Recent Conversations with Agents and Theaters: Problems and Prospects

A Dark Winter for theaters.

According to recent conversations with opera professionals in Germany, German theaters are shut down until at least the end of January, probably longer. Beneath the surface there’s a dichotomy between agents, who are in limbo, and theaters, which strange as it may seem, are very busy dealing with the effects of myriads of canceled shows: reschedule singers, stage crews, set and costume, building and delivery and theatrical resources, all the while planning for the coming season.

The good news is that theaters are planning for a new season and possibly performances at the end of this season. The bad news is that not only are there all the singers with canceled contracts who will get consideration for replacement performances and productions, but there are also at least two semesters worth of young singers who graduated fro Musikhochschulen who will be looking for engagements. Furthermore, this season there were very few Ensemble vacancies. With the exception of theaters where a new Intendant has taken over and had the right to release a certain percentage of Ensemble members, the usual round of contract terminations did not occur, as the theaters and music union agreed that with no performances performers could not be judged and thus terminated.

While there have been some auditions, they are under exceptional circumstances, usually based o personal recommendations, and subject to travel restrictions. For all practical purposes there will be no auditions at least until March, and many travelers from the United States may not even be able to enter Germany then.

It is dark winter now, but by March there may be some green shoots peeking through. If things have improved ZAV may be arranging June auditions. Private agents and ZAV have different lead times for requesting auditions and I will be keeping tabs, so stay tuned. Be aware that for ZAV at least, the days of quick phone video audition clips are over. They have been so inundated that requests linked to low quality clips will be tossed.

Currently, the break points are the end of January, when the current lock-down ends, and mid-March, when agents and theaters might have an idea of casting needs for next season. The latter might be a good time for those who have experience in Germany or a strong personal recommendation to contact private agents. Keep in mind that auditions usually pick up after Easter, which is April 4, this year. As always the best thing you can do is to USE THIS TIME TO LEARN TO SPEAK GERMAN!