Amidst the politics and chaos in opera unveils a drama almost more enticing than opera itself—the so-called “casting couch”—taunting and propositioning singers with the promise of roles, contracts, favoritism, special treatment, or opportunity in exchange for certain “favors.”
Three singers, who wished to remain anonymous, share in their own words personal stories of harassment, propositioning, and favoritism; how their choices affected their careers; and advice to today’s emerging opera singers.
Part of the Business
“I sang as a professional singer in B- and C-level opera houses and with regional orchestras throughout the United States for 12 years. I worked primarily in leading roles in the spinto and dramatic soprano repertoire and sang on three concert tours in Europe and one tour in Asia. I also won many national- and international-level competitions and ran my own private vocal studio at this time as well.
“I was never propositioned with inappropriate favors offstage. But I was encouraged more than once to really show off my cleavage in a corset and act overly sexual in scenes on stage because ‘that’s what the audience pays to see.’ I am no prude, but there definitely were some lines crossed that, in retrospect, I feel were not necessarily to serve the music or the art but to serve the perversions of that stage director.
“In another production, I had a stage director be physically abusive toward me—pulling me very abruptly with force to and fro by the wrists, for example, rather than asking me to cross down center. The final straw was when he pushed me upstage with his hands on my breasts. He was about six inches shorter than I was. Several of my colleagues saw this—one was less than a foot from me when it happened. I went to the general director to complain about the incident and was told that I needed to learn to have a tougher skin and [that] these sorts of things happen in the theater all the time. What’s more, I should not have been offended by it because this director was gay and, surely, had no ulterior motives with me.
“Once, when coaching with the conductor of a production, he asked me to make a bigger space for my ‘o’ vowel on a particular note. He said, ‘Give me a BBJ vowel.’ I asked what BBJ meant, and he said, ‘Big blow job.’ Knowing full well that I was dating an African-American at the time, he said, ‘I know you know how to do that, given who your boyfriend is.’ I was stunned. I was even recording the coaching session, and he obviously thought nothing of saying this to me.
“I had one colleague kiss me full on, with his tongue, on stage. We were asked for a passionate stage kiss, and rehearsed it that way for weeks. But once the show opened, he took that as full license to take advantage of the situation. It was neither invited nor appreciated.
“Sadly, this kind of behavior is fairly common—in pockets. And this sort of harassment is more directed toward the straight men. A lot of sexual comments and backstage banter is directed at the straight male cast members from homosexual male directors, conductors, costume designers, and fellow singers. It’s very prevalent, this constant verbal and sexual harassment. I have seen gay costumers kneel down right in front of a male artist while working on their pants and imitate that they’d perform an oral sex act right then and there if they could—immature and degrading. They were harassed openly by gay staff of the company as well as other gay artists—it was like a challenge to get the straight guys to ‘turn.’ For the married men, it’s even worse.
“It happens to women, too. Mainly, I’ve seen conductors and directors be inappropriate with verbal comments or be overly physical with female singers. In addition, many times the chorus women are preyed upon by some of the straight, leading male singers. It’s just a hostile work environment with lots of sexual harassment going on to the point where everyone thinks it’s ‘normal.’
“There also are many principal artists that carry on with chorus women (and men), often times to the detriment of the production. I was in one production where the leading baritone slept with four different chorus women during our three-week rehearsal period—none of them knowing about the others. It all came to blows on opening night in the women’s dressing room before the curtain rose. It was awful for everyone and definitely caused undue stress for the entire cast and crew.
“I could go on and on—the stage director who has an affair with a comprimario and, all of a sudden, she’s cast for the next season as the leading lady. Sounds cliché, but it happens all the time.
“I did my best to avoid situations such as these and even confronted them when they arose. Everyone, including the artists, seems to dismiss or excuse the behavior as part of the business. But, frankly, it’s quite unprofessional—very much against employment rights and laws.”
Advice for Singers: “Singers entering the business need to know that while it’s part of the business, it doesn’t have to be, and it’s very unprofessional behavior and illegal. But, until the powers that be frown upon it and enforce company policies against it, I don’t see that changing. Many times, the behavior is excused because that is ‘so-and-so conductor or stage director’ with a big-name reputation.
“Most young (and not-so-young) singers are so eager to succeed that even if they don’t get directly involved with these sorts of situations, they won’t be too inclined to become a whistle-blower for fear of being blacklisted. Only when management makes it very clear that it’s not to be tolerated and they won’t look the other way does there stand a chance for improvement.”
