FLOSS Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 (edited) The early matinees are generally on days when the evening performance whether opera or ballet is also starting early. Early evening starts are sometimes required because the evening performance is starting half an hour earlier than it usually would in order to accommodate people who have to travel long distances. On other occasions it is the only way that a ballet matinee can be squeezed in because the evening performance is of an opera which always has an early start say 6.30 pm whenever it is performed. The ballet company suffers because it shares stage time with an opera company. The opera calendar is set and singers' contracts are signed several years before the season in which the performance is scheduled to take place. I assume that the stage hands need a certain amount of time to change shows even with the modern facilities that the opera house boasts and that they require work breaks as well.. Ballet performances are, in effect, slotted into the opera schedule. In some cases it looks as if the company is faced with the choice of early start matinees or no ballet performance at all on some days.. Reducing or eliminating early start matinees performances would almost certainly result in fewer ballet performances in total; an increase in ticket prices as the company has to cover its costs during the season; fewer opportunities for young dancers to perform and develop as the principal dancers would all expect to have their usual allocation of performances of any particular ballet thus making it more likely that the next generation of principals would be recruited from companies which are able to develop their dancers because they have the stage time to do so.. Edited April 4, 2016 by FLOSS 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 They could do more mid week or Sunday matinees,although trains are dearer on Sundays I find. DNB only do matinees on a Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 They seem to have had a LOT more midweek matinees this season (2015/16) than last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A frog Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 I'm assuming perhaps wrongly that the RB dancers' contracts have Sundays as their day off and that performances then are just not an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 No: it's something to do with the length of rest they have to have before they can start working again, which intrudes too much into work on Mondays, I think. I'm sure someone else will be able to give a more accurate explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 (edited) The National Theatre is stopping its Sunday shows because they didn't sell too well, so Sun matinees might not be in the best financial interest of the ROH either Edited April 4, 2016 by Coated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 I'm surprised by that - perhaps its because lots of sports are now playing on Sundays rather than the traditional Saturday, and so taking away potential audience (as in, dad (or mum) won't go to the theatre as the match/race is on, so family doesn't go at all). Or sunday shopping.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Or perhaps ... people still think of Sunday as the traditional day of rest ... I personally do feel a bit odd going shopping or attending a performance on a Sunday so tend not to (In case of performance unless it is someone I am desperate to see). Or, in case of having a distance to travel - travelling on Sundays is a total nightmare if you are on public transport! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueline Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Yes, travelling any distance on public transport on Sunday is a nightmare. The first coach out of this town is an hour later than other days, so if the performance is an early starter, you have no chance. Trains, tubes, buses are all subject to maintenance, cancellation and alteration due to some event. I have travelled to London on a few Sundays and they have all been hellish. It would have to be something absolutely unmissable for me to do it again, particularly having to go to work on Monday. I don't know what it is like in other countries but inconveniencing the paying public here seems to be an art form in itself. I realise sometimes it is unavoidable but much of the time it seems to be for the most trivial of reasons. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Even Londoners have the Sunday travel problem and I can remember when no trains were travelling on my line having to take a bus to another railway station that was operating and then having to make a second convoluted journey to the theatre because the tube line I needed wasn't running either. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 I noticed that Royal Ballet of Flanders only seems to have matinees on Sundays. Public transport is definitely an issue but there is also a feeling of getting ready for school or work on Monday morning which may make people more reluctant to have a trip out on a Sunday afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Dancer Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 I have lots of things on my wish list but I was surprised that the article mentioned Carbon Life and there was no mention of Chroma which is by far, my favourite McGregor work. Getting anywhere on public transport these days seems to be a nightmare, be it weekdays or weekends. I gave myself 1:45 to take what should've been a 40 min journey to an interview but ended up dashing around like a mad man and hailing a taxi (luckily) for the last leg of the journey - so much for calming myself beforehand... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Even Londoners have the Sunday travel problem and I can remember when no trains were travelling on my line having to take a bus to another railway station that was operating and then having to make a second convoluted journey to the theatre because the tube line I needed wasn't running either. Yep, sounds not uncommon. One of the reasons I liked South London is that there *are* all these alternative routes when need be - you should see some of the routes I used to take home from work when there was a major signalling problem or something affecting my usual routes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayKwok Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Hot off the presses! http://www.roh.org.uk/news/ballet-and-dance-201617 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colman Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Excellent: Live relays of The Dream / Symphonic Variations / Marguerite and Armand and Woolf Works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayKwok Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 (edited) At a quick glance: Full lengths: La Fille mal Gardee x 13 Anastasia x 10 Nutcracker x 27 Sleeping Beauty x 25 Woolf Works x 10 Mayerling x 10 Mixed bills: Chroma / New Wayne McGregor / Carbon Life x 6 New Charlotte Edmonds and Robert Binet x 5 (in the Clore) The Human Seasons / After the Rain / New Crystal Pite x 8 Jewels x 14 The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude / Tarantella / Strapless / New Liam Scarlett x 7 The Dream / Symphonic Variations / Marguerite and Armand x 6 Edited April 6, 2016 by select*from Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayKwok Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 A lot of Nutcrackers and Sleeping Beauties.... and their performance periods overlap one another! I'll be glad to see Anastasia (never seen before) and Mayerling. