This is inevitable because Glimmerglass doesn't have the space to store old productions and doesn't foresee doing many revivals, whereas revivals are a regular part of every City Opera season. Not really because they are two different audiences. The City Opera audience is 230,000 and the Glimmerglass audience is 32,000, most of whom don't live in New York City. Glimmerglass was also concerned that sending their productions to the City Opera would stop New Yorkers from coming upstate. I don't think that will happen because people come to Glimmerglass for the total experience of the small opera house, rural setting, great acoustics, and the chance to see four operas in a weekend.
People are amazed that the footprint of the two stages is so similar.
The City Opera stage is a good deal higher but only six feet wider than the Glimmerglass stage, and the height doesn't hurt anything. When we transferred Glimmerglass's 1993 Turn of the Screw to the City Opera it worked wonderfully. Acoustically the State Theater is not ideal. Some of the best Glimmerglass singers have exquisite but small voices. We have made acoustical improvements at the State Theater.