Podcast Summary: "We're Your Girls, At The Met Opera!"
Podcast: We're Your Girls
Host: Good Mess Media
Episode Date: December 19, 2025
Overview
In this lively and heartfelt episode, Tiffany and Taryn, best friends and co-hosts of "We're Your Girls," bring their infectious energy and sisterhood to a historic setting—the Metropolitan Opera. They broadcast from inside the iconic, empty hall, becoming the first-ever podcast to record in the Met Opera auditorium. The episode weaves together themes of friendship, creative passion, accessibility in the arts, and the wonders of the opera experience. Special guest Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, joins for an insightful, behind-the-scenes conversation about making opera exciting and inclusive for new generations.
Main Topics & Key Segments
🍾 Setting the Scene: Gowns, Giggles & Opera Firsts
[01:01–02:42]
- Tiffany and Taryn, fully dressed in Met-provided opera costumes (complete with bustles, corsets, and dramatic flair), revel in being inside the empty, echoing auditorium.
- They excitedly announce spending New Year’s Eve at the Met for "I Puritani" and invite listeners to join in.
- The duo express deep gratitude and awe at this unique podcasting opportunity and newfound partnership with the Met.
"We are the first ever podcast to record in the auditorium of the Met Opera." — B, [01:29]
🎭 Theater Kid Origins & Creative Sisterhood
[03:52–06:37]
- The hosts reflect on their personal journeys as lifelong “theater kids” and the community built through the arts.
- They recall feeling “weird” or like outcasts growing up, and how those traits became their superpower in adulthood.
- Being creative is positioned as something to embrace, not hide. They encourage listeners: "Let your freak flag fly!" ([11:48])
- Tiffany discusses her unique art-school upbringing where creativity was the norm and how that shaped her confidence.
"If you're a kid, just keep going. Just keep being weird a little longer. You'll get to adulthood. Be weird. Then you'll be great." — A, [05:01]
💼 The Value of Arts and All Work
[07:43–09:46]
- Taryn recalls a private equity fan who credited their show with bringing “color” to a gray work life.
- The hosts discuss “qualifying” or downplaying the challenges of creative work compared to conventional careers, only to realize everyone does this.
- They explore the importance of reframing this perspective and recognizing that arts work is meaningful and often hard.
"I would never say anyone in the arts isn't doing something important." — B, [09:21]
"It's really important each of us does our little job, whatever it is." — B, [09:41]
🎵 Why the Arts Matter: Education & Changing Lives
[10:14–21:13]
- The hosts passionately defend the critical role of arts, especially in challenging societal climates:
"The arts are everything... This is life changing and life saving work." — B & A, [10:19–10:26]
- Tiffany describes the life-altering impact of her public arts education and the pivotal role of dedicated art teachers.
- Both reflect on how access to arts programs shaped their paths and express a wish to heavily fund arts education if able.
- Heartfelt stories: Tiffany's emotional return to her high-school costume shop; Taryn credits drama teachers for saving and inspiring young lives.
😂 Backstage & On Set: Collaboration and Comedy
[21:13–28:48]
- The joy of working on set is celebrated; both marvel at how creative teams operate as “well-oiled machines.”
- Taryn, though “green,” loves observing and learning everything about a set’s ecosystem.
- They delight in the small, weird moments artists notice and turn into material, underscoring how creatives are wired to find stories everywhere.
"Artists... we all have some kind of vested interest in the humanness, what it means to be here and what it means to exist." — B, [21:42]
👗 Opera Culture: Style, Traditions & Accessibility
[29:36–51:38]
- [29:36]: Peter Gelb, General Manager of the Met Opera, joins the pod.
- Peter shares his personal history (a teenage usher at the Met before becoming GM) and discusses opera's dramatic, emotionally charged stories.
- Discussion of why so many operas are tragedies:
"Because they're sort of bigger than life stories... People dying is more emotional than people living happily ever after." — Peter Gelb, [30:48]
- Breaking the stereotype of opera as only for the elite:
- The Met's efforts for accessibility: English subtitles, diverse programming (e.g., "Magic Flute" in English for families), and live HD transmissions worldwide—even in the Arctic Circle!
