" in the staging of a different opera performance this summer, she said in an Instagram post Thursday.
"Let me be perfectly clear: the use of blackface under any circumstances, artistic or otherwise, is a deeply misguided practice based on archaic theatrical traditions which have no place in modern society. It is offensive, humiliating, and outright racist,""I was so looking forward to making my house debut at Arena di Verona singing one of my favorite operas, but I cannot in good conscience associate myself with an institution which continues this practice," Blue added.
The Arena has been putting on performances of"Aida" based on a 2002 staging of the opera classic by Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, who died in 2019. That staging uses blackface. Showings are scheduled in July, August and September,In a lengthy statement Friday, the Arena di Verona said “Angel Blue knowingly committed herself to sing at the Arena” even though the “characteristics” of the 2002 Zeffirelli staging were “well known.
"We have no reason nor intent whatsoever to offend and disturb anyone’s sensibility. We reach with deep emotions people from different countries, from different religious contexts, but for us all people are equal," the statement reads, according toThe Arena of Verona Foundation also invited Blue, who is Black, to meet with Arena officials and have a dialogue over the issue “in effort to understand others’ point of view, in respect of consciously assumed artistic obligations.
Of course she had to know this as it has been done for decades for this opera. So one has to ask. Is she grandstanding now? Or claiming ignorance? Sorry, but legit question.
So she condemns Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada then?
They have been staging this type of opera this way in Italy for 170 years at least. It is not White southerners derisively mimicking negroes in minstrel shows. It is an honest effort to depict an Egyptian character.
It amuses me that certain ppl will have such a strong emotion related to only 1 race being able to be black under any corcumstance and then the same group says oh any race of actor can be a white character sure thats totally cool. I find both far left and right hateful 2 others.
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