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Hot off the presses! http://www.roh.org.uk/news/ballet-and-dance-201617 Thanks for posting the link. The press release hasn't come in to our inbox yet. Just on a quick perusal, I won't be dashing down to London much in the Autumn but the mixed programmes all have something of interest for me next year. Hopefully this time I WILL see After the Rain!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayKwok Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 (edited) Also had a quick look at each programme, and the number of matinees: Fille: 1 Thu schools matinee, 1 Fri, 1 Sat Anastasia: 2 Sat Nutcracker: 2 Mon, 2 Tue, 2 Wed (of which 1 is school), 2 Sat, 1 Sun Beauty: 1 Thu, 1 Fri, 3 Sat Woolf works: 3 Sat Mayerling: 1 Mon 2 Sat Wayne McG: No matinees New Charlotte Edmonds and Robert Binet: No matinees The Human Seasons / After the Rain / New Crystal Pite: 1 Tue schools matinee Jewels: 3 Sat The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude / Tarantella / Strapless / New Liam Scarlett: 1 Sat The Dream / Symphonic Variations / Marguerite and Armand: 1 Sat Edited April 6, 2016 by select*from 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Yamine Naghdi/Matthew Ball in Fille.....PLEASE!! And Yuhui/Campbell..... More thoughts later, but this looks like an ok season to me. Some good mixed bills, and I will be skipping Anastasia. Mara Galeazzi has just posted on FB that she will be sharing the role of Virginia Woolf with Alessandra Ferri during the run. This is double great news: one, that Ferri is returning, two, that Mara (who I said from the first time I saw the piece would be fab) will also be dancing it. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Lots to see, a great season. New to the forum and potentially seeking people to go with as my friends are not such big ballet fan. Even just to meet in the interval rather than sitting alone!!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletfanp Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Sounds good overall - can't wait for the casting to be announced! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Thanks so much, select*from. Are they now considering Jewels as a triple bill??!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayKwok Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Sorry I just typed this out based on info from their news page which lists the productions, rather than a press release. They didn't refer to them as such. I had no idea where to put them and just put it there randomly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nycitybird Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 I'm excited for Woolf Works again, Mayerling, Anastasia, and my dream (no pun intended) Ashton triple bill as I haven't seen any of those ballets yet but they're all top of my list. I'm quite surprised Fille is back again as I feel like I saw it 5 minutes ago. I've only got into ballet in the last couple of years and I didn't realise ballets were revived with so little time in between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 They aren't always, NYCbird. There are many ballets that we haven't had for years: Sylvia, Ondine, Bayadere, just to name three full-lengthers. We usually have two or three seasons between Filles, but I am thinking that part of the reason for its revival next season is so that Roberta Marquez, one of the best Lises ever (IMHO) can come back and say a proper goodbye to the company and audience she served so well. The other reason, of course, is that it is totally fab and enduringly popular! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 I am wondering whether the mods would please consider starting a new thread with post#47 so that we leave the speculation (and the other paraphernalia!!!) behind and move forward on the facts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Newbie here... Season looks great, so much I want to see, but my challenge is more in finding someone willing to come with due to combination of volume/price considerations for non ballet lovers etc. Happy to sit alone (have booked for Bolshoi this summer as friends balked at prices even for Amphitheatre) but interval not much fun that way. Do you ever meet up at performances? Also, what sort of seating do you recommend? Was spoilt growing up in Manchester as my grandma always treated me - and the theatre just wasn't as expensive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 I am wondering whether the mods would please consider starting a new thread with post#47 so that we leave the speculation (and the other paraphernalia!!!) behind and move forward on the facts? I think you mean post #48, Capybara?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodlandGladeFairy Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Just had a look at the 16/17 RB season and it looks fab, most excited for Mayerling, it's one of my fav ballets, and would complete a MacMillan trio as I've seen Manon & Romeo and Juliet. Also The Sleeping Beauty and Jewels are also what I want to see! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A frog Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 (edited) I'm happy to see the productions are a little more evenly spread per booking period, if I'm counting right, 4, 3, 2, and 2. It's a nice change from having five in the autumn, usually three of which were full-evening length. Edited April 6, 2016 by A frog 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 (edited) As far as I am concerned the company could perform Fille nearly every season, as they seemed to when it was a new work, without any complaints from me. I hope that we shall see some new casts this time round as well as some favourites. Anastasia would not have been my first choice for revival this season but it makes sense as there is the main role for a dance actress as well as the strictly classical pas de deux created on Sibley and Dowell. Perhaps Kevin will give some of the younger dancers an opportunity to show what they can do in it before they realise how difficult it is. From Kevin's comments about reviving Beauty it looks like we can look forward to some new young casts in it. Mayerling should also see at least one new Rudolph. The Ashton mixed bill should be good too. I just hope that management resists the temptation to swap dancers around in Symphonic and that we get the best available casts in it. Any mixed bill with well cast performances of Symphonic will get my vote. I do hope that Les Biches and Daphnis and Chloe are scheduled next season as Biches is a great work and I want to see Yanowsky dance the Hostess again before she retires. As far as Daphnis and Chloe is concerned it is a ballet that I admire more each time I see. It has been neglected for far too long and the company has some young dancers who would be wonderful in it. But then I could say that about a great deal of the Ashton repertory. Edited April 6, 2016 by FLOSS 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 lots to look forward to for me :-) Jewels, Woolf Works, most of the mixed bills but especially Carbon Life, Symphonic V, Thrill of Exactitude (though I may be sitting out Strapless and Marguerite), Fille to kick off the season, Mayerling, a good few Nutcrackers for Christmas cheer. Beauty will depend upon casting - its a long stand for the 'wedding' act if there's no one you particularly want to see doing the gpdd. Also can't say I'm keen on Anatasia, though will no doubt go to a few. Would liked to have seen Sylvia revived (seems overdue to me) - perhaps we'll get that next time. Now, where's that cheque book..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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