The word opera means "work" in Italian, and the combination of singing, acting and dancing on stage is indeed a labor of love.

But many Americans have never seen live opera. Attending the opera means you have to get there first, which isn't so easy for people living outside urban areas, and then paying for it, which at the Metropolitan Opera in New York means upwards of $300 a ticket - and that’s for a Saturday matinee.

So when the Met began simulcasting operas to movie theaters - from cineplexes in Fargo to shopping malls in France - for about $18 a ticket, the floodgates were opened, and it was a hit.

Even with complaints about the smell of fake-buttered popcorn and the crumpling Sno-Cap wrappers while, say, Rodolfo cries out in agony over the lifeless body of his lover, Mimi, the Met simulcasts have been selling out in venues world-wide. And other cultural organizations are catching on.

Marc Scorca is the president of Opera America, a group that represents the industry. Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott speaks with Scorca about this new way of reaching audiences.

See the schedule for the "Met Opera's Live in HD" series

UPDATE: Met General Manager Peter Gelb is scheduled to talk at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government on March 3rd. Click here for details.