An important event yesterday – the Royal Opera House annual press conference – with Kevin O’Hare announcing his first season as incoming Royal Ballet Director. He takes over from Monica Mason in the summer.
I found myself Tweeting before (on reading the press releases) and during the press conference – on #roh201213. Here is the stream in all its contorted Tweetiness and the immediacy of how things unfolded:
#roh201213 Six world premiers… Incl a Ratmansky. Also Wheeldon, McGregor, 2 x Scarlett & a Marriott
Royal Ballet tours to Northern Ireland, Suffolk, Monte Carlo and Japan
Its Nutcracker for Royal Ballet Xmas. Bayadere is back and Alice
Ratmansky for Royal Ballet is not full evening but on with a Wheeldon premiere + Apollo. Wheeldon’s Fool’s Paradise also coming
in ROH2 Phoenix DC, Random DC and others. Metamorphosis (Edward Watson) returns.
Royal Ballet also doing Swan Lake, Mayerling, Onegin, Symphony in C, Infra, Firebird, In the Night, Raymonda Act III
Royal Ballet are bringing back MacMillan’s Las Hermanas – brilliant, that makes me so happy. Also Requiem, Concerto
Royal Ballet and Ashton… La Valse, Thais, Voices of Sprong, Monotones – 1 and 2. Good.
Royal Ballet / Ashton also Marguerite and Armand. Also DanceEast collaboration – a new Brandstrup. Another Draft Works bill too
Royal Ballet etc – that’s it for now folks – more later from many I’m sure.
start of press conf. Wheeldon is here. He still looks so fresh faced. Kevin O’Hare opens…
Royal Ballet. Kevin mentions artistic team, Jeanetta, Wayne and Wheeldon. New relationships and looking to shake things up
Kevin O’Hare on new season. Thinks he has put together a broad range of exciting things for dancers and audience.
Huge stress from him about new work being the cornerstone. Season opens with new work and max price of £37.
Liam Scarlett is doing a first Royal Ballet full length work in the Linbury. O’Hare wants to use Linbury more
Stress on new work again & creating classics for the future. Amen. New full eve classic work in 2013/14 + a new full eve Wheeldon in 2014/15
that’s it from Kevin O’Hare on Royal Ballet. Headline stress was on new work on main stage and elsewhere. New broom, new eyes.
Opera side is reducing some prices next year – from £200+ to £150 odd in some cases. Shows willing…
reflecting on O’Hare’s words vs Mason in earlier years, it was refreshing & more encouraged that RB is looking 2 future. At last.
@JudithFlanders sorry about the voices of sprong typo – I like 2 think Ashton would have approved!
ROH2 – More stress on, working outside ROH. The recent Brandstrup/Rojo work will be put on at Sadlers Wells for example.
ROH2 Bern Ballet coming back – Cathy Marston. Ballet Black of course. A lot of others choreographer names mentioned
Q&A: Opera are thinking hard how they spend money and recycling some sets
Q&A: Tony Hall asked how the ROH was doing financially. Ans: its hard but doing OK and bringing in new audiences.
Hall says new booking system will make it easier to book and lead people from good content into tix booking easily.
Tony Hall says to expect “bumps” when new booking system goes live – end of next month. We will see!
@RMGCat Got no warm feelings re new booking system. No appreciation of how bad its been & stress on marketing aspects, not rock solid Ecommerce
press conf ends. Coffee and a chat I think…
In short it was one of the best ROH conferences I’ve been to in a long time and at last I get the feeling of a team at the top of the Royal Ballet that looks to the future and not the past. Thank goodness.
More colour to add at some point and also the details in an easy to read form, but for now here is the press release as a Word document:
Royal Opera House Ballet & Dance 2012-13 season (Doc)
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