For the various fine arts - opera, ballet and theater, to name a few - the main issue of today continues to be one of relevance. In an era of YouTube clips and iTunes, organizations and venues of the fine arts struggle to bring their media to the masses. The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City is banking on America's love of the silver screen to stimulate support.

This winter, the Met announced its plans to rebroadcast video recordings of many highly anticipated productions to theaters across the country, and this Sunday at 1:30 p.m., the Michigan Theater will host Tan Dun's newest opera, "The First Emperor."

Opera star Placido Domingo takes the lead role in the story of Qin Shi Huang, the Chinese conqueror who unified the country and became its first emperor.

These screenings aim to revitalize the art form and create a more feasible means of accessing great performances.

"It's exciting to be able to give people an opportunity that they don't have, to get to see Met Opera outside of New York, to get to see Placido Domingo perform," said Mark Schwartz the Michigan Theater's executive house manager.

Such high-definition broadcasts allow the Opera to reach a much wider demographic, since lower production costs make showings affordable. Despite the many purists who insist opera is best experienced live, the genre is still well on its way to achieving a more mainstream audience because of DVD releases, radio archives and satellite broadcasts.

"It's just a broadcast, but it's still Met Opera," Schwartz said. "It's not as costly, so people who have never seen an opera are more likely to come out. We're hoping to bring in a wide group of people."

On the local level, many people have already expressed interest in the broadcasts. "People were e-mailing me before I'd even heard of it," he said.

As of now, it is unclear whether the Michigan Theater will continue to host these types of performances. While the theater hasn't agreed to anything yet, there are plans in the works for more opportunities in the schedule next year to include rebroadcasts of live events such as this one.

Sunday's performance will help shape a view of how other areas of the arts adapt this new method.

The First Emperor
Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
At the Michigan Theater
$15-$18