The "new" Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

[capybara]

9 hours ago, Richard LH said:

But thinking back, all the new publicly accessible areas we saw (ground floor foyer/cafe and shop, lower ground floor next to Linbury, and Level 5 ) were very sparsely populated on Thursday evening, 

 

I don’t think there was anything on in the main auditorium on Thursday so those of us at the Insight saw the ROH without the opera audience of around 2000 being in the building 🙂 

[alison]

5 hours ago, zxDaveM said:

I got a rather nicely produced booklet through the post today, 'Linbury Theatre + Daytime OPEN'. It features all that's occurring in the new spaces for the season (with the photos that are already online in the 'What's On' listing), plus Insights and joining in type events. Nice 🙂

 

So did I.  It was the one I'd picked up a couple of days earlier on the assumption that they'd stopped doing mail-outs  

[LinMM]

I went to the loo in the downstairs area from the new cafe not up in the Amphi so perhaps it was just the latter area that had the problem in the loos.

I must say though that if you've paid £60 plus for a ticket I think after 6.30pm ticket holders should get priority for seats etc though usually up in the Amphi area at performance times it was nearly impossible to get a seat anyway unless you got there really early!! 

 

I definitely didnt have my bag checked at any point on either Thursday evening or Friday afternoon! Though I agree there were not that many people around on the Thursday evening generally but I didn't get there till about quarter to seven so don't know what it was like earlier.

on the Friday afternoon there was a public singing event as part of the open up which looked fun in the Paul Hamlyn Hall area. There seemed to be a good number of people there....60-80 at a guess. 

I asked the duty people what had happened to,the central bar that is usually there in performances and they said oh it can be moved around now! So I said that's good a bit like like magic you just press a button and it appears and disappears!

oh no they said WE have to PUSH it backwards and forwards into place!! 

Damn it I was hoping to see the magically roving bar.

But these public events must bring in a fair bit for the ROH so a good idea.

They will have to keep on top of the loos though when inviting people in like this.....no Tescos loos please!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Richard LH]

2 hours ago, capybara said:

 

I don’t think there was anything on in the main auditorium on Thursday so those of us at the Insight saw the ROH without the opera audience of around 2000 being in the building 🙂 

Yes that was my point really...the small number of people around when there was no main performance, would tend to suggest that the crowding, when there was an opera on, was mainly ticket holders rather than casual visitors. Of course this is only speculation....

[Jillykins]

Staff very helpful directing us to toilets for disabled, towel containers also overflowing there. As usual we were taken to backstage lift to reach Clore by delightful, helpful staff. Unfortunately my seat and my companions seats were numbered but there was confusion where to put us. I hate being conspicuous but we were clearly a problem. All was sorted and I enjoyed the evening. 

I had a duplicate ticket ticket for Mayerling rehearsal with a note to destroy  The original. This was because the ticket  told the wheelchair to go in through one door and the companion through another. Difficult as my companion has to push my chair! Full marks for somebody in the box office spotting this error. Now praying to be well enough to make a rehearsal, but I can be very determined!

 

 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2018 by Jillykins
Siri misheard!

[Margaret]

I too received this booklet about the Linbury season.  It was a bit late as booking had already opened several days before, so not able to send the information to the friends I book for.  Still, better late than never!

 

Margaret

 

 

[capybara]

I went into the Foyer for a coffee yesterday between ENB at Sadlers Wells and NEBT at The Peacock and was present during the long second interval in Siegfried.

 

There was strong competition for the seats there, not least because several people had come fully armed for a self-help feast. Sandwiches purchased elsewhere were again much in evidence and, in some case, plates, cutlery, beakers and wine were being unloaded from carrier bags along with a full cold meal. But sandwiches were available and many people were buying them (at around £12 for 8 quarters, I think).

 

The atmosphere was good and the ladies' toilets downstairs seemed very clean and tidy. However, people without a ticket are not allowed to access them via  the lift on the left of the auditorium as that would enable them to go straight into the auditorium at various levels. All this must be very difficult to 'police'.

[LinMM]

I agree about this.

There luckily do seem to be plenty of really helpful staff on duty in the daytime etc but that time in the early eve when people will be arriving for ballet and opera performances is going to be a little difficult I think.

 

Regarding the Amphi maybe they are going to just see how it goes regards ticket holders and idling public on performance days. Perhaps they think that by 6.30pm there won't be that many non ticket holders still around. I'm sure there is room for at least just another couple of tables up there but if it does turn out to be a problem then presumably they will have to take action.

