Poltava, Ukraine

[SteveOR]

 
I don't know about the opera, but when I was in Kyiv the ladies were very interested in going to the theatre.  Good shows too.  Fairly full theatres even on weeknights.  Many ticket kiosks in the central Kyiv underground and mall areas.  The biggest challenge is picking a show and buying the tickets.  Didn't see anything in English.  Suggest going to the theatre with a lady and let her pick out the show.  You'll probably be pleasantly surprised and she will be very happy.  Good luck!
 

[noelscot]

Actually, you are not wrong.   Most Ukrainians are not particularly interested in this type of culture.  The "layer" in the society interested in opera/symphony is quite small, despite the fortune the Soviets poured into the arts.  However, the audience interested in the arts there is very knowledgeable, more so than their average North American counterpart.

I corresponded with a lady from Moskau (going all the way back to when Hurricane Ivan hit here), and she was very knowledgeable of the arts, but she was wealthy and we "met" on an opera discussion forum. Go figure. I try to keep my Russophilia in check and remember people are people everywhere, but indeed, there are (good/bad) differences between the average eastern European women and the average Amerikan woman.
I am leary of blinkered selectivity, though, in regard to this whole endeavor, and my original comments were blinkered and post-jilted.
lol

[Boethius]

I don't think wealth has anything to do with interest in, or knowledge of, the arts.  My husband grew up dirt poor, but he was always the first person in line to buy a new rare recording imported from the Eastern bloc.  The only people buying them were members of Kyiv's symphony orchestra, because the interpretations were different and therefore interesting to them, and him.  He also purchased almost every Melodiya classical recording released.  In a city of millions, there were less than 5,000 people who bought albums.  Often, in the USSR, classical music recordings/books were released in limited numbers, 5,000 or 10,000, and the majority of those albums went unpurchased, to be destroyed. 

I also don't think your statement was blinkered.  My husband worked at the Kyiv Opera House as a second job.  Most audiences were there by "force" (job, military, school, etc.).  He'd open the back door for those that wanted to sneak out during the performance, and told them he'd open the door at X time for them to come back in the same way.  Then there were party members or the general public who were there to show off their fancy new clothing.  Their first question was "Where is the buffet?"  It was common to hear the "proletariat" say "Why are we paying these leeches to . . . (derogatory description)?  He/she could be planting potatoes/paving roads, etc.".

He said that some operas, such as Arsenal, were always full of military/army cadets, because "No one would ever buy a ticket willingly."  But, he said that if a bus came from a village to see a ballet, such as Gisele or Romeo and Juliet, they were very touched by the magic of the performances

When we visited Ukraine last year, my husband visited a few of his friends from the symphony orchestra.  Some had moved West and returned, saying Western audiences don't really understand classical music, but for the most part, the Kyiv audience is still the same - still a small layer who truly appreciate the arts, but many are there to show off their latest apparel.  Certainly, you don't see people lining up for these performances the way they do to go to nightclubs.  Nevertheless, even if you meet someone who is not interested in the arts, I suggest taking them to a performance.  You may spark an interest.