I’d recommend any of those three first. Carmen for its classic tunes–really, find a clip of March of the Toreadors, or Love is a Bird that’s free–or words to that effect, and you’re sure to recognize at leat one if not both. Then again, they were common to advertising /cartoons 40 years ago. Not so much now. Speaking of cartoons, What’s Opera, Doc? is a good intro to the form. Haven’t been ’cause the music is fine, but once the singing starts, all I can think is: “You’re ruining the music.”

My best music teacher ever, who intro’ed me to La Boheme, on which RENT is based, btw, also told me the truly great story of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Until Mrs Scozzafava, I thought it was simply the “dinosaur music” in Fantasia. Turns out it created a total riot–literally–cause it was so ahead of the curve musically, and choreographically. It was ballet that balletophiles HATED! Totally post-modern.

I was so fascinated that this really cool music from the dinosaur sequence of Fantasia had this incredible backstory, the end of which was that it created such a to-do that it almost literally disappeared from the face of the earth. It was never perforemed again.

Until 75 years later, after some dance archivists, through contacting some survivors of the day, or their children, grandchildren, associates, painstakingly reconstructed the costumes and dance steps, etc.

When it came to the Kennedy Center in Oct of ’89, not only did I go, I literally rushed down to the box office in DC the day the tix went on sale, so necessary was it to me to see this ballet that my 7th Grade music teacher, Rose Scozzafava had totally sold me on.

Got to that one if it ever happens again. Rent an old PBS version.

As for poetry readings. Come on, Ty. How hard can it be to find one of those?

I understand your point, and I certainly wouldn’t advocate beating oneself over the head with arts that one simply doesn’t enjoy. You personally have certainly have seen enough opera to know you will get nothing out of it. And that may be the case for many others. But it is my hope that if one goes into something for the first time with the very specific intention of learning something, it would be a far less painful experience than initially feared. Then one can decide if they enjoy it after all, or if they cannot stand it. Even if one doesn’t enjoy it, however, I maintain something about performing can be learned from it at least once. So every actor should go to at least one opera, every ballerina should attend at least one play, and so on amidst the various cross medium combinations that are possible.

I also agree that befriending and network with other creative souls from the various areas of the arts is of great benefit as well. I would like to do more of that myself. I recently joined Twitter…perhaps that will assist me in this endeavor.