小琼：还记得全世界是如何不断提醒我们需要适应新冠疫情大流行后的“新常态”吗？前不久我第一次坐在“豆荚”里欣赏户外歌剧，想和大家分享我的一些观后感。

小薇：一段时间以来，户外音乐会和表演一直是夏季的常态。在上海，上海交响乐团的“上海夏季音乐节”自2010年就开始在户外举行，时至今日仍然在公园里举行一些演出，一直都很受欢迎。

小琼：如今在美国，新冠肺炎病毒及其德尔塔变异毒株引发的疫情仍在肆虐，适应疫情下的“新常态”仍然至关重要。不久前，我参加了辛辛那提的夏季歌剧节（还记得我几个月前描述的五月音乐节及五月节合唱团吗？）。辛辛那提歌剧院非常有创意，将三部歌剧放在距离市中心不远的山顶公园大草坪上。在连续三个晚上，我坐在一个保持社交距离的“豆荚”里，欣赏了《卡门》《托斯卡》和《塞维利亚理发师》！

小薇：我搜索了辛辛那提歌剧院的官方网站，上面提供了关于这些“豆荚”的信息：尺寸为3.3米×3.3米大小，在大草坪上用白色油漆标记为正方形，每个“豆荚”相隔2米。

小琼：还有进一步的使用规定。每个“豆荚”最多可容纳6人，但他们必须属于同一组观众。这意味着陌生人不可以坐在你旁边。此外，除瓶装水外，不允许携带任何食物或饮料！

小薇：由于距离舞台很远，户外歌剧演出需要扩音。我注意到辛辛那提歌剧院为此使用了两个大屏幕，并聘用了一个完整的摄制组。要创造出令人满意的观众体验，必须具有专业知识并付出巨大的努力。

小琼：与任何夏季音乐会一樣，我们需要一个完善的票务、人群控制和物流系统。所有的幕间休息都被取消了，甚至连音乐也被删减了，所以这些作品的平均演出时长只有90分钟。这确实是表演艺术“新常态”的一部分。

小薇：那么天气因素呢？

小琼：如果遇上下雨或雷暴天气，演出必须停止。但我们很幸运。不过晚间空气清冷，所以到晚上演出结束时，我总是需要一件薄夹克。

Joan： Remember how the whole world keeps reminding us that we need to adapt to the “new normal” after the pandemic？ I had my first outdoor operatic experience sitting in a pod， and I want to share some of my observations.

Valery： Outdoor concerts and performances have been the norm during summer for some time. Here in Shanghai， the Shanghai Symphony Orchestras “Music in the Summer Air” festival literally started outdoors in 2010， and even today still presents some performances in the parks. These have always been a big hit.

Joan： These days in America， with Covid-19 and its Delta variant still raging， adapting to the “new normal” remains crucial. Not long ago， I attended a summer Opera Festival in Cincinnati （remember the May Festival I described a few months ago， the choral festival in the same city？）. Cincinnati Opera was very inventive in putting together three operas on the Great Lawn of Summit Park， a space not far from the city center. In three consecutive evenings， I enjoyed Carmen， Tosca and The Barber of Seville sitting in a socially-distanced pod！

Valery： I searched Cincinnati Operas website and read about the pods： 3.3-by-3.3 meters in size， marked in white paint as squares on the Great Lawn， each 2 meters apart on all sides.

Joan： There were further guidelines. Each pod could hold a maximum of 6 people， but they must be part of the same group. That means no stranger can sit near you. Also， no food or drink is allowed， except for bottled water！

Valery： Outdoor opera performances need to be amplified， and with so much distance from the stage， I notice that Cincinnati Opera used two large screens and a full camera crew. It must take great effort and expertise to recreate satisfactory audience experience.

Joan： As with any summer concert， we need to have a system of ticketing， crowd control and logistics. Intermissions are all eliminated， and even the music is trimmed so each of these productions averages a running time of only 90 minutes. This is indeed all part of the “new normal” in the performing arts.

Valery： But what about the weather？

Joan： If rain， thunder or lightning comes， the performance has to stop. But we were lucky. The night air can be crisp though， so by the end of the evening I always need a light jacket.