Be True to Yourself
“This kind of thing is something that has been happening from the very beginning and in virtually every juncture of my career. And, as long as human beings are around, it’s something that will continue happening. It’s a leverage of power.
“As far as I [am] concerned, this is something a singer has to choose to react to on an individual basis. It’s not going to go away. Frankly, what it boils down to is to keep your own ‘moral thermometer.’ Everybody has their own inner vibe or way of doing things. But you have an option and are only responsible for yourself.
“I lost some major contracts and many jobs—I mean, huge—because I chose not to follow through with such offers. A male lead once made a pass in an elevator, attempting to grab me, and I rebuffed with a good natured laugh and a little shove. My survival instinct was always to keep it light, while making my intentions clear. I was raised Catholic and was a good Midwestern girl. And, while I lost certain roles to other singers who made other decisions about advancing in their careers, I also still got work on my own merit.
“I did have a very nice career, was fairly well known nationally, performed at a high level at major regional and large houses with other high-level singers, and had a wonderful time—and I never judged those that felt that the other way was the only way to progress. That way of doing things just didn’t work for me, and I have no regrets about that.”
Advice for Singers: “You have to do what’s right for you. For me, it was always about the work. I always wanted the loyalty to be to my work and for it to be able to stand on its own, and good work will—that’s the bottom line. It’s about professionalism. Be the best you can be. Be professional and know your stuff. If you have this and a talent, you will work.
“For singers who are faced with offers for favors, I would always do the dumb blond routine and giggle. I once spent $1,000 on a six-carat fake diamond ring and pretended to be engaged. Sometimes it worked; other times, singers who flirted with you really didn’t care. If you’re single, you’ve got a bull’s-eye on you. You can do what you do to deflect them in funny or charming ways without offending and adapting, and do your best to make it as light hearted as possible.
“Opera singers are smart and resilient people. Know to stay away from gossip, entanglements, and all the other stuff at all costs. This is not a field for the faint of heart.”
Next-Generation Singer’s Perspective
“I am in the middle of my master’s degree and am definitely aware of this kind of thing happening. It was often talked about in the grapevine of my undergrad, coming from conductors or directors toward young, pretty singers.
“While in my undergrad, we had guest conductors come in all the time. Some were more ethical than others. One who came in was notorious for being a womanizer, and we had all sort of been warned. And, sure enough, after a rehearsal, I was called up to the podium to be given a note from the score. Once up there, he wrapped his arm around me and very obviously and deliberately grazed my breast. At the time, I was just a 20-year-old kid in school and didn’t know what was going on.
“He continued to give me the note just draped around me, and it was very uncomfortable. This was one of the first operas I was ever in and, although he tried to play it subtle, I know it was something he absolutely meant to do. Why would you put your arm around someone like that? It felt inappropriate and uncomfortable. I think if it were to happen again, I would pull away or push away and empower my own body. I wouldn’t feel degraded as much as insulted.
“On another occasion, another young singer I knew was auditioning for a particular maestro to be the soprano soloist for a work the symphony was doing and [he] flirted with her throughout the audition, checking her out, looking her up and down, and blatantly coming on to her. He noticed she had a wedding ring on and asked if she was married. She thought, ‘Well, I’m not getting that job.’ The catch was he actually hired her anyway and was a complete gentleman through the rehearsal process, which speaks to the credibility of a good performer.
“In another instance, a different guest conductor zeroed in on this gorgeous girl in a double-cast production. He asked who was singing the soprano lead, and in one of the casts, a very talented singer who was not unattractive said she was. He said, ‘Who else is here?’ The other lead was a blond bombshell with blue eyes [who] came to rehearsal in a skirt. It was an immediate judgment and was very clear whom he preferred and that he didn’t find the other girl as attractive. It was upsetting to see. Luckily, this guest conductor was not invited back by this school.”
Advice for Singers: “I was once told that if someone expresses interest in you and you are not interested in return, be Italian about it. Laugh, smile, and let it roll off your back. For example, if someone invites you out for drinks, call to cancel or just don’t show up—or offer [to meet] another time and blow it off. It’s a way of not letting anything happen [yet] you don’t feel uncomfortable about saying no.
“Maybe it is very naïve of me but, at the end of the day, I firmly believe that it comes down to beautiful singing and great artistry. I think if you work hard and have an undeniable talent, there are other ways to succeed. There are many very talented singers in this business, those I look up to, who have succeeded without ever letting it come to sacrificing the art for a proposition.”
