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{{short description|Performing arts venue in London, England}}
{{about|the opera house in London|the post-1945 opera company|The Royal Opera|other uses|Royal Opera (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Royal Opera House
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| former names = Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (until 1892)
| logo_image = Royal Opera House logo.jpg
| logo_caption = 
| image = Royal Opera House and ballerina.jpg
| image_size = 180px
| image_alt = 
| caption = Bow Street frontage with [[Enzo Plazzotta|Plazzotta]]'s statue, ''Young Dancer'', in the foreground
| pushpin_map = Central London#UK
| pushpin_mapsize = 
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| pushpin_label_position = 
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| address = [[Bow Street]]
| location = London, [[WC postcode area|WC2]]
| coordinates = {{Wikidatacoord|Q55018|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| type = [[Opera house]]
| genre = [[Classical architecture|Classical]]
| broke_ground = 
| built = 1728–1732 (original building)
| opened = {{Start date and age|1732|12|7|df=yes}}
| renovated = 
| expanded = 
| closed = 
| demolished = 
| owner = Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation
| operator = 
| surface = 
| scoreboard = 
| production = 
| cost = 
| architect = [[Edward Shepherd]] (original building)<br>[[Edward Middleton Barry]] (current building)
| builder = [[Lucas Brothers (company)|Lucas Brothers]] (current building)
| project_manager = 
| structural engineer = 
| services engineer = 
| general_contractor = 
| main_contractors = 
| seating_type = 
| capacity = 2,256 (main auditorium)
| suites = 
| record_attendance = 
| dimensions = 
| field_shape = 
| acreage = 
| volume = 
| tenants = [[The Royal Ballet]]<br>[[The Royal Opera]]
| designation = [[Listed building|Grade I]]<ref>{{NHLE |num=1066392 |desc=The Royal Opera House |date=9 January 1970 |access-date=9 July 2015 }}</ref>
| publictransit = {{rail-interchange|london|underground}} {{lus|Covent Garden}}<br/>'''[[London Buses|Bus]]:''' 6, 11, 14, 26, 59, 98, 139, 168, 176
| website = {{URL|rbo.org.uk}}
}}

The '''Royal Opera House''' ('''ROH''') is a theatre in [[Covent Garden]], [[central London]]. The building is often referred to as simply '''Covent Garden''', after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of [[The Royal Opera]], [[The Royal Ballet]], and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, which are known collectively as the '''Royal Ballet and Opera'''.

The first theatre on the site, the '''Theatre Royal''' (1732), served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. In 1734, the first ballet was presented. A year later, the first season of operas, by [[George Frideric Handel]], began. Many of his operas and [[oratorio]]s were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres there.

The current building is the third theatre on the site, following disastrous fires in 1808 and 1856 to previous buildings.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://londonist.com/london/theatre-and-arts/secrets-of-the-royal-opera-house |title=11 Secrets of London's Royal Opera House |website=Londonist |date=16 February 2017}}</ref> The [[façade]], [[foyer]], and [[auditorium]] date from 1858, but almost every other element of the present complex dates from an extensive reconstruction in the 1990s.

The main auditorium seats 2,256 people, making it the third largest in London, and consists of four tiers of [[box (theatre)|box]]es and [[balcony|balconies]] and the [[amphitheatre]] gallery. The [[proscenium]] is {{convert|14.80|m|ftin}} wide, with the stage of the same depth and {{convert|12.20|m|ftin}} high. The main auditorium is a Grade I [[listed building]].<ref>[http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/theatres/show/443-royal-opera-house-london "Royal Opera House (London)"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323220921/http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/theatres/show/443-royal-opera-house-london |date=23 March 2016 }} description on theatrestrust.org.uk Retrieved 10 May 2013</ref>

The Royal Opera House companies were rebranded as the Royal Ballet and Opera in 2024, but the building retains the title of The Royal Opera House.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/apr/30/royal-ballet-and-opera-announces-ambitious-new-season-and-name-change-2024-25 |title=Royal Ballet and Opera announces ambitious new season – and name change |date=30 April 2024 |access-date=17 September 2024 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.rbo.org.uk/tickets-and-events/roh-behind-the-scene-tour-details "Royal Opera House Tours, 17 December 2024 – 31 March 2025"], Royal Ballet and Opera. Retrieved 15 January 2025</ref>

==History==
===Davenant patent===
[[Image:Rich-Covent-Garden.jpg|thumb|"Rich's Glory": John Rich seemingly invades his new Covent Garden Theatre. (caricature by [[William Hogarth]])]]
The foundation of the '''Theatre Royal, Covent Garden''' lies in the [[letters patent]] awarded by [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] to Sir [[William Davenant]] in 1662, allowing Davenant to operate one of only two [[patent theatre]] companies (''The [[Duke's Company]]'') in London. The letters patent remained in the possession of the patentees' heirs until the 19th century. Their whereabouts were unknown for some time, but as of 2019 they are held in the [[Rosenbach Museum & Library]], [[Philadelphia]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol35/pp1-8 |title=The Killigrew and Davenant Patents &#124; British History Online |website=www.british-history.ac.uk |access-date=7 August 2019 |archive-date=7 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807232400/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol35/pp1-8 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{refn|The original letters patent by Charles II, 15 January 1661/2 (illuminated, on vellum), authorizing Sir William Davenant to form a company of actors, are held in the [[Rosenbach Museum & Library]], [[Philadelphia]]. The charter is illustrated in Clive E. Driver, ''A Selection from our Shelves: Books, manuscripts and drawings from the Philip H. & A.S.W. Rosenbach Foundation Museum'' (Philadelphia, 1973), No. 44. A highly reduced facsimile also appeared in ''The Sunday Times'', 5 December 1982. Source: {{cite web |title=The Rosenbach Museum & Library, numbers 1 through 239 |website=Catalogue of English Literary Manuscripts (CELM) |url=http://www.celm-ms.org.uk/repositories/rosenbach-1.html |access-date=1 May 2019}} }}

===First theatre===
[[Image:Covert Garden Theatre edited.jpg|thumb|upright|The first theatre before the fire of 1808]]
In 1728, [[John Rich (producer)|John Rich]], actor-manager of the Duke's Company at [[Lisle's Tennis Court|Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre]], commissioned ''[[The Beggar's Opera]]'' from [[John Gay]]. The success of this venture provided him with the capital to build the Theatre Royal (designed by [[Edward Shepherd]]) at the site of an ancient convent garden. [[Inigo Jones]] had developed part of this property in the 1630s with a piazza and [[St Paul's, Covent Garden|St Paul's church]] (now known colloquially as the actors' church). In addition, a Royal Charter had created a fruit and vegetable market in the area, a market which survived in that location [[New Covent Garden Market|until 1974]].

