Bon Appétit!" created for actress Jean Stapleton in 1989 and starring acclaimed mezzo-soprano Susan Nicely as Julia Child, the chef-who-became-an-international icon (with a little help from SNL comedian Dan Aykroyd).

Based on segments of Julia Child's popular cooking show, The French Chef (winner of the first Emmy Award given to an educational program), and incorporating Child's actual dialogue as shaped by librettist Mark Shulgasser, this laugh-out-loud modern opera was performed in English at the Dallas Farmer's Market Demonstration Kitchen to enthusiastic audiences and unanimous rave reviews.

Miss Nicely was accompanied by pianist Mary Dibbern, Music Director for Education and Family Programs at the Dallas Opera in performances supported by The Perot Foundation Education and Community Outreach Programs.

Free general admission tickets for the entire evening can be obtained through the Dallas Opera website at www.dallasopera.org/cowboys.

"In 2012, The Dallas Foundation helped the Dallas Opera bridge the distance between two very different cultures: the world of professional opera and the world of professional football," explained Mary Jalonick, President of The Dallas Foundation. "The Dallas Foundation is proud to again be the presenting sponsor of the Dallas Opera's 2013 simulcast of Turandot on April 13th.
"If you didn't have a chance to attend last year, don't miss this opportunity to experience a world-class performance at the world-class Cowboys Stadium."

"We are excited to partner with the Dallas Opera for a second Cowboys Stadium Simulcast," said Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President of Brand Management Charlotte Anderson. "Our organization greatly admires and respects The Dallas Opera's original thinking and stewardship in making ground-breaking events like these a reality because we truly value the importance of the arts in our community."

"It's been a personal goal of mine to bring tremendous artists and unforgettable entertainment to the widest possible audience here in North Texas," commented Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny, "and nothing does that better than opera, as shown by the many thousands who attended last spring's Cowboys Stadium Simulcast of Mozart's The Magic Flute."

"The Dallas Opera is extremely honored that The Dallas Foundation is supporting this event for a second consecutive year and we are equally grateful for the generosity of the Jones Family, who encouraged this extraordinary collaboration with the Cowboys organization from the moment we made our dream known to them."

"I hope that the centralized location of Cowboys Stadium will-once again-attract music and theater lovers from here to the Red River, to this free simulcast of Puccini's final and most glorious masterpiece," Mr. Cerny adds, "especially those who, for a variety of reasons, have perceived opera as an intimidating or challenging art form, rather than an incredibly exciting way to spend an evening with those you love.

"We want to set a fun and relaxed tone, right from the start, with our special screening of a phenomenally popular cartoon that's a subversive work of genius: Warner Brothers Classics' 'What's Opera, Doc?' made in 1957, the year the Dallas Opera was launched. That famously huge white horse Bugs rides will never be any bigger than on the screens at Cowboys Stadium; and I, for one, can't wait!"

"Now," adds Dallas Opera Artistic Director Jonathan Pell, "by being able to include Lee Hoiby's charming Bon Appétit! in an already stellar line-up, we're going to give simulcast patrons one unrepeatable, unforgettable night at the opera! We'll begin with an out-and-out spoof, proceed to a clever comic tribute, and end with one of the grandest of grand operas in the entire repertoire.

"And each of them, in its own way, is a thoroughly enjoyable masterpiece."

Single tickets for the remaining mainstage productions of the Dallas Opera's "Pursuits of Passion" Season are on sale now, starting at just $19, through the Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or online at www.dallasopera.org. Student Rush best-available tickets can be purchased at the lobby box office for $25 (one per valid Student I.D.) ninety minutes prior to each performance.

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