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The first Theatre Royal at Covent Garden, opened on 7 December 1732. Many of Handel's works were premiered at the site which was also a playhouse. ...
Continued Below Added: 3rd Feb 2007 by Diane Earl
Unique Id: 76329 |
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Continued from above
The theatre was destroyed by fire in 1808 but rebuilt and reopened on 18th September 1809 with a performance of Macbeth. The enterainment programmes were very varied from Shakespeare to high wire acts. The auditorium was completely remodelled to designs by Benedetto Albano and opened as the Royal Italian Opera on 6 April 1847 with a performance of Rossini's Semiramide. On 5 March 1856 the theatre was again completely destroyed by fire. The present theatre opened on 15 May 1858 with a performance of Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots. The theatre became the Royal Opera House in 1892. During WW2 it became the Mecca Dance Hall. It reopened as the Opera House on 20th February 1946 with a performance of The Sleeping Beauty by Oliver Messe. That year a new resident opera company was formed. On 14 January 1947 the Covent Garden Opera Company gave its first performance of Carmen. The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera were granted their Royal Charters in 1956 and 1968 respectively. The Royal Opera House, as you see it today, opened on 4th December 1999. Since 1999 it has been open to the public to visit and shop.
Subjects: History, Geography
Key Stages: KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4, KS4+ Learning Groups: Teachers, Parents, Pupils, Others Keywords: opera ballet theatre covent garden London entertainment Related Links: |