At the opening of the theatre on 7 December 1732, Rich was carried by his actors in procession into the building for its inaugural production of [[William Congreve]]'s ''[[The Way of the World]]''.<ref>Admission to the 55 boxes was five shillings (1/4 [[Pound sterling|£]]), half a crown (1/8 £) to the 'pit', and one shilling (1/20 £) to the gallery. A seat on the stage cost ten shillings. The elite could send servants to arrive at three pm to save places on the stage for their masters and mistresses. Box office proceeds the first night totaled £115</ref>

During its first century, the theatre was operated primarily as a playhouse, with the Letters Patent granted by Charles II giving the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden and [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]] exclusive rights to present spoken drama in London. Despite the frequent interchangeability between the two companies, competition was intense, and the companies often presented the same plays at the same time. Rich introduced [[pantomime]] to the repertoire, performing himself, under the stage name ''John Lun'', as [[Harlequin]]. A tradition of seasonal pantomime continued at the modern theatre until 1939.<ref>[http://www.peopleplayuk.org.uk/collections/object.php?object_id=285&ter=true&ter_id=83&back=%2Fcollec ''John Rich as Harlequin'']{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (PeoplePlayUK – Theatre Museum) accessed 22 July 2008.</ref>

In 1734, the theatre presented its first ballet, ''Pygmalion''.<ref name=":0" /> [[Marie Sallé]] discarded tradition and her corset and danced in diaphanous robes.<ref>[http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/yiannis/dance/history.html ''Early ballet history''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720014804/http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/yiannis/dance/history.html |date=20 July 2014 }} (North Eastern University), accessed 22 December 2006.</ref> Around the same time, the auditorium ceiling was painted by [[Jacopo Amigoni]] as ''The Muses presenting Shakespeare to Apollo'', which prompted a brief press dispute: ''[[The Weekly Register (18th-century periodical)|The Weekly Register]]'' criticised the work as obscure and over-ornamented, while the rival ''[[Grub Street Journal]]'' printed point-by-point replies defending Amigoni.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Shipley |first=John B. |year=1968 |title=Ralph, Ellys, Hogarth, and Fielding: The Cabal Against Jacopo Amigoni |journal=Eighteenth-Century Studies |volume=1 |issue=4 |pages=324–325 |jstor=2737854}}</ref> [[George Frideric Handel]] was named musical director of the company at [[Lincoln's Inn Fields]] in 1719, but his first season of opera for the theatre was not presented until 1734. His first opera was ''[[Il pastor fido]],'' followed by ''[[Ariodante]]'' (1735), and the première of ''[[Alcina]]'', and ''[[Atalanta (opera)|Atalanta]]'' the following year. In 1743 there was a royal performance of ''[[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]]''; its success resulted in a tradition of [[Lent]]en [[Oratorio#Georgian Britain|oratorio]] performances. From 1735 until his death in 1759, Handel gave regular seasons at the theatre; many of his operas and oratorios were written for that venue or had their first London performances there. He bequeathed his organ to John Rich, and it was placed in a prominent position on the stage. It was among many valuable items lost in a fire that destroyed the theatre on 20 September 1808. In 1792 the architect [[Henry Holland (architect)|Henry Holland]] rebuilt the auditorium; he expanded its capacity within the existing shell of the building.{{sfn|Sheppard|1972|p=91}}

===Second theatre===
[[Image:Covent-garden-1.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Satirical drawing, 1811, of the "Pigeon Holes" flanking the upper gallery]]
[[Image:Microcosm of London Plate 100 - New Covent Garden Theatre Microcosm edited.jpg|thumb|upright|Auditorium of the second theatre, 1810]]
[[Image:Joseph Grimaldi.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Joseph Grimaldi]], as [[Harlequinade#Clown|Clown]]]]
Rebuilding began in December 1808, and the second Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (designed by [[Robert Smirke (architect)|Robert Smirke]]) opened on 18 September 1809 with a performance of ''[[Macbeth]]'' followed by a musical entertainment called ''The Quaker''.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y7SqoMHNtWsC&pg=PA257 |page=257 |title=Reminiscences of Michael Kelly, of the King's Theatre, and Theatre Royal Drury Lane: Including a Period of Nearly Half a Century |author=Michael Kelly |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9781108038720 }}</ref> The actor-manager [[John Philip Kemble]], raised seat prices to help recoup the cost of rebuilding and the cost of an increased ground rent introduced by the landowner, the Duke of Bedford, but the move was so unpopular that audiences disrupted performances by beating sticks, hissing, booing and dancing. The ''[[Old Price Riots]]'' lasted over two months, and the management was finally forced to accede to the audience's demands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.peopleplayuk.org.uk/guided_tours/drama_tour/19th_century/victorian_riots.php |title=The Old Price Riots |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531162120/http://www.peopleplayuk.org.uk/guided_tours/drama_tour/19th_century/victorian_riots.php |archive-date=31 May 2008 |work=PeoplePlayUK – the Theatre Museum (at the [[V & A]]) |date=8 May 2003 |access-date=17 September 2019 }}</ref>

