The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden is offering the public a rare opportunity to explore its backstage areas, props room, and costume department after dark. On August 21, the venue will host a special after-hours event from 5.30pm to 11.30pm, featuring behind-the-scenes tours, demonstrations, and installations celebrating ballet, opera, and pop culture.
Event Details and Themes
The evening is divided into four themes: stories, stage, screen, and style. The programme includes a fight choreography demonstration, live music score performances, a discussion on ballet's influence on fashion, and a demonstration of how iconic costumes are maintained, restored, and reused. According to the Royal Opera House, Uzma Hameed of Woolf Works and MADDADDAM will explain how she transforms literature into dance, while costume designer Esther Bialas will reveal how she creates costumes and brings them to life. Chorus director William Spaulding will highlight the importance of the ensemble to opera productions.
Ticket Inclusions and Access
Every ticket includes a welcome drink, access to all activities, and entry to a silent disco in the Paul Hamlyn Hall. Ticket holders can also attend two of the four behind-the-scenes tours offered throughout the evening: the props department, the rehearsal rooms and side stage areas, the costume and jewellery department, or the sound and broadcast department. Tickets for the Royal Opera House After Hours are priced at £60 per person. At present, the event is scheduled as a one-off occurrence.
Comparison with Other London Institutions
Many of London's major cultural institutions, such as the Royal Academy of Arts, the British Museum, and the Tate Modern, frequently stay open after regular hours, enlisting DJs, musicians, artists, and culture experts to host discos, workshops, panel discussions, and more. The Royal Opera House is now joining this trend with its inaugural after-hours event.
