Imagine attending the famed Metropolitan Opera in New York without leaving the cushy seats at the Holiday Village Cinemas Theaters in Park City.

It can be done, because the theaters present live, high-definition streamings and encore screenings of the Met Opera’s performances of Verdi’s “La Traviata” and Wagner’s “Gotterdammerung” and other works.

The monthly programs are a way to turn the local movie theater into a community event center, said Dan Diamond, senior vice president of Fathom Events, the Colorado-based media company that presents these showings.

“Fathom Events were to be done primarily in non-peak hours, so it’s not on an ongoing basis to try to go up against the movies that are showing in the theaters,” Diamond said during an interview with The Park Record. “Instead, it is an attempt to make entertainment opportunities for local communities that they likely couldn’t get anywhere else in addition to the movies.”

Fathom Events’ parent company, National CineMedia, began digitally interconnecting theatres in the United States in 2002, and now has the largest network of connected theatres in North America.

“There are a little more than 750 theatres equipped to take Fathom Events on a full-scale basis,” Diamond said. “We cover 167 markets, which is all part of a broader network that encompasses 18,000 screens across the country that National CineMedia uses.”

National CineMedia is the company that distributes pre-movie entertainment, which includes the “First Look” presentations that are shown before a movie, and features unique cinematic content and some advertising, he said.

“When we began with the idea of Fathom Events, we did a lot of research into what fans who were coming to theaters might want to see aside from terrific films,” Diamond explained. “The first few years were spent testing different types of content, everything from sporting events to rock concerts and some preliminary Broadway programming tests and educational programming.”

Fathom researchers found there were fans with all types of interests in the different communities who liked to have opportunities to go to a movie theater and experience programs in a convenient, affordable manner, Diamond said.

“They liked the bigger-than-life, best-seat-in-the-house aspect, and it seemed when we did some unique sort of programming, the fans would come out,” he said.

The Metropolitan Opera is a case study in bringing that world-class programming that is largely not available to people across the country to movie theaters, Diamond explained.

“The unique aspect is we also do it in a manner that is not just showing the production, because every Fathom event is unique in that we add other elements,” he said. “In the case of the Met Opera, we work closely with the organization to be certain that we not only show the magnificent performances, but we also interview the set and costume designers, stage managers and talent during the broadcast to give the audience some perspective as to what the given opera is all about.

“That way the audience would have an ultimate back-stage pass inside the Met Opera, and it’s really worked out to be something phenomenally successful.”

The numbers are the proof, Diamond said.

“We first started the Met on 98 screens across the country, and now we’re averaging 640 screens,” he said. “We’re going into our seventh season and that’s longer than most TV series run.”

The growth shows how much the opera showings are being accepted, and also fulfills another mission to create opportunities for organizations such as the Met Opera, to extend their messaging to movie-theater audiences.

“There isn’t a young person in the country that hasn’t been to a theater in the past six years that hasn’t seen something about the Metropolitan Opera,” Diamond said. “It’s worked extremely well with our other partners, whether it’s the opera or Broadway or Rifftracks or special screenings of ‘Casablanca,’ which we worked with the studio to bring that classic film back.”

Fathom Events has also taken audiences to see the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit in London and “The Nutcracker” ballet.

“It’s like going to a great restaurant and wanting to tell everyone about it,” Diamond said. “I’ve noticed that we’re able to touch communities on a very direct level, an engaged level.

“We have fans that are part of the Met who have taken it upon themselves to create their own newsletters and buy tickets and bus underprivileged children in to see the opera,” he said. “They write us letters after every event to let us know how it went. There is no greater reward to have fans that passionate about what we’re doing.”

While Diamond didn’t have any specific numbers for Park City, he did want to thank the community for its support with the Met Opera screenings.

“This town is consistently amongst the top performing communities for Fathom Events,” he said. “That type of support speaks to what a terrific community it is there and how people want to get together and enjoy entertainment and arts as fans.

“That’s a wonderful thing and it’s something that we’re appreciative of here,” he said. “Park City, per capita, is one of the best markets we have.”

Parkite Pamela C. Smith regularly attends the monthly Metropolitan Opera events at the Holiday Village Cinemas.

“The Met Opera film showings are broadcast simultaneously all over the world,” she told The Park Record. “(These screenings) bring the highest quality opera presented anywhere in the world to our quaint little village.

“(Not only are) those voices are trained, highly cultured and down right stunning, the exquisite music is written by composers that have transcended the restraints of time,” she said. “The harmonies and melding of the voices are simply inspired.”

Not only does Smith enjoy seeing the settings and scenery, she enjoys the interviews with the production staff.

“The producers give one an opportunity to go backstage during the intermission,” she said. “Fortunately, to see it at the Holiday Village is an relatively inexpensive activity for the Park City scene and locals. If you wish also wish to indulge in the sense of taste, you can eat popcorn and drink the beverages, which might be less tolerated in conventional opera houses.

“We are so lucky to have this venue in our City. It is my pleasure to help let other people know about it,” she said.

The Holiday Village Cinemas present monthly live and encore showings of the Metropolitan Opera. The next showing is “Wagner’s Dream: Met Opera Ring Cycle,” on Monday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 for adult and $10.50 for children. Visit www.cinemark.com or www.fathomevents.com for more information.