Opera plans for Manchester

Performance, skills and training “covering many aspects of opera and ballet” are part of a proposal being discussed by Manchester City Council (MCC) and the Royal Opera House (ROH), AP can reveal. Following the collapse of the Government’s plan to site Britain’s first ‘super-casino’ in the city, a ministerial task force, chaired by Salford MP and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears, and including Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, will be examining different proposals to contribute to the regeneration of east Manchester.

A spokesperson for MCC confirmed that “talks with the Royal Opera House about economic and social regeneration through an innovative partnership,” were at an early stage, and added that “any agreement will build on existing cultural developments which benefit the city region”. ROH Chief Executive, Tony Hall, said that the relationship with the MCC emerged from the production of ‘Opera Monkey: Journey to the West’, created by Gorillaz and Chen Shi Zheng at the Manchester International Festival last July, and due to be staged at Covent Garden this coming July. Hall said that this first collaboration between the two organisations had “provided a great opportunity to explore possible innovative future projects”. Citing Manchester’s strong track record of using culture to drive urban regeneration, he enthused about “getting the work of the Royal Opera House to as wide an audience as possible, to make the Royal Opera House a truly national resource”. The MCC spokeperson said that the proposals “will open the door of world-class performances to the public to let them experience everything that happens in production and presentation”. Some Manchester-based arts professionals have expressed concern that the project might simply parachute an opera house into a deprived area of the city, without adding to the current cultural offer. The Lowry currently hosts relatively few performances of opera and ballet. However, it has no resident opera or ballet company. The existing Manchester Opera House is primarily a venue for musicals and gigs.