- Unique behind-the-scenes quirks: live animals onstage (including a donkey and a mule), a children’s chorus with their own tutors, and craftspeople whose families have worked at the Met for generations.
"Opera really is for anyone who loves entertainment escapism." — Peter Gelb, [43:36]
Fashion at the Opera
- Diana (A) and Taryn (B) rave about the Met’s cocktail hour, gowns, and the fun of people-watching in the grand foyer.
- Notable anecdote: The legend of “Piano Hat Lady” spotted in a box seat, inspiring the girls to step up their fashion game.
"It's a fashion show. It's such a fun fashion show." — B, [49:22]
🚀 Inspiring the Next Generation and Each Other
[42:11–44:37]
- Peter expounds on outreach efforts to school kids, including bringing thousands in for final dress rehearsals and shaping opera as a joyful, accessible experience.
- Touching generational moments: mentions of third-generation Met craftspeople and the camaraderie of the Met family.
🤣 Games, Gags, and Dream Roles
[51:38–57:15]
- Tiffany and Taryn riff hilariously about wanting cameo roles at the opera:
- Dreams of being a supernumerary, playing weird percussion in the orchestra, or just making dramatic entrances/exits.
- Laugh-out-loud bit: the accuracy of “scary xylophone”/glockenspiel cues at the Met, referencing their own theater mishaps.
- The delight in “creative risk-taking” and the freedom to be silly.
🎉 Closing: Community, Joy, and Church Announcements
[57:15–end]
- The girls treat listeners to their classic “church announcements” bit—relocating their fictional congregation to the Met Opera for Sunday service, with bright humor and lots of love for their crew.
- They encourage listeners to “watch” this episode for the costumes and livestream magic.
- Anticipation builds for their upcoming trip to Paris and New Year’s Eve at the Met.
Notable Quotes & Moments
- "Let your freak flag fly!" — B, [11:48]
- "The point is... artists, whatever their medium, all have this vested interest in the humanness of it all." — B, [22:32]
- "Opera... is not inaccessible. It's fun." — Peter Gelb, [38:56]
- "Come as you are, baby." — A, [44:17]
Timestamps for Key Segments
| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:01 | The Met Opera: podcasting from an empty auditorium | | 02:46 | Theatrical costumes and playful character bits | | 03:52 | Friendship & being lifelong theater kids | | 07:43 | Why the arts matter to everyday people | | 09:46 | Redefining the importance of all kinds of work | | 10:14 | Arts education, tribute to arts teachers | | 18:37 | Emotional homecomings to arts roots | | 21:13 | On-set fun and creativity in daily life | | 29:36 | Peter Gelb: Met Opera GM interview starts | | 30:48 | Why so many operas are tragic | | 36:04 | Accessibility: language, subtitles, dress codes | | 37:03 | Met Opera live streams around the world | | 39:34 | Making opera fun and relatable for new generations | | 41:04 | Children’s chorus and education at the Met | | 44:08 | Dress codes, inclusivity, opera as a date-night option | | 47:03 | Champagne intermissions, espresso martinis, black tie fun | | 49:22 | Fashion at the Met: "It’s such a fun fashion show" | | 51:38 | Hilarious bits: dream roles, percussion, xylophone gags | | 57:15 | Church announcements; wrapping up in high spirits |
Overall Tone and Takeaways
The episode is zany, celebratory, nostalgic, and deeply passionate about the arts. Tiffany and Taryn’s chemistry shines as they blend thoughtful commentary on the significance of creative communities with laugh-out-loud moments and theatrical jokes. The segment with Peter Gelb provides an invaluable, welcoming look inside the Met Opera and the efforts being made to demystify and expand opera’s audience. The underlying message is one of joy, inclusion, and encouragement to claim and celebrate one's own weirdness—and to bring that spirit to experiences, whether at the Met Opera or anywhere creativity and community can flourish.