I don't see why the new open up has to be ALL day long anyway ......surely 6.30 pm or maybe even 7pm at the latest is enough time for passing visitors to get what they need from the ROH.

[alison]

I was at the Royal Festival Hall today, and noticed that there are signs up at various places round the building to say that "this area will be open until 5 pm [or something], and then will close and re-open to ticket-holders only at 6.15".  If they are finding it necessary to do that, after years of being fully open, I suspect the ROH will have to follow suit in due course.

[bridiem]

8 hours ago, alison said:

I was at the Royal Festival Hall today, and noticed that there are signs up at various places round the building to say that "this area will be open until 5 pm [or something], and then will close and re-open to ticket-holders only at 6.15".  If they are finding it necessary to do that, after years of being fully open, I suspect the ROH will have to follow suit in due course.

 

That's interesting, Alison. Did that apply to the whole ground floor area? That would be a huge change.

[alison]

I don't remember it being on the ground floor, Bridie, but it was certainly various areas upstairs - can't remember exactly where, but I think it included Level 5, where the riverside balcony is.

[ninamargaret]

11 hours ago, alison said:

I was at the Royal Festival Hall today, and noticed that there are signs up at various places round the building to say that "this area will be open until 5 pm [or something], and then will close and re-open to ticket-holders only at 6.15".  If they are finding it necessary to do that, after years of being fully open, I suspect the ROH will have to follow suit in due course.

There are also loudspeaker announcements at the National Theatre asking people sitting at tables to vacate them so people attending performances can get somewhere to sit and have a drink or snack. I suppose that's the problem with making anywhere a cafe with theatre attached!

 

[Lynette H]

There is finally a reply on the ROH news page to some of the comments raised on the "new" ROH. It confirms 

 

"We'll still be sharing information and updates via our News section, but the bulk of our content offer will move to our hugely popular social media channels including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

We're also shifting our focus towards more filmed behind the scenes content, which I'm sure will be of interest, so will be ramping up the amount of Facebook Live films and rehearsal clips, as well as artist features.

In doing this, we'll be able to reach millions more each week with the magic of opera and ballet."

[JohnS]

Many thanks Lynette - I was just about to make a similar post.  I'd been expecting my Royal Opera House post to have gone through moderation and was pleased to see that my post was there  (Simon Smith), together with a reply, although I do wonder if 'News' may rather wither - sadly.  I've added the link in case people wish to see the various comments and full reply.

 

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-opera-house-open-up

 

I do wonder how the Royal Opera House will be able to use links to Facebook etc rather than to its own website in drawing attention to past news items/features which may well be of interest to audiences for forthcoming productions.

[jm365]

As a Facebook 'refusnik', I do hope that information about performances etc. will continue to be available to those of us who don't use social media.

[Mary]

Well yes- your comment on the ROH site JohnS was very sensible and reasonable- wish I could say the same for the jargon-filled non-response.

Where else should we expect ROH news if not on their website? And in fact they may be a little behind the times, as people, and indeed young people, leave Facebook in their droves.....

[toursenlair]

3 hours ago, Mary said:

Well yes- your comment on the ROH site JohnS was very sensible and reasonable- wish I could say the same for the jargon-filled non-response.

Where else should we expect ROH news if not on their website? And in fact they may be a little behind the times, as people, and indeed young people, leave Facebook in their droves.....

the thing is that literally billions of people are on facebook worldwide. It is by far and away the most popular social media site, and young people leaving in "droves" barely makes a dent in it.

[Geoff]

4 hours ago, jm365 said:

As a Facebook 'refusnik', I do hope that information about performances etc. will continue to be available to those of us who don't use social media.

 

Those of us who agree with this should make the point to the ROH direct asap. Where might be best? Posting on news, an email to some executive (but who?) or somewhere else?

[LinMM]

Often young people don't leave Facebook exactly but do have another accounts like Instagram or Twitter for example that they just use more regularly etc. 

[serenade]

6 hours ago, JohnS said:

 I'd been expecting my Royal Opera House post to have gone through moderation and was pleased to see that my post was there  (Simon Smith), together with a reply, although I do wonder if 'News' may rather wither - sadly.  

 

It certainly seems that way🙁

 

I get why they want to concentrate more on social media content but it seems a shame to let their own website go a bit.  And also, considering how much they've harped on about wanting the ROH to be welcoming to everyone it seems like when it comes to online content it's a different story.  You're very welcome (if you use facebook).  