During this time, entertainment was varied; opera and ballet were presented, but not exclusively. Kemble engaged in a variety of acts, including the child performer ''[[Master Betty]]''; the great [[clown]] [[Joseph Grimaldi]] made his name at Covent Garden. Many famous actors of the day appeared at the theatre, including the tragediennes [[Sarah Siddons]] and [[Elizabeth O'Neill (actress)|Eliza O'Neill]], the Shakespearean actors [[William Macready]], [[Edmund Kean]] and his son [[Charles Kean|Charles]]. On 25 March 1833 Edmund Kean collapsed on stage while playing [[Othello]], and died two months later.<ref>[http://www.nndb.com/people/318/000102012/ Edmund Kean (1789–1833)] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013035534/http://nndb.com/people/318/000102012/ |date=13 October 2008 }} (NNDB) accessed 22 July 2008.</ref><ref name=":0" />

In 1806, the [[pantomime]] clown Joseph Grimaldi (''The Garrick of Clowns'') had performed his greatest success in ''[[Mother Goose|Harlequin and Mother Goose; or the Golden Egg]]'' at Covent Garden, and this was subsequently revived, at the new theatre. Grimaldi was an innovator: his performance as ''Joey'' introduced the clown to the world, building on the existing role of [[Harlequin]] derived from the ''[[Commedia dell'arte]]''. His father had been ballet-master at Drury Lane, and his physical comedy, his ability to invent visual [[Magic (illusion)|tricks]] and [[buffoon]]ery, and his ability to poke fun at the audience were extraordinary.<ref>[http://www.peopleplayuk.org.uk/guided_tours/pantomime_tour/early_pantomime/grimaldi.php ''Early Pantomime''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505042950/http://www.peopleplayuk.org.uk/guided_tours/pantomime_tour/early_pantomime/grimaldi.php |date=5 May 2008 }} (PeoplePlayUK – the Theatre Museum (at the [[V & A]]) accessed 22 July 2008.</ref>

Early pantomimes were performed as [[mime]]s accompanied by music, but as [[Music hall]] became popular, Grimaldi introduced the [[pantomime dame]] to the theatre and was responsible for the tradition of audience singing. By 1821 dance and clowning had taken such a physical toll on Grimaldi that he could barely walk, and he retired from the theatre.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/MemoirsOfJosephGrimaldi ''Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi''], "Boz" (ed.) ([[Charles Dickens]]), 1853 edition with Notes and Additions by [[Charles Whitehead]], accessed 22 February 2007.</ref> By 1828, he was penniless; Drury Lane held a benefit concert for him after Covent Garden refused.<ref>Arundell, Dennis, ''The Story of Sadler's Wells''</ref>
[[Image:Covent Garden Theatre 1827-28.jpg|thumb|The theatre in the 1820s]]
[[File:An Apology To The Town, For Himself And The Bottle.png|thumb|left|upright|''Harlequin's escape into the bottle'' (print)]]

In 1817, bare flame gaslight had replaced the former candles and oil lamps that lighted the Covent Garden stage.<ref>{{cite web |title=Theatres Compete in Race to Install Gas Illumination – 1817 |url=http://www.overthefootlights.co.uk/1817-18.pdf |work=Over The Footlights |access-date=20 May 2014 |archive-date=20 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520220337/http://www.overthefootlights.co.uk/1817-18.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> This was an improvement, but in 1837 Macready employed [[limelight]] in the theatre for the first time, during a performance of a pantomime, ''Peeping Tom of Coventry''. Limelight used a block of [[quicklime]] heated by an oxygen and hydrogen flame. This allowed the use of spotlights to highlight performers on the stage.{{sfn|Banham|1995|p=1026}}

The [[Theatres Act 1843]] broke the patent theatres' monopoly of drama. At that time [[Her Majesty's Theatre]] in the Haymarket was the main centre of ballet and opera but after a dispute with the management in 1846 [[Michael Costa (conductor)|Michael Costa]], conductor at Her Majesty's, transferred his allegiance to Covent Garden, bringing most of the company with him. The auditorium was completely remodeled after an 1856 fire, during the following 1856–57 seasons, the company performed at the [[Lyceum Theatre, London|Lyceum Theatre]].<ref>"Madame Parepa-Rosa", ''[[Illustrated London News]]'', 7 February 1874, p. 129; and Obituary: "Madame Parepa Rosa", ''The Times'', 23 January 1874, p. 10</ref> The theatre reopened as the '''Royal Italian Opera''' on 6 April 1857 with a performance of [[Gioacchino Rossini|Rossini]]'s ''[[Semiramide]]''.<ref>[http://www.roh.org.uk/about/royal-opera-house/history/ History] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407064033/http://www.roh.org.uk/about/royal-opera-house/history |date=7 April 2014 }} (Royal Opera House) accessed 18 December 2012.</ref>

In 1852, [[Louis Antoine Jullien]] the French eccentric composer of light music and conductor presented an opera of his own composition, ''Pietro il Grande''. Five performances were given of the 'spectacular', including live horses on the stage and very loud music. Critics considered it a complete failure and Jullien was ruined and fled to America.<ref>[http://louisjullien.site.voila.fr ''Louis-Antoine Jullien'' (in French)] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111101604/http://louisjullien.site.voila.fr/ |date=11 January 2010 }} accessed 21 December 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Jullien, Louis Antoine |volume=15 |page=551 }}</ref>
[[File:Queen Victoria and Napoleon III at the Royal Opera House 19 April 1855.jpg|thumb|[[Queen Victoria]] and [[Napoleon III]] at the second (1809–1856) Royal Opera House (18 or 19 April 1855)]]
[[File:Total Destruction of the Theatre Royal Covent Garden, by Fire (BM 1880,1113.3107).jpg|thumb|180px|The fire of 5 March 1856]]

