Jeanine Tesori is used to breaking boundaries. Just last year, the composer became the most Tony-awarded female composer in history when she won her second Tony for the Kimberly Akimbo score. And now, with her opera Grounded, she’s the first woman to open the Metropolitan Opera season (and only a handful of women who’ve ever been presented at the Met).

It’s been a surreal experience, she tells Playbill: “I was floating outside my body, so I wasn't quite there,” she recalled of opening night of Grounded September 23. “I have loved, loved working there.”

So much so that she wants her fellow theatre enthusiasts to go to the Met, or any opera, as well. It’s not just Tesori; over the years, a number of theatre artists have been spending their free time working at the opera. Grounded, which is based on the George Brant play about a female fighter pilot dealing with PTSD, is also directed by Michael Mayer (of the upcoming Swept Away on Broadway). Then after Grounded (running until October 19), David Henry Hwang (whose Yellow Face is currently on Broadway) is premiering a new opera: Ainadamar, about the life of the playwright Federico García Lorca. Plus, over the holidays, Julie Taymor’s production of The Magic Flute will have a remounting.

That’s not to mention past seasons, which saw Kelli O’Hara singing in the new opera The Hours, Lileana Blain-Cruz directing El Niño, and Robert O’Hara directing X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.

This focus on theatre artists is intentional, says Met General Manager Peter Gelb: “Opera is the forerunner of the musical, so it’s not surprising that there is a crossover between our two audiences. Some of Broadway’s most successful composers have been inspired by the great opera composers of the past. As a musical theatrical experience, grand opera is like a Broadway musical on steroids since the opera orchestra and chorus are many times the size of what one experiences in a Broadway theatre. And since the Met’s interest in producing operas, whether they be classics or new works, is narrative clarity and visual stimulation, we’re naturally drawn to the great directors, designers, and choreographers who work successfully on Broadway and the West End.”

But Tesori knows that it takes more than a familiar name to entice audiences to a show, especially in a medium that is unfamiliar to them. So below, she has taken the time to clear up some misconceptions about opera, in the hopes that it will encourage theatre lovers to become opera lovers.

Misconception #1: “It’s Too Expensive”

There’s a common assumption that going to the opera is expensive. But actually, tickets to Grounded start at just $35. And generally at the Met, a third of all tickets are priced under $100. That is a virtue of how big the Met is. “That place holds 4,000 people, that's an arena,” says Tesori. It also allows for more variable ticket prices, meaning that everyone is invited. The Met also has a rush policy of $25 day-of tickets, as well as student rates and rates for folks under 40.

Misconception Number 2: “I Just Don’t Like Opera”

A common refrain from folks who don’t tend to go to the opera is that it’s because they just don’t like it as a genre. To Tesori, that’s similar to someone saying they don’t like musicals. “So many people, [say], ‘I hate musicals, but I really loved Fun Home.’ And I always think, ‘I'm so happy you love Fun Home,’” she remarks. “It's like, there are so many different kinds of musicals. They come out of operetta, they come out of vaudeville. You might like this kind, but you won't like this. Not everybody loves every musical.”

So to Tesori, if you don’t like opera, it might be that you haven’t seen an opera that you enjoy—that the genre is sonically diverse enough that you can find one that you like. Tesori recommends listening to a composer’s work on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Music (which has a dedicated classical music app). “Not every opera is for everyone. Like I'm a Philip Glass fanatic—so Philip Glass writes something, I'm there. I love Janáček, Benjamin Britten, Mozart. But there are some operas I can't find a portal in. But I wouldn't know if I didn't listen ahead of time. So I think part of the beauty of it is to understand what kind of music do you love.”

Misconception #3: "It’s Too Fancy for Me”

Tesori knows that a big reason theatre audiences don’t always go to the opera is because they think it’s too refined for them, that they won’t “get it.” As she explains: “I think the misconceptions are, ‘I don't belong there, I have to be smart, I don't know the language, I'll be bored, I don't know what to wear.'"

One critique, the language, is easily fixed—the Met and many other opera companies have supertitles. And if you’re scared of being bored, a place like the Met can also provide spectacle: “In musicals, we have spectacle, but not at this epic level. I mean, [the Met] has elephants sometimes on stage,” marvels Tesori. As for getting it—there’s truly an opera for anyone, whether it’s the spectacle and classical programming of the Met, or the intimacy and experimentation of companies like the Beth Morrison Projects and Heartbeat Opera. You don't need a doctorate in musicology to appreciate opera—Tesori would know, she never went to graduate school.

“Every time I go, my ears and my head expand,” enthuses Tesori. And she also feels that writing an opera has unlocked new tools for her as a composer. “I feel like I got a graduate degree just by being around the level of musicianship, orchestrally—and the role that a large orchestra can play as a character. And you have to have a swift and sure gesture in opera, because it has to read for thousands of people. And those kinds of voices that are unamplified—I find them astonishing. I'm really in awe of them.”