Friends excursions: behind the scenes at the Royal Opera House
Monday 13 November 2017 2.30 - 4.45pm
Royal Opera House, Bow St, London WC2E
£30. Includes light refreshments.
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We are pleased to offer this behind-the-scenes tour of the Royal Opera House especially created for RA Friends, which includes a post-tour talk on their ambitious building project, 'OPEN UP'.
Our knowledgeable guides will introduce Friends to the colourful history of this iconic theatre as it prepares to open its doors for the evening performance. The tour takes us into the auditorium and the historic foyer areas as we learn about the architecture and original design of the building. You may get a sneak peak of members of the Royal Ballet rehearsing, or see the magnificent backstage technology in action as sets are moved around on stage. We will visit the costume designers as they prepare for current and future productions, as well as the Royal Box and retiring room, still used by Royal Patrons today.
We end our visit with a half-hour talk by Heather Walker, director of Visitor Experience, on the OPEN UP project that will literally "open up" this historic building for generations to come. Heather will show us the architectural designs for enlarging and opening up the main foyer at ground level, redesigning the Linbury Studio Theatre, glazing part of the terrace at Amphitheatre level and refurbishing the Clore Studio.