Costa and his successors presented all operas in Italian, even those originally written in French, German or English, until 1892, when [[Gustav Mahler]] presented the debut of Wagner's [[Ring cycle]] at Covent Garden.{{sfn|Parker|1900|p=39}}<ref>[[Anton Seidl]] had conducted the very first Ring in England (sung in German) at [[Her Majesty's Theatre]] from 5–9 May 1882. Source: {{cite journal |journal=The Musical Times |volume=47 |issue=763 |title=Wagner's Music in England |author=F. G. E. [F. G. Edwards] |date=1 September 1906 |page=593 |doi=10.2307/903478 |jstor=903478}} (Free registration required)</ref> The word "Italian" was then quietly dropped from the name of the opera house.<ref name=Ivanhoe>Gordon-Powell, Robin. ''Ivanhoe'', full score, Introduction, vol. I, p. VIII, 2008, The Amber Ring</ref>

The conjuror [[John Henry Anderson]], who had exposed the [[Davenport brothers]], leased the theatre to stage his shows which were critical of [[mediumship|mediums]] and [[Spiritualism (beliefs)|spiritualism]]. After a gala performance and ''[[masked ball|bal masqué]]'' organised by Anderson, the theatre caught fire in the early hours of 5 March 1856 and was destroyed.<ref>{{cite book |ref={{harvid|Sheppard|1970b|}} <!-- {{sfn|Sheppard|1970b |loc=pp. 71-85, para. ¶ }} --> |editor-last=Sheppard |editor-first=F. H. W. |chapter=Covent Garden Theatre and the Royal Opera House: Management |series=Survey of London: Volume 35 |title=The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden |place=London |publisher=London County Council |year=1970 |others=British History Online |pages=71–85, para. ¶47 |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol35/pp71-85 |access-date=15 April 2017 |archive-date=17 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217195830/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol35/pp71-85 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://www.roh.org.uk/learning/learning-platform/unit/a-history-of-the-royal-opera-house/ |title=A History of the Royal Opera House |website=Royal Opera House }}</ref>

===Third theatre===
Work on a third theatre, designed by [[Edward Middleton Barry]],<ref name=":0" /> started in 1857, and the new building, which remains as the nucleus of the present theatre, was built by [[Lucas Brothers (company)|Lucas Brothers]]<ref>{{cite ODNB |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/49439 |title=Charles Thomas Lucas at Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/49439 |access-date=4 May 2013 }}</ref> and opened on 15 May 1858 with a performance of [[Giacomo Meyerbeer|Meyerbeer's]] ''[[Les Huguenots]]''.

The Royal English Opera company under the management of [[Louisa Pyne]] and [[William Harrison (singer)|William Harrison]], made their last performance at [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]], on 11 December 1858 and took up residence at Covent Garden on 20 December 1858 with the premiere of [[Michael Balfe]]'s ''[[Satanella (Balfe)|Satanella]]''<ref>''Reviews'', "Drury-Lane Theatre", ''[[The Times]]'', 13 December 1858, p. 10.</ref> – the first opera to have its world premiere at the new theatre – and continued there until 1865.<ref>Kingsford, C L. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12457 "Harrison, William (1813–1868)"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123131844/https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-12457;jsessionid=58C64FE521C8DBEFDD649733B6499F16 |date=23 November 2022 }}, rev. [[John Rosselli (historian)|John Rosselli]], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, retrieved 14 April 2015 {{subscription required }}</ref>

The theatre became the '''Royal Opera House''' (ROH) in 1892, and the number of French and German works offered increased. Winter and summer seasons of opera and ballet were given, and the building was also used for pantomime, recitals and political meetings.

During the [[First World War]], the theatre was requisitioned by the Ministry of Works for use as a furniture repository.<ref name=":1" />

From 1934 to 1936, [[Geoffrey Toye]] was managing director, working alongside the artistic director [[Thomas Beecham|Sir Thomas Beecham]]. Despite early successes, Toye and Beecham eventually fell out, and Toye resigned.{{sfn|Jefferson|1979|p={{page needed|date=October 2020}}}}

During the [[Second World War]] the ROH became a dance hall.<ref name=":0" /> There was a possibility that it would remain so after the war but, following lengthy negotiations, the music publishers [[Boosey & Hawkes]] acquired the lease of the building. [[David Webster (opera manager)|David Webster]] was appointed General Administrator, and [[Sadler's Wells Ballet]] was invited to become the resident ballet company. The Covent Garden Opera Trust was created and laid out plans "to establish Covent Garden as the national centre of opera and ballet, employing British artists in all departments, wherever that is consistent with the maintenance of the best possible standards&nbsp;..."{{sfn|Rosenthal|1967|p={{page needed|date=October 2020}}}}

The Royal Opera House reopened on 20 February 1946 with a performance of ''[[The Sleeping Beauty (ballet)|The Sleeping Beauty]]'' in an extravagant new production designed by [[Oliver Messel]].<ref name=":1" /> Webster, with his music director [[Karl Rankl]], immediately began to build a resident company. In December 1946, they shared their first production, [[Henry Purcell|Purcell]]'s ''[[The Fairy-Queen]]'', with the ballet company. On 14 January 1947, the Covent Garden Opera Company gave its first performance of [[Bizet]]'s ''[[Carmen]]''.

Before the grand opening, the Royal Opera House presented one of the Robert Mayer Children's concerts on Saturday, 9 February 1946.

