Writing and photography by West Smith Furries are everywhere. That’s the biggest lesson I took away from attending my first furry convention earlier this year. Before that, I think I still carried some lazy stereotype in my head about the furry community being made up exclusively of Reddit- dwelling teenagers. Then I got there and met doctors, lawyers, medical technicians, people from every possible walk of life. The point was driven home a few months later when my urologist casually told me he’d been to a few furry conventions himself. Christian Pursell, known in the furry community as Chester the Geroo. So by the time I found myself heading to Furry Night at the Opera, the idea of a furry opera singer didn’t feel surprising at all; if anything, it felt obvious. The evening was championed by baritone Christian Pursell, better known in the fandom as Chester the Geroo, who plays Escamillo in Carmen. As far as anyone can tell, this was the first official Furry Night at the opera in history, a genuinely historic moment for the fandom and the city of Seattle. An attendee grooms their tail after removing it from a suitcase ahead of the evening’s performance. Seattle Opera seemed proud to be hosting it. After seeing how successful the night was, I’d be surprised if other opera houses didn’t soon follow (fur)suit. At first, I wasn’t entirely sure what “Furry Night at the Opera” meant. Was this an event exclusively for furries? Would I feel out of place showing up without a tail? When I asked someone at the box office, they laughed and said, “This is a 2,800-seat house. There’s going to be all kinds of people here, not just furries.” They were right, the crowd wasn’t all fur-suited. But this wasn’t a typical opera crowd either. In the lobby, there were dozens of oversized, fur-covered heads weaving through the crowd (they were asked to remove their heads for the show, to make sure they didn’t block the view of the stage). So furry. At the pre-show meet-and-greet, Pursell handed out stickers, signed posters, and gave out head pats. Furries arrived in formal wear, some toting their fursuits in. Pursell arrived wearing his authentic Escamillo matador costume from that evening’s performance of Carmen. Before the show, he hosted a free meet-and-greet, handing out stickers, signing posters, and giving out head pats. The Bull at will call. In line with his matador costume, he also staged a mock bullfight with someone in a bull costume. Anyone else see the second set of horns in this photo? The muleta is the same prop used later that evening in Carmen. It is difficult to know exactly how many furries attended the event. More than 50 guests used the special Furry Night coupon code, though additional attendees purchased regular tickets to attend the pre-show meet-and-greet. That neckerchief though. Yincollie the mouse brought their own opera binoculars for the evening’s performance. Some attendees arrived in formal wear before changing into their fursuits in designated changing areas set up by Seattle Opera. Some attendees transported their suits in name-brand wheeled luggage, and some used reusable Walmart bags. The Slightly Furry cider box. But not everyone had to check their fursuits. Local cidery Slightly Furry rented out a private box for the event so they could stay suited up for the performance. Woof. Opera has a reputation for being a stuffy, upper-class art form, something exclusive, intimidating, and maybe not entirely meant for me. But just as my assumptions about the furry community turned out to be lazy and incomplete, so too were my assumptions about the opera. Furry Night at the Opera reminded me that both are, at their best, invitations: spaces built around passion, community, and the simple joy of sharing an experience with others. Art, it turns out, is for everyone. The post The Seattle Opera Hosted Its First Official Furry Night appeared first on The Stranger. ...read more read less