[ninamargaret]

i think the ROH is now so keen on attracting new audiences, both by its Open Up project and its  preference in using social media rather than the web site that it will be in danger of alienating its existing audience. It's not as if they suffer from poor audiences, most performances i attend are sold out, or nearly so. Having said that, I think it's an unwelcome trend in theatres generally today. They're so keen to encourage new audiences they disregard their core audiences who have supported them for many years.

[JohnS]

8 hours ago, Geoff said:

 

Those of us who agree with this should make the point to the ROH direct asap. Where might be best? Posting on news, an email to some executive (but who?) or somewhere else?

 

People could add comments to the News page where Chris Shipman gives the Royal Opera House's reply.  That has the advantage of being public.

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-opera-house-open-up

 

It's also possible to email the Royal Opera House via the 'contacts' page.  Those emails are not published and you may not get a reply.

http://www.roh.org.uk/contact

 

Or it's possible to write/email Alex Beard or Friends (if a Friend).

[Mary]

11 hours ago, toursenlair said:

the thing is that literally billions of people are on facebook worldwide. It is by far and away the most popular social media site, and young people leaving in "droves" barely makes a dent in it.

That is a fair point and I do appreciate it. However, the point being made here is not, that we think ROH should not use Facebook at all-of course, as you say it is still very popular, and that would not make sense.

The point I am making-with others above- is just that they shouldn't stop using their own website, and we would prefer them not to put things on Facebook and nowhere else, - because a lot of people have stopped using it, for very good reasons.

 

[penelopesimpson]

and a lot of people have never used it, i.e. Me!  I don't see why I should be railroaded into using this particular form of social media because an art form I spend huge amounts of money supporting, decides it doesn't want to communicate with me.

[penelopesimpson]

4 hours ago, ninamargaret said:

i think the ROH is now so keen on attracting new audiences, both by its Open Up project and its  preference in using social media rather than the web site that it will be in danger of alienating its existing audience. It's not as if they suffer from poor audiences, most performances i attend are sold out, or nearly so. Having said that, I think it's an unwelcome trend in theatres generally today. They're so keen to encourage new audiences they disregard their core audiences who have supported them for many years.

Ninamargaret - it is a complete mystery to me.  Of course new audiences are desirable but not to the extent of freezing out the people who support you.

[LinMM]

I think this has been mentioned on another thread here regards some Groups/organisations only communicating their info to Group members via Facebook or other social media eg : more recently What's App.

I had to join Facebook in the end to get certain info from a "closed" group I belonged to ( eg videos of dance rehearsals we had attended, class venues and any changes etc and workshops) as otherwise others in the group had to keep emailing me with it! 

 

I think Facebook and similar can be very useful for many people but I don't think organisations should assume you belong or want to belong to it etc. 

 

The lack of Loyalty issue to long standing customers is everywhere now though.....telephone companies, gas/electric suppliers. They are all busy trying to attract NEW customers so that long standing ones tend to get forgotten and may be forced into the modern trend of changing suppliers all the time to get a good deal! Not something you can really do with the ROH!

[alison]

I think we must have been complaining about the ROH disregarding its existing audience for about a decade now, haven't we?  The recent swingeing price rises on some lower-priced tickets for some productions being just one of the more recent symptoms.

[penelopesimpson]

I am quite curious about this 'must bring new people in' thing.  Every production I go to is full so where are all the new people to sit? Or is it just that the regulars are 'the wrong kind of snow' and therefore need to be exchanged for more desirable newbies?

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, penelopesimpson said:

I am quite curious about this 'must bring new people in' thing.  Every production I go to is full so where are all the new people to sit? Or is it just that the regulars are 'the wrong kind of snow' and therefore need to be exchanged for more desirable newbies?

 

When all the regulars have popped their clogs and new people haven't been enticed where will the audience be then?

 

I won't be at the "new" ROH till the end of November but hopefully any teething problems will be resolved by then and all will be rosy in the garden!  Anyway I'm looking forward to seeing and enjoying it!  The Lowry has always had an open door policy and there have never been any problems there as far as I am aware.

[penelopesimpson]

Janet, I get that.  But that assumes that none of us bring in people to ROH (not true) that there isn't renewal constantly going on as has always happened and, in my opinion, always will.    I am certainly not against it - very little gives me more pleasure than taking friends to ROH and to the ballet or opera for their first experience - but it just seems to me that the emphasis is all wrong.  Open door is also fine with me but there must be some control during performance times - IF this proves necessary.

[Geoff]

5 hours ago, penelopesimpson said:

I am quite curious about this 'must bring new people in' thing.  Every production I go to is full so where are all the new people to sit? Or is it just that the regulars are 'the wrong kind of snow' and therefore need to be exchanged for more desirable newbies?

