Some groups rarely perform twice at the same venue: In 2014, On Site Opera presented Rameau’s “Pygmalion,” in which an artist falls in love with a sculpture, both at the Madame Tussauds wax museumin Times Square and in a mannequin showroom.
Justine Aronson in On Site Opera’s ‘Pygmalion’ at Madame Tussauds wax museum. Pavel Antonov/On Site Opera
Artistically, the events often have an underground, experimental feel.
This January, the Prototype Festival, an edgy, three-year-old event focusing on productions melding opera and theater, showcased works such as “Angel’s Bone,” which wove in punk rock, cabaret and electronics. In 2014, On Site Opera experimented with delivering subtitles via Google Glass. Often, folding chairs and benches bring the audience within a few feet of the action.
“Everyone is looking for what their culture is. What do they want to see and be a part of?” said Eric Einhorn, general and artistic director of On Site Opera, founded in 2012 and staging its fifth full production—Marco Portugal’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” far lesser known than the one by Mozart—this summer.
