Poor culture - Artistic Producer Sarasota Opera Employee Review

Very gracious and friendly core staff, delightful performers, lovely location.

Building is old, so the workspace can be a bit crowded.

Learning about the field, and HANDS ON work. It leads you to learning quite a bit since you have 0 support. People will be impressed that you withstood it

At the Sarasota Opera, I encountered a glaring lack of effective leadership, focused more on appeasing the egos of a select few than on fostering a productive environment. The organizational culture seemed entrenched in outdated practices, with little regard for merit or innovation, nor progress and advancement. Complaints about mistreatment and the incompetency of others fell on deaf ears, perpetuating a sense of helplessness among those at the Opera. Despite delivering quality work, poor culture and mistreatment of many continued, failing to match the level of dedication and effort put forth from many. The company's 'efforts' to make opera more accessible fall flat, as decisions often hinder rather than facilitate newcomers' appreciation of the art form. Overall, the Sarasota Opera epitomizes elitism within the opera, reinforcing stereotypes and barriers that alienate potential audiences, also deeply affecting those who work there. Working at the opera proved to be a disheartening experience, marked by frustration and disillusionment rather than professional growth and fulfillment. Truly, DO NOT work here.