===Opera at the Royal Opera House after 1945===
{{For|events in the history of opera at Covent Garden after 1945|The Royal Opera}}

===Ballet at the Royal Opera House after 1945===
{{for|events in the history of ballet at Covent Garden after 1945|The Royal Ballet}}

===Reconstruction from the 1980s forward===
[[File:Royal Opera House at night.jpg|thumb|left|The Royal Opera House, Bow Street Façade, after reconstruction]]
Several renovations had taken place to parts of the house in the 1960s, including improvements to the amphitheatre but the theatre clearly needed a major overhaul. In 1975 the Labour government gave land adjacent to the Royal Opera House for a long-overdue modernisation, refurbishment, and extension. In the early 1980s, the first part of a major renovation included an extension to the rear of the theatre on the James Street corner. The development added two new ballet studios, offices, a Chorus Rehearsal Room and the Opera Rehearsal room. Dressing rooms were also added.
[[File:ROH auditorium 003.jpg|thumb|right|The Royal Opera House auditorium, stage to the left]]
[[File:ROH auditorium 001.jpg|thumb|right|Facing the stage from the Amphitheatre]]

By 1995, sufficient funds from the Arts Lottery through [[Arts Council England]]<ref>[http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/documents/publications/annualreview0504_php4iC12j.rtf ''Arts Council England annual review 2005'', part 4 of 4] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904115441/http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/documents/publications/annualreview0504_php4iC12j.rtf |date=4 September 2012}} on artscouncil.org.uk Retrieved 10 May 2013</ref> and private fundraising had been raised to enable the company to embark upon a major £213&nbsp;million reconstruction of the building by [[Carillion]],<ref>[http://www.carillionplc.com/sectors/sectors_leisure_opera.asp Royal Opera House case study on carillionplc.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104225125/http://carillionplc.com/sectors/sectors_leisure_opera.asp |date=4 January 2010 }} Retrieved 24 March 2012</ref> which took place between 1997 and 1999, under the chairmanship of [[Angus Stirling|Sir Angus Stirling]]. This involved the demolition of almost the whole site including several adjacent buildings to make room for a major increase in the size of the complex. The auditorium itself remained, but well over half of the complex was new.

The design team was led by Jeremy Dixon and [[Edward Jones (English architect)|Edward Jones]] of Dixon Jones [[Building Design Partnership|BDP]] as architects. The acoustic designers were Rob Harris and Jeremy Newton of Arup Acoustics. The building engineer was [[Arup Group|Arup]] with [[Stanhope plc|Stanhope]] as developer.<ref>[http://www.stanhopeplc.com/?page=21&id=236 Stanhope company website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606170434/http://www.stanhopeplc.com/?page=21&id=236 |date=6 June 2012}} on stanhopeplc.com Retrieved 10 May 2013</ref>
[[File:Floral Street, Covent Garden - geograph.org.uk - 1550247.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The ''Bridge of Aspiration'' connects the [[Royal Ballet School]] (left) to the Royal Opera House (right) on the 4th floor. The bridge was designed by [[Wilkinson Eyre Architects]]]]

The new building has the same traditional horseshoe-shaped auditorium as before, but with greatly improved technical, rehearsal, office, and educational facilities. Additionally, a new studio theatre, the Linbury, as well as more public space was created. The inclusion of the adjacent old Floral Hall, which had fallen into disrepair and was used as a scenery store before redevelopment, created a new and extensive public gathering place. The venue is now claimed by the ROH to be the most modern theatre facility in Europe.

[[Surtitle]]s, projected onto a screen above the proscenium, have been used for all opera performances since they were introduced for school matinees in the 1983/4 season. Since the reopening of the theatre in 1999 an [[electronic libretto]] system provides translations onto small video screens for some seats, and additional monitors and screens are to be introduced to other parts of the house.

In 2014 design work, known as the Open Up Project, began with the aim of opening the theatre's building to the public during the day, as well as improving the entrances, lobby areas and the Linbury Theatre.<ref>[http://www.architectnews.co.uk/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=396:royal-opera-house-launches-open-up-project-with-architects&Itemid=90 "Royal Opera House launches 'Open Up' project with architects"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106013620/http://www.architectnews.co.uk/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=396:royal-opera-house-launches-open-up-project-with-architects&Itemid=90 |date=6 November 2014}}, on architectnews.co.uk</ref><ref>Elizabeth Hopkirk, [http://www.building.co.uk/stanton-williams-unveils-%C2%A337m-royal-opera-house-revamp/5071884.article "Stanton Williams unveils £37m Royal Opera House revamp"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105214235/http://www.building.co.uk/stanton-williams-unveils-%C2%A337m-royal-opera-house-revamp/5071884.article |date=5 November 2014}}, 3 November 2014, on architectnews.co.uk. (with images)</ref> As part of the Open Up Project, IQ Projects were tasked with the renovation of the upper floor bar area and restaurant utilising various elements of bespoke glazing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.iqprojectsuk.com/portfolio-posts/royal-opera-house/ |title=Royal Opera House {{!}} Commercial Architectural & Structural Glazing Specialists |date=20 January 2016 |website=IQ PROJECTS |language=en-GB |access-date=3 September 2019 |archive-date=20 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320101212/https://www.iqprojectsuk.com/portfolio-posts/royal-opera-house-oriel-windows/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2020, the [[BBC]] reported that the Royal Opera House had lost 60% of its income as a result of restrictions implemented in response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. As a consequence, the 1971 ''[[Portrait of Sir David Webster]]'' by [[David Hockney]], which had hung in the opera house for several decades, was put up for auction at [[Christie's]]. It eventually sold for £12.8&nbsp;million. The funds raised from the sale were needed to ensure the survival of the institution. "Significant [[Layoff|redundancies]]" and an appeal for public donations were also made. In addition, the opera house applied for a loan to the [[Culture Recovery Fund]].<ref name=BBCOct4>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54408868 |title=Royal Opera House to sell Hockney portrait to raise funds |date=4 October 2020 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=8 December 2020 |archive-date=20 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320101229/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54408868 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2023 members of the orchestra were selected to play at the [[coronation of Charles III and Camilla]].<ref>{{cite web |date=16 April 2023 |title=Buckingham Palace is pleased to announce further details of the twelve new compositions that have been written for the Coronation of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6th May 2023. |url=https://www.royal.uk/coronation-music-commissions |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416081854/https://www.royal.uk/coronation-music-commissions |archive-date=16 April 2023 |access-date=11 May 2023 |work=The Royal Family }}</ref>

In 2024, the public branding of the venue and its associated online and media presence was changed from the Royal Opera House to '''Royal Ballet and Opera''' to reflect the combined companies that call the physical building their home.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Royal Ballet and Opera |url=https://www.rbo.org.uk/about/the-royal-ballet-and-opera |access-date=3 July 2024 |website=www.rbo.org.uk }}</ref> The physical building itself remains the Royal Opera House whilst the branding and business operations change their title to reflect this adjustment.

