Opera house facts for kids
An opera house is a building where operas and ballets are performed. It is similar to a theatre.
The first opera houses were built in the 1630s in Italy, about thirty years after the first operas were written. Traditionally they have a stage where the action takes place and a proscenium archway with a curtain that can be drawn back when the performance begins. In front of the stage is an orchestra pit which is a little lower than the stage so that the audience can still see the stage. The audience sit in the auditorium which is often horse-shoe shaped. The downstairs seats are called “stalls”. Round the stalls there are two or three tiers (storeys) of boxes. Each box can seat a small number of people. At the top towards the back there is a balcony and often a gallery along the sides as well. Some seats in the gallery may have restricted view (it is not possible to see all of the stage).
Some of the most famous opera houses in the world are Teatro alla Scala (or “La Scala”) in Milan, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, the War Memorial Opera house in San Francisco, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and the Sydney Opera House in Sydney which is a very modern building.
Images for kids
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Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, the world's oldest working opera house.
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Opera-Theatre of Metz, built by benefactor Duke de Belle-Isle during the 18th century, it is the oldest opera house working in France
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Royal Box of the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth
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Bolshoi Theatre, in Moscow, Russia, is one of the world's most recognisable opera houses and home for the most famous ballet company in the world
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Teatro Real, in Madrid, Spain
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The Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, in Novosibirsk, is the biggest opera house in Russia
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The Cairo Opera House in Egypt
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The Copenhagen Opera House in Denmark
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The Sydney Opera House is one of the world's most recognisable opera houses and landmarks
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The Palais Garnier, Paris, France
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Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House in Dallas, Texas
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The Berlin Staatsoper on Unter den Linden
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The Alexandria Opera House in Alexandria, Egypt
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The Royal Opera House London
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The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy, the most famous opera house in the world
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Amazon Theatre in Manaus, Brazil
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Theatro da Paz, Belém, Brazil
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Ópera de Arame, Curitiba, Brazil
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National Taichung Theater in Taichung, Taiwan
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Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Ukraine
See also
In Spanish: Teatro de ópera para niños