 

There is an unfortunate reality, which is that unseen cultural bureaucrats place extraordinary pressures on organisations. For example the British Library has currently degenerated into a place for teenagers to flirt, eat snacks, use wifi - and discover they can't take the books out like in a "normal" library. Staff there have told me that if I can I should wait a month or so and come back, once word has got out to first year college students that this library isn't "any good" and the atmosphere might return at least somewhat to that of a serious research library. 

 

The reason for this chaos? The BL was given a new metric: what counts now is "footfall" (people into the building) and "increased membership", so they do all they can to persuade all and sundry to apply for readers tickets as they have to show more people joining year on year.

 

Something similar goes on at the ROH. They are no doubt under some kind of pressure to prove to the Arts Council that they are "broadening" their appeal, ie selling tickets (or at least coffee) to ever more and more diverse audiences, for fear of their grant being fiddled with. That is how state sponsored culture is run, but none of us plebs gets a say in these policies: they are devised, not by people at the ROH, but DCMS types or the people at the Arts Council who design the forms, and the ROH has to go along with the game. 

 

I know someone - no names, no names - who runs a significant Arts Council supported venue and pays "ethnic" people to sit in highly visible seats on the nights the Arts Council is scheduled to make their inspection visits. This person - who is very nice, liberal and normally honest  - is ashamed of such finagling but knows the box-ticking (eg to prove a diverse ethnic mix) can made or break state support for their organisation. I assume the staff there are also asked to lie about their sexuality etc on the Arts Council forms in order to get the place more brownie points. 

 

Makes me pretty upset but I have no idea what to do to change the status quo. I can't help being a white, middle class male senior citizen with a wife and family: should I stop going to the ROH to make their statistics just that little bit less white, middle class etc etc?

 

Edited October 2, 2018 by Geoff

[penelopesimpson]

17 hours ago, Geoff said:

 

There is an unfortunate reality, which is that unseen cultural bureaucrats place extraordinary pressures on organisations. For example the British Library has currently degenerated into a place for teenagers to flirt, eat snacks, use wifi - and discover they can't take the books out like in a "normal" library. Staff there have told me that if I can I should wait a month or so and come back, once word has got out to first year college students that this library isn't "any good" and the atmosphere might return at least somewhat to that of a serious research library. 

 

The reason for this chaos? The BL was given a new metric: what counts now is "footfall" (people into the building) and "increased membership", so they do all they can to persuade all and sundry to apply for readers tickets as they have to show more people joining year on year.

 

Something similar goes on at the ROH. They are no doubt under some kind of pressure to prove to the Arts Council that they are "broadening" their appeal, ie selling tickets (or at least coffee) to ever more and more diverse audiences, for fear of their grant being fiddled with. That is how state sponsored culture is run, but none of us plebs gets a say in these policies: they are devised, not by people at the ROH, but DCMS types or the people at the Arts Council who design the forms, and the ROH has to go along with the game. 

 

I know someone - no names, no names - who runs a significant Arts Council supported venue and pays "ethnic" people to sit in highly visible seats on the nights the Arts Council is scheduled to make their inspection visits. This person - who is very nice, liberal and normally honest  - is ashamed of such finagling but knows the box-ticking (eg to prove a diverse ethnic mix) can made or break state support for their organisation. I assume the staff there are also asked to lie about their sexuality etc on the Arts Council forms in order to get the place more brownie points. 

 

Makes me pretty upset but I have no idea what to do to change the status quo. I can't help being a white, middle class male senior citizen with a wife and family: should I stop going to the ROH to make their statistics just that little bit less white, middle class etc etc?

 

Brilliant post, Geoff.  This goes on everywhere; it is as if white, middle-class people beyond the first flush of youth must be replaced by a more 'diverse' audience.  Bristol University used to run a series of day classes on Jane Austen but these stopped because everybody who signed up (and paid handsomely) to go was white.  The classes were open to all but because people who were not white chose not to attend (and why shouldn't they?), it was all closed down.

 

I absolutely adore London for its diverse cosmopolitan make-up and could wish that sleep Dorset where I live had more interesting incomers than the overwhelming numbers of retired people who come here.  But the cause of diversity is ill-served by these over-analysed statistics and reach out initiatives that ignore core audiences.

[Lizbie1]

2 hours ago, penelopesimpson said:

it is as if white, middle-class people beyond the first flush of youth must be replaced

 

Excepting, of course, the bureaucrats themselves.

Edited October 3, 2018 by Lizbie1