In a drive to become more accessible, the Royal Opera House (ROH) is launching a series of new initiatives aimed at widening its range of audiences. The first cinematic performances of ballet will be screened by Odeon and Cityscreen Picturehouse cinemas across the UK, including an ROH production of Frederick Ashton’s Sylvia (pictured).
At the Opera House itself, new family performances will take place three times a year, aimed at those who have never before attended a main auditorium performance, and in the autumn, a new three-day festival, aimed at young professionals, will open up different spaces within the Opera House building for the presentation of “the best of contemporary culture”. The festival will have a different curator each year, starting in 2008 with Resident Choreographer to the Royal Ballet, Wayne McGregor. The ROH has also committed to pricing 40% of all seats across the year – a total of 260,000 – at less than £30.