Art as a Source of Strength: Going to the LA Opera

For my last post in this series about arts and political action, let’s turn to the audience.

(Previous posts: “No Gatekeepers” Part 1: Make your own guerrilla National Parks Guides, “No Gatekeepers” Part 2: Yarnbombers, How much can we expect from artists that get involved in politics?, Paperhand Puppet Project)

LA Times reporter Kailyn Brown went do to the Music Center in Los Angeles to interview audience members headed to see Rigoletto at LA Opera the day after the “No Kings” and protests against immigration raids. Here’s some of what they said:

The audience gets it. They know what the arts do. What strikes me about these audience member is that they are holding two ideas at once: the arts are enjoyable, and just showing up is a protest in itself. Showing up means that life is moving on, that people who are trying to disrupt our lives won’t win.

“I have no fear. I’m old. I don’t care anymore. I’ve lived through all the riots, strikes and protests. I’m gay. I’ve been marching since 1987 for a million different reasons…nothing will stop me from doing theater and attending theater.”
Sam Pancake

“That’s theater. You go there for a relief from the world. It’s sort of an escape.
Gabe Acero

“I think [the arts] lift your spirits. I mean even though this is a depressing opera, the music is thrilling and I know I’m going to shed a tear at the end.
Muriel Asch

“We get tired of talking about politics and worrying about it, and this is an opportunity to get away from it.
Arlene Block

“I think the arts are what keep a lot of people going. They uplift everyone. My late husband started an orchestra in 1965, the Palisades Symphony…Just playing music together is very very important to so many people
Jan Kelley

“It’s important to take a step back and pause, and get in tune with your emotions or experience something new and creative before you go back into the world because it might shift your perspective. It might change your mindset. So I think it’s important, no matter what’s going on in L.A., to support the arts. If we want an art scene here, we have to patronize it.”
Kristen Giles

“Take [the arts] away and life is boring.”
Jason Roblee

In the end, it’s the audience that completes the cycle. Artists may create the work, but it’s the audience that carries it forward—by showing up, by feeling deeply, by being changed. These voices from LA remind us that the arts don’t only protest or persuade; they sustain. They offer escape, reflection, community, and sometimes quiet defiance. If you’ve been reading this series, I hope you’re left with this: there’s no single way the arts move us or move the world. But every ticket, every tear, every cheer is part of the work.