===2025===

In March 2025, the ROH received multiple nominations for the upcoming [[Laurence Olivier Awards|Olivier Awards]]. Notably, ''[[Festen (play)|Festen]]'' was nominated for Best New Opera Production.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stage |first=Guardian |date=2025-03-04 |title=Olivier awards 2025: complete list of nominations |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/mar/04/olivier-awards-2025-complete-list-of-nominations |access-date=2025-03-07 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

On 19 July 2025, following a performance of [[Giuseppe Verdi]]’s [[Il trovatore|Il Trovatore]], [[Oliver Mears]], Director of Opera at the ROH entered the stage and attempted, but failed, to snatch a Palestinian flag from one of the cast, Daniel Perry, who had brought it on stage to unfurl during the curtain call in protest against the [[Gaza war|Gaza War]].  Perry later told [[Novara Media]] that after the curtain was lowered, Mears said to him: "You will never work at this opera house ever again".<ref>https://x.com/novaramedia/status/1947691997231255722</ref> The [[Royal Ballet and Opera]] declined to confirm or deny the involvement of Mears<ref name="Solidarity when It Suits">{{cite web | title=Solidarity when It Suits | date=24 July 2025 | url=https://van-magazine.com/mag/oliver-mears-palestine-flag/ }}</ref> but described Perry's actions as "completely inappropriate"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-21 |title=Royal Opera House cast member unfurls Palestine flag during curtain call |url=https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/news/royal-opera-house-palestine-flag-protest-gaza-b2792636.html |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> and backing the “several members of staff [who] attempted to protect the final curtain call of the Season".<ref name="Solidarity when It Suits"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hicks Beach |first1=Lucy Hicks Beach |title=On-stage tussle as cast member displays Palestinian flag at Royal Opera House |url=https://www.classicfm.com/artists/royal-opera-house/on-stage-tussle-dancer-palestinian-flag/ |website=Classic FM |access-date=4 August 2025 |language=en |date=21 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=20 July 2025 |title=Performer unfurls Palestinian flag on Royal Opera House stage |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20n9yzxyyvo |access-date=24 July 2025 |work=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Mark |date=20 July 2025 |title=Cast member displays Palestinian flag at end of Royal Opera House performance |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/jul/20/cast-member-displays-palestinian-flag-at-end-of-royal-opera-house-performance |access-date=24 July 2025 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

Asked subsequently by Van magazine to comment on its support for Ukraine and stance on Gaza, the [[Royal Ballet and Opera]] stated:  "Our support for Ukraine was shaped by a full-scale invasion that posed a direct threat to international stability and the UK’s national security. At the time, we were aligned with the global consensus around the need for immediate support.  We recognise that the humanitarian situation across Gaza and Israel is grave and pressing. The wider geopolitical context is tense, layered, and complex."<ref name="Solidarity when It Suits"/>

In late July 2025, 182 members of the Royal Ballet and Opera signed an open letter sent to [[Alex Beard (arts manager)|Alex Beard]], chief executive and the RBO Board stating that they were deeply concerned about “recent actions and decisions taken by the RBO in the context of the ongoing genocide in Gaza”.<ref name="artistsforpalestine.org.uk">{{cite web | title=Victory for staff as Royal Ballet and Opera pulls Israel production | date=4 August 2025 | url=https://artistsforpalestine.org.uk/2025/08/04/victory-for-staff-as-royal-ballet-and-opera-pulls-tel-aviv-production/ }}</ref> The letter highlighted the RBO’s recent hiring out of its production of [[Turandot]] to the [[Israeli Opera]] (which had offered free tickets to uniformed members of the [[IDF]]) and stated: “The decision cannot be viewed as neutral. It is a deliberate alignment, materially and symbolically, with a government currently engaged in crimes against humanity.” The letter condemned the “extremely poor judgment of [[Oliver Mears]]” who was “witnessed attempting to forcibly snatch the flag from the performer, displaying visible anger and aggression in front of the entire audience” and sought for Mears “to be held accountable for his public display of aggression” which they described as “far from being a neutral administrative intervention [but] was itself a loud political statement. It sent a clear message that any visible solidarity with Palestine would be met with hostility while the organisations remains silent on the ongoing genocide … Mears does not represent us”.  It called on Beard to: "Reject any current or future performances in Israel, and commit to withholding our productions from institutions that legitimise and economically support a state engaged in the mass killing of civilians".<ref name="artistsforpalestine.org.uk"/>

On 4 August 2025, Beard acknowledged the “open letter that has been circulating internally” and told staff: “We have made the decision that our new production of [[Tosca]] will not be going to Israel.” The [[Israeli Opera]] website has dropped reference to the Royal Opera House.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Khomami | first1=Nadia | last2=Arts | first2=Nadia Khomami | title=UK's Royal Ballet and Opera withdraws Tosca production in Tel Aviv | work=The Guardian | date=4 August 2025 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/04/uk-royal-ballet-and-opera-withdraw-tosca-tel-aviv-israel-gaza }}</ref>

==Facilities==
===Paul Hamlyn Hall===
[[File:Royal Opera House - Floral Hall - Bow Street - London - 240404.jpg|thumb|Exterior of the Paul Hamlyn Hall]]

The Paul Hamlyn Hall is a large iron and glass structure adjacent to, and with direct access to, the main opera house building. The hall now acts as the atrium and main public area of the opera house, with a champagne bar, restaurant and other hospitality services, and also providing access to the main auditorium at all levels.

