This season, the Met’s live HD transmissions will be shown not only in movie theaters around the world but also at schools in all five New York City boroughs, as part of the Met’s initiative to expand its educational outreach. Students from Long Island City High School in Queens and Celia Cruz Bronx High School will be sharing the excitement at their schools before, during and after this Saturday’s transmission on a new blog.

Check back soon for the first entries!

Today was the first of the Met’s 8 high-definition transmissions this season, and the excitement in the opera house was palpable. TV trucks were parked behind the house on Amsterdam Avenue, and camera crews raced around the house capturing behind-the-scenes action for the international audience.

During the scene changes of the first half of Roméo et Juliette, cameras caught baritone Nathan Gunn joking with a stage manager as the set was put into place. The opera’s Juliette, superstar Anna Netrebko, could be seen getting helped into her gauzy robe with the help of a dresser, before ascending the stairs to Juliette’s balcony.

During intermission, another star soprano – Renée Fleming – took on the role of special interview, chatting with Netrebko and her co-star Roberto Alagna in a backstage dressing room about the challenges of playing the famous teenage lovebirds. A chatty Alagna elicited laughs from the divas when he claimed to be “very shy”. As Fleming introduced a video clip, Netrebko hammed it up for the camera, doing a dance behind her soprano colleague.

Later in the intermission, Fleming escorted Plácido Domingo, who was conducting the show, to the orchestra pit for the third act, chatting with the legendary tenor for the live movie-theater audience about his 40-year Met career.

At this writing, the performance has just ended and the audience is still applauding. Check back for updates and photos!

This season, the Met’s groundbreaking series of live HD performance transmissions, which kicked off at 1 P.M. today with Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, is not only presented in movie theaters around the world, but also in New York City schools in each of the five boroughs.

At High School of Enterprise, Business and Technology on Grand Street Campus in Brooklyn, the show is sold out at nearly 1000 tickets. The school didn’t spare any effort in terms of marketing: there’s a huge color banner for “Live in HD” on the side of the building, facing Bushwick Avenue, with a picture of Anna Netrebko, who is singing Juliette, standing 20 feet tall. The school kids also put up posters in local eating establishments, including Grand Street Grill, their local bodega, and The Great Wall Chinese restaurant.

Kenny McLaughlin, a history teacher, is the school’s Director of Audience Development. His extra-curricular program prepares students to attend and enjoy cultural events and live performances, including proper attire and etiquette. The entire HD presentation is manned by students, wearing shirts with a “Grand Street Campus Music and Art Department” logo. This is serious business here!

14-year-old Katrina has never seen an opera before. “I used to think opera would be boring,” she said an hour before curtain time. “That it’s one lady singing the entire time. I got into this because Romeo and Juliet is a really famous story. I think this program is great because you see that anything can happen.”

Photos: Stephanie Berger/Metropolitan Opera