Royal Opera House facts for kids
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Bow Street frontage with Plazzotta's statue, Young Dancer, in the foreground
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 Royal Opera House
Location in Central London
Royal Opera House
Location in the United Kingdom
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| Full name | The Royal Opera House |
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| Former names | Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (until 1892) |
| Address | Bow Street |
| Location | London, WC2 |
| Coordinates | 51°30′46″N 0°07′20″W / 51.5129°N 0.1222°W |
| Public transit |  Covent GardenBus: 6, 11, 14, 26, 59, 98, 139, 168, 176 |
| Owner | Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation |
| Designation | Grade I |
| Type | Opera house |
| Genre(s) | Classical |
| Capacity | 2,256 (main auditorium) |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1728–1732 (original building) |
| Opened | 7 December 1732 |
| Architect | Edward Shepherd (original building) Edward Middleton Barry (current building) |
| Builder | Lucas Brothers (current building) |
| Tenants | |
| The Royal Ballet The Royal Opera |
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The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a famous building in Covent Garden, London. It's a big place where people go to watch amazing shows. Many people just call it Covent Garden because of the area it's in. It's the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
The first theatre on this spot was called the Theatre Royal. It opened in 1732 and was mostly used for plays for its first 100 years. In 1734, the first ballet was performed there. A year later, the famous composer George Frideric Handel started presenting his operas. Many of his works were written especially for Covent Garden and were first shown there.
The building you see today is actually the third theatre on this site. The first two were destroyed by big fires in 1808 and 1856. The front of the building (façade), the main hall (foyer), and the audience area (auditorium) are from 1858. However, most of the rest of the building was rebuilt in the 1990s. The main auditorium can seat 2,256 people. It has four levels of boxes and balconies, plus an upper gallery. The main auditorium is a Grade I listed building, which means it's a very important historic building.
Contents
A Journey Through Time: The Royal Opera House's History
The First Theatre's Story
The story of the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden began in 1662. King Charles II gave a special permission, called a "letters patent," to Sir William Davenant. This allowed him to run one of only two theatre companies in London. These special permissions stayed with the families of the original owners for many years.
In 1728, a theatre manager named John Rich had a huge success with a play called The Beggar's Opera. This success gave him enough money to build the first Theatre Royal. It was designed by Edward Shepherd and built on the site of an old convent garden. This area was already known for its fruit and vegetable market, which stayed there until 1974.
The theatre officially opened on December 7, 1732. John Rich was carried into the building by his actors for the first show. For its first 100 years, the theatre mostly showed plays. It had special rights to perform spoken plays in London, along with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Rich also brought pantomime shows to the theatre. He even performed in them himself as a character called Harlequin. This tradition of seasonal pantomimes continued until 1939.
In 1734, the theatre put on its first ballet, Pygmalion. A dancer named Marie Sallé broke tradition by dancing in light, flowing clothes instead of a corset. George Frideric Handel started presenting his operas at the theatre in 1734. Many of his famous works, like Alcina, were first performed there. He even gave his organ to John Rich, and it was placed on the stage. Sadly, this organ and many other valuable items were lost when a fire destroyed the theatre on September 20, 1808.
The Second Theatre's Challenges
Rebuilding started quickly in December 1808. The second Theatre Royal, designed by Robert Smirke, opened on September 18, 1809. The theatre manager, John Philip Kemble, raised ticket prices to help pay for the rebuilding. But audiences were very unhappy! They protested by making noise and dancing, and these "Old Price Riots" lasted for over two months. Finally, the theatre had to lower the prices.
During this time, the theatre showed many different kinds of performances. Opera and ballet were popular, but so were other acts. Famous actors like Sarah Siddons and Edmund Kean performed there. The great clown Joseph Grimaldi also became very famous at Covent Garden. He was known for his physical comedy and inventing funny tricks. He even helped start the tradition of audience singing in pantomimes.
In 1817, the theatre started using gaslight instead of candles and oil lamps. This was a big improvement. Later, in 1837, a new type of light called "limelight" was used for the first time. This light was very bright and allowed spotlights to highlight performers on stage.
In 1843, a new law changed things for theatres, allowing more places to put on plays. After a disagreement with the management of another theatre, a conductor named Michael Costa moved to Covent Garden in 1846, bringing many performers with him. The theatre was completely redesigned after a fire in 1846. It reopened on April 6, 1847, as the Royal Italian Opera. For many years, all operas were performed in Italian, even if they were originally in other languages. This changed in 1892.
Sadly, another fire destroyed the theatre on March 5, 1856.