The building was formerly known as '''Floral Hall'''. It was originally built by the Opera House to house a flower market (also selling fruits and vegetables), hence the name. It was designed by [[Edward Middleton Barry]] and opened in 1860. After being used as a concert hall, it became part of the Covent Garden Market in 1887. A fire broke out in the building in 1956, after which it sat derelict. It was acquired by the Opera House in 1977 and used as storage space.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.roh.org.uk/venues/paul-hamlyn-hall |title=ROH – Paul Hamlyn Hall |access-date=16 December 2019 |archive-date=20 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320101209/https://roh-production.global.ssl.fastly.net/v2/css/b9b9ad2.css?v=1.56.1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The redevelopment of the Floral Hall as part of the 1990s redevelopment project involved lifting up the cast iron structure to accommodate new public areas for the opera house underneath. The southern side of the hall now connected with another building, so the cast iron south portico was dismantled and rebuilt in [[Borough Market]], where it is separately Grade II heritage listed.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=RESITED FLORAL HALL PORTICO AT BOROUGH MARKET|num=1392690|access-date=3 December 2016 }}</ref>

The redevelopment had gone ahead on the strength of a pledge of £10M from the philanthropist [[Alberto Vilar]] and for a number of years, it was known as the Vilar Floral Hall; however Vilar failed to make good his pledge. As a result, the name was changed in September 2005 to the Paul Hamlyn Hall, after the opera house received a donation of £10M from the estate of [[Paul Hamlyn]], towards its education and development programmes.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6638245.stm "£10m pledged to Royal Opera House", 9 May 2007 on news.bbc.co.uk]  Retrieved 24 March 2012</ref>

As well as acting as a main public area for performances in the main auditorium, the Paul Hamlyn Hall is also used for hosting a number of events, including private functions, dances, exhibitions, concerts, and workshops.

===Linbury Studio Theatre===
The Linbury Studio Theatre is a flexible, secondary performance space, constructed below ground level within the Royal Opera House. It has retractable raked seating and a floor which can be raised or lowered to form a studio floor, a raised stage, or a stage with orchestra pit. The theatre can accommodate up to 400 patrons and host a variety of different events. It has been used for private functions, traditional theatre shows, and concerts, as well as community and educational events, product launches, dinners and exhibitions, etc., and is one of the most technologically advanced performance venues in London with its own public areas, including a bar and cloakroom.
<ref>[http://londondance.com/directory/venues/dance/linbury-studio-theatre/ Linbury Studio Theatre on londondance.com] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320101220/http://londondance.com/user/login/?redirect=/directory/venues/dance/linbury-studio-theatre/&redirect=/directory/venues/dance/linbury-studio-theatre/ |date=20 March 2021 }} Retrieved 24 March 2012</ref><ref>[http://everything2.com/title/Royal+Opera+House Royal Opera House on everything2.com] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320101233/https://everything2.com/title/Royal+Opera+House |date=20 March 2021 }} Retrieved 24 March 2012</ref>

The Linbury is most notable for hosting performances of experimental and independent dance and music, by independent companies and as part of the ROH2, the contemporary producing arm of the Royal Opera House. The Linbury Studio Theatre regularly stages performances by the [[Royal Ballet School]] and also hosts the [[Young British Dancer of the Year]] competition.

The venue was constructed as part of the 1990s redevelopment of the Royal Opera House. It is named in recognition of donations made by the Linbury Trust towards the redevelopment. The Trust is operated by [[Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover]] and his wife [[Anya Linden]], a former dancer with the Royal Ballet. The name Linbury is derived from the names Linden and Sainsbury.<ref>[http://www.linburytrust.org.uk/ The Linbury Trust on linburytrust.org.uk] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320101220/https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Libre+Franklin%3A300%2C300i%2C400%2C400i%2C600%2C600i%2C800%2C800i&subset=latin%2Clatin-ext&display=fallback |date=20 March 2021 }} Retrieved 24 March 2012</ref> It was opened in 1999 with a collaboration from three [[Croydon]] secondary schools (including [[Coloma Convent Girls' School]] and [[Edenham High School]]) in an original performance called ''About Face''.<ref>{{cite web |title=UKTW Archive, London Royal Opera House |url=https://www.uktw.co.uk/archive/London/Royal-Opera-House/Dance/About-Face/L022557777/ |website=UK Theatre Web |access-date=14 March 2018 |archive-date=20 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320101226/https://www.uktw.co.uk/archive/London/Royal-Opera-House/Dance/About-Face/L022557777/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Royal Opera House, Manchester===
{{main|The Royal Ballet#Royal Opera House.2C Manchester}}

