Contest for condensed opera plots to return on Twitter, with grand prizes
Opera fans (or nerds, as the case may be) who are into Twittering can soon compete for cool prizes.
About a month ago, an avid Twitterer and freelance writer in Canada known as Miss Mussel in Twitter-town and Web-world (real name Marcia Adair), started a clever game playing off of the 140-character limit to Tweets: Describe an opera plot in 140 characters or less and win a prize. Actually 130 or less, since you have to include the hashtag #operaplot as part of the entry. Miss Mussell sprung for the inaugural prize money herself. The winning entry summed up La boheme thusly: Seamstress pals around with bohemians in a December-May affair. Receives muff as parting gift.
The contest is about to return, this time with some hefty support behind it. Between 9 a.m. EST April 27 and midnight EST Sunday May 3, anyone with a twitch to Twitter and a knack for operatic brevity can enter. The judge is no less than stellar soprano Danielle De Niese, who will choose three winners.
A whole bunch of opera companies in North America, the UK and Australia have joined in the fun, offering various prizes. In our area, Washington National Opera, the first company to jump in, is particularly generous, putting up a prize valued at about $1,000 that includes two tickets to Turandot (the production opens in mid-May) and two passes to the company's posh Opera Ball.
Click here for contest rules and FAQ.