The Third Theatre: The Royal Opera House Today
Work on the third theatre began in 1857. This building, designed by Edward Middleton Barry, is still the main part of the theatre today. It opened on May 15, 1858.
In 1892, the theatre officially became the Royal Opera House (ROH). It started to offer more French and German operas. The building was also used for pantomimes, concerts, and even political meetings.
During the First World War, the theatre was used to store furniture. In the Second World War, it became a dance hall! After the war, there was a chance it would stay a dance hall. But a music company bought the lease, and it was decided that the Royal Opera House would become the national home for opera and ballet in Britain.
The Royal Opera House reopened on February 20, 1946, with a beautiful performance of The Sleeping Beauty. The Sadler's Wells Ballet (now The Royal Ballet) became the resident ballet company. Soon after, the Covent Garden Opera Company (now The Royal Opera) also began performing there.
Modern Updates and Reconstruction
Over the years, parts of the building were updated. But by the 1970s, the theatre needed a big renovation. In 1975, the government provided land next to the Royal Opera House for this purpose. In the early 1980s, new ballet studios, offices, and rehearsal rooms were added.
By 1995, enough money was raised for a huge £213 million reconstruction project. This took place between 1997 and 1999. Almost the entire site was rebuilt, except for the main auditorium. This made the complex much larger and more modern. The new design kept the traditional horseshoe shape of the auditorium. It also added much better technical, rehearsal, and office spaces. A new smaller theatre, the Linbury, was also created. The old Floral Hall, which was once a flower market, became a large public gathering area. The Royal Opera House now says it's the most modern theatre in Europe!
Since 1983, "surtitles" have been used for opera performances. These are translations of the words shown on a screen above the stage. Since 1999, some seats also have small video screens that show translations.
In 2014, a project called "Open Up" began. Its goal was to make the theatre more open to the public during the day. This included improving the entrances and lobby areas.
In 2020, the Royal Opera House faced financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help ensure its survival, a famous painting by David Hockney was sold for £12.8 million. This money was needed to keep the institution going.
What's Inside: Facilities at the Royal Opera House
The Paul Hamlyn Hall
The Paul Hamlyn Hall is a large building made of iron and glass. It's connected to the main opera house. This hall is now the main public area for the opera house. It has a champagne bar, a restaurant, and other services for visitors. You can also access the main auditorium from here on all levels.
This building was once called the Floral Hall. It was built in 1860 to house a flower market. Later, it became part of the Covent Garden Market. After a fire in 1956, it was left empty for many years. The Opera House bought it in 1977 and used it for storage.
During the 1990s reconstruction, the iron structure of the Floral Hall was lifted up. This allowed new public areas to be built underneath. The hall was renamed the Paul Hamlyn Hall in 2005 after a large donation from the estate of Paul Hamlyn. Besides being a public area for shows, the Paul Hamlyn Hall is also used for events like private parties, dances, and exhibitions.
The Linbury Studio Theatre
The Linbury Studio Theatre is a smaller, flexible performance space located underground within the Royal Opera House. It has seats that can be moved and a floor that can be raised or lowered. This allows it to be used for many different types of events. It can hold up to 400 people.
The Linbury is especially known for showing new and experimental dance and music performances. It also hosts shows by the Royal Ballet School and the Young British Dancer of the Year competition.
This theatre was built during the 1990s redevelopment. It's named after the Linbury Trust, which made donations for the project. The Linbury Trust is run by Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover and his wife Anya Linden, who used to be a dancer with the Royal Ballet. The name "Linbury" comes from their names, Linden and Sainsbury.
Other Locations
- Royal Opera House, Manchester: In 2008, there were plans to create a Royal Opera House in Manchester. This would have involved renovating the Palace Theatre so it could host performances by the Royal Ballet and Royal Opera. However, these plans were put on hold in 2010 due to funding cuts.
- High House Production Park (High House, Purfleet): The Royal Opera House opened a facility in Purfleet, Essex, in 2010. This is where they make the scenery for their operas and ballets. In 2015, the Bob and Tamar Manoukian Costume Centre also opened there. This center makes costumes for the Royal Opera House and trains students in costume-making. It also stores the Royal Opera House's collection of historic costumes.
Other Uses of the Royal Opera House
Besides opera and ballet, the Royal Opera House has hosted other important events, including:
- British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) – from 2008 to 2016
- Laurence Olivier Awards – from 2012 to 2016
Images for kids
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Satirical drawing, 1811, of the "Pigeon Holes" flanking the upper gallery
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Harlequin's escape into the bottle (print)
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The theatre in the 1820s
See also
In Spanish: Royal Opera House para niños
- Owners, lessees and managers of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
- European Route of Historic Theatres
