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London’s Royal Opera House fights elitist image with new theatre

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London: London’s iconic Royal Opera House (ROH) on Wednesday said it is hoping to fight off an elitist image with a brand new 406-seat theatre aimed at reaching a new audience.


The Linbury Theatre will open on December 3, kicking off a wide-ranging programme intended to showcase elite artists — but without the elitism often associated with the historic venue.


“What is important to us is to challenge these preconceptions,” the ROH’s Director of Opera Oliver Mears said at the unveiling.


“The way to start is by being proud that this is an elite art-form, the people on stage, the crew, are the very best people at what they do in the world.


“Our role is to ensure people think they can come here and be enchanted,” he said.


The theatre, underground at the ROH’s Convent Garden site, boasts cutting-edge acoustic technology and its first season features four world premieres, including an operatic performance of Francesca Simon’s coming-of-age fantasy “The Monstrous Child”.


Along with the new space, the three-year, £50.7 million ( $66.7 million) redevelopment also includes new cafes and public areas that will allow the venue to open during the day for the first time.


ROH chief Alex Beard said the new-look theatre and its reduced ticket prices would “change the way the world sees us and how we see the world.” However, its creation was not without its challenges, with builders discovering an underground lake during construction that required pumping out.


Mears hopes the new, intimate theatre’s diverse programme will provide a bridge for youngsters and those not versed in opera.


“We want to create something that is much more surprising in the repertoire, much more unpredictable, more fun and more colourful.


“Ultimately the experience is about people singing, which we all know about... It’s a primal thing, and it’s about stories, and everyone loves stories,” he said.


“When you combine the theatrical and the musical, it can be quite overwhelming but there is this unfortunate perception that opera is for toffs,” he added.


“It can be life-changing if you give it a chance.” — AFP


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