Opera Roanoke has met most of its grant deliverables to date, following the spring performance of Hansel and Gretel. While the audience for Hansel and Gretel was smaller than predicted, nearly 35% of ticket buyers were brand new to Opera Roanoke performances, and the audience included more students under the age of 18 compared to years prior.

Due to some technical issues that required fixes before opening night, Opera Roanoke was not able to host a school for the final dress rehearsal; however, Opera Roanoke is working on plans to make this a regular part of its offerings for schools in future seasons.

While not able to offer a student dress rehearsal night, we were able to add an event focused on families with young children before Hansel and Gretel at the Fishburn Mansion. This event focused on themes from Hansel and Gretel and included arts and crafts, facepainting, storytelling, juggling, and performances by our Young Artists.

Opera Roanoke was able to offer free tickets to K-12 students, college students, and the underserved at a higher rate than predicted this season. The program continues to grow, and through support from our corporate partners, we will be able to continue this program in future seasons.