The social Impact of Opera Spanga

Having examined all the data collected from three different sources: thematic analysis of the policy plan for 2021-2024 document by Opera Spanga, the ethnographic data from my personal observations as the production assistant during the project “After the Flood” and the thematic analysis of the open-type questionnaires filled from the local volunteers, we can identify the social impact of Opera Spanga on the local community.

Our hypothesis was based on the social impact categories firstly introduced by Landry et al. (1993) and later researched by Matrasso (1997) but we chose to focus on three of those categories: Personal Development, Social Cohesion and Local image. This research is also addressed to the policy makers regarding cultural funds and what we

also tried to prove was whether or not such initiatives should be supported by government subsidies.

From all the above, we proved that Opera Spanga has a large positive impact on the personal development of local people, especially for those who engage with it as volunteers. First of all, this initiative brings opera to a small village and gives the opportunity of an aesthetic experience to the people who otherwise would not have such. Furthermore, this opportunity is equally provided to all locals who are sent free invitations every year and thus the barrier of the ticket cost is eliminated. This particular aesthetic experience of the plays produced by Opera Spanga is socially engaging as their innovative approaches provide a different perspective to classic pieces of music and touch upon universal social issues. A representative example is the “After the Flood” production which was inspired by Dutch historic moments of disasters in an attempt to critically view history and learn from previous mistakes so as to improve the present and future (see Appendix II). Consequently, Opera Spanga broadens the horizons of the people living in the local villagers and provides them with the benefits emerging from an aesthetic experience¹¹ with most important the development and affirmation of their personal and collective identity. At the same time, opera as a musical form of drama has been proved to have a healing influence on mental health and so we can claim in the case of Opera Spanga.

However, the present thesis is focusing on the social impact on those locals participating in the Opera Spanga productions as volunteers or workers. As observed in the qualitative data collected, the experience of working with Opera Spanga has a major impact on personal development. It provides the local participants with acquaintance with other cultures and a different working environment and thus influences their tolerance and inclusiveness. Furthermore, it boosts their

11 For more see van Maanen’s “How to study art worlds: on the societal functioning of aesthetic values” (2009)

self-confidence and improves their social skills while in some cases it is inspiring them to pursue new interests. These benefits are also important factors for the maintenance of social cohesion, another impact category examined in this thesis. Our findings revealed that through this experience the villagers get to know each other more and cooperate towards a common goal. This practice could undoubtedly seem very useful in other community issues however we don’t have further information that something relevant has happened. However, there is a case of a foreigner who moved in the area and his experience with Opera Spanga helped him integrate in the local community.

With regard to their local image and identity, Opera Spanga has become an integral part of the area’s life and reputation as it has been present for more than 30 years. This is something that local participants acknowledge and it is a reason they feel proud about their home village.

Finally, we cannot overlook the educational activity of Opera Spanga. Though this research was not focused on this area there is data proving this social aspect of the company. First of all, the organisation attempts to bring opera closer to children and create the “future audience” through exclusive school activities in collaboration with secondary schools from the north of the Netherlands but also through designing special performances for young people that are followed by group discussions. On a second level, Opera Spanga is concerned about talent development and prepares the

“future makers” by including conservatory students and other young creatives in their team and helps them gain useful experience as an attempt to revitalise the genre of opera in general.

In conclusion, we support the opinion that such initiatives should be subsidised by the national, provincial and municipality bodies as they induce a variety of positive social impact on the people and communities that are engaged with them. As proved in the present thesis some of the main social impacts of the opera organisation are the personal development of the local volunteers, the social cohesion among them and the improvement of their local image, the delivery of aesthetic experiences to the residents

of the north rural area and the educational activities that develop the future audience and creators of opera.

Opera Spanga is concerned about social issues in the Netherlands and is actively supporting their solutions through the art of opera. At the same time, it strives for the development of the operatic genre itself with groundbreaking productions and a critical view on the classic repertoire. Nevertheless, since opera is traditionally the most costly of the performing arts, innovation in repertoire and high quality of artistic outcome can only be achieved through state support, otherwise more conservative productions appealing to the main audience will be able to survive as it happens in North America where state support is absent.