In 2008 the Royal Opera House and [[Manchester City Council]] began planning stages a new development known as '''Royal Opera House, Manchester'''. The proposal would have seen the [[Palace Theatre, Manchester|Palace Theatre]] in Manchester refurbished, to create a theatre capable of staging productions by both the [[The Royal Ballet|Royal Ballet]] and the Royal Opera. It was intended that the Royal Opera House would take residence of the theatre for an annual 18-week season, staging 16 performances by the Royal Opera, 28 performances by the Royal Ballet and other small-scale productions.<ref>{{cite news |last=Higgins |first=Charlotte |title=Disharmony over Royal Opera's plan to go north |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/oct/28/royal-opera-lowry-manchester |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=28 October 2008 |access-date=16 December 2016 |archive-date=20 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320101218/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/oct/28/royal-opera-lowry-manchester |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Staff writer |title=Northern opera proposal evaluated |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/7702690.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=31 October 2008 }}</ref> A year later [[The Lowry]] sent an open letter to the then [[Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport]], [[Ben Bradshaw]], Arts Council England, Manchester City Council and the ROH, calling for the scheme, in its current form, to be scrapped.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Mark |title=Threat to plan for Royal Opera House in the north |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jun/25/lowry-manchester-royal-opera-house |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=25 June 2009 |access-date=6 August 2016 |archive-date=20 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320101241/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jun/25/lowry-manchester-royal-opera-house |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2010 it was announced that the project was being shelved as part of larger arts-funding cuts.<ref name="Stage_031110">{{cite news |last=Staff writer |title=ROH shelves its plans to move north |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/roh-shelves-its-plans-to-move-north/ |work=[[The Stage]] |publisher=The Stage Media Company Ltd |date=3 November 2010 |access-date=6 August 2016 |archive-date=9 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009231103/https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2010/roh-shelves-its-plans-to-move-north/ |url-status=live}} [http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/news/show/2252-roh-shelves-its-plans-to-move-north Alternative link] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817061548/http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/news/show/2252-roh-shelves-its-plans-to-move-north |date=17 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sharp |first=Rob |title=Royal Opera House shelves move north |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/news/royal-opera-house-shelves-move-north-2118505.html |work=[[The Independent]] |publisher=Independent Print Ltd |date=27 October 2010 |access-date=11 September 2017 |archive-date=20 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320101224/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/news/royal-opera-house-shelves-move-north-2118505.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===High House Production Park (High House, Purfleet)===
[[File:Royal Opera House production facility.JPG|thumb|300px|ROH's Manoukian Production Facility at [[High House, Purfleet]]]]
The Royal Opera House opened a scenery-making facility for their operas and ballets at [[High House, Purfleet]], Essex, on 6 December 2010. The building was designed by Nicholas Hare Architects.<ref name="EEDA">[http://www.eeda.org.uk/5894.asp "Thurrock launches new creative and cultural hub", 13 December 2010, East of England Development Agency press release on its website eeda.org.uk] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718095403/http://www.eeda.org.uk/5894.asp |date=18 July 2011 }} Retrieved 9 January 2011</ref> The East of England Development Agency, which partly funded developments on the park, notes that "the first phase includes the Royal Opera House's Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop and Community areas".<ref name="EEDA"/>

The Bob and Tamar Manoukian Costume Centre, also designed by Nicholas Hare Associates, opened in September 2015, and provides a costume-making facility for the Royal Opera House and a training centre for students of costume-making from [[South Essex College]]. The building also houses the Royal Opera House's collection of historically important costumes.

Other elements at High House, Purfleet, include The Backstage Centre, a new technical theatre and music training centre which is currently run by the National College for Creative Industries and was formally opened by [[Creative & Cultural Skills]] in March 2013, alongside renovated farm buildings. Acme studios opened a complex of 43 artist studios in Summer 2013.<ref>
[http://blog.roh.org.uk/?cat=53&paged=2 Information (with illustration) about the Production Park from blog.roh.org.uk] {{webarchive |url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110918173937/http://blog.roh.org.uk/?cat=53&paged=2 |date=18 September 2011 }} Retrieved 25 November 2010</ref>

==Other uses==
In addition to opera and ballet performances, the Royal Opera House has hosted a number of other events including:
* [[British Academy Film Awards]] – 2008 to 2016
* [[Laurence Olivier Award]]s – 2012 to 2016

== See also ==
* [[Owners, lessees and managers of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden]]
* [[European Route of Historic Theatres]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist}}

===Cited sources===
* {{cite book |last=Banham |first=Martin |title=The Cambridge Guide to Theatre |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1995 |isbn=0-521-43437-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Jefferson |first=Alan |title=Sir Thomas Beecham: a Centenary Tribute |publisher=Macdonald and Jane's |location=London |year=1979 |isbn=0-354-04205-X}}
* {{cite book |last=Parker |first=E.D. |title=Opera under Augustus Harris |url=https://archive.org/stream/operaunderaugust00parkrich#page/38/mode/2up |publisher=Saxon & Co. |location=London |date=1900}}
* {{cite book |last=Rosenthal |first=Harold |author-link=Harold Rosenthal |title=Opera at Covent Garden, A Short History |publisher=Victor Gollancz |location=London |year=1967 |isbn=0-575-01158-0}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Sheppard |editor-first=F.H.W. |title=Survey of London, Volume XXXV: The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden |publisher=Athlone Press |location=London |year=1972 |isbn=0-485-48235-5}}

===Further reading===
* {{cite book |last=Allen |first=Mary |title=A House Divided: The Diary of a Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |date=1998 |isbn=0-684-85865-7}}
* Beauvert, Thierry, ''Opera Houses of the World'', The Vendome Press, New York, 1995.
* Donaldson, Frances, ''The Royal Opera House in the Twentieth Century'', Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1988.
* Earl, John and Sell, Michael ''Guide to British Theatres 1750–1950'', pp.&nbsp;136–8 (Theatres Trust, 2000) {{ISBN|0-7136-5688-3}}.
* Haltrecht, Montague, ''The Quiet Showman: Sir David Webster and the Royal Opera House'', Collins, London, 1975.
* [[Jeremy Isaacs|Isaacs, Jeremy]], ''Never Mind the Moon'', Bantam Press, 1999.
* [[Norman Lebrecht|Lebrecht, Norman]], ''Covent Garden: The Untold Story: Dispatches from the English Culture War, 1945–2000'', Northeastern University Press, 2001.
* Lord Drogheda, et al., ''The Covent Garden Album'', Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1981.
* Mosse, Kate, ''The House: Inside the Royal Opera House Covent Garden'', BBC Books, London, 1995.
* Robinson, Terry F. [http://www.branchcollective.org/?ps_articles=terry-f-robinson-national-theatre-in-transition-the-london-patent-theatre-fires-of-1808-1809-and-the-old-price-riots National Theatre in Transition: The London Patent Theatre Fires of 1808–1809 and the Old Price Riots.] ''BRANCH: Britain, Representation, and Nineteenth-Century History.'' Web. 29 March 2016.
* Tooley, John, ''In House: Covent Garden, Fifty Years of Opera and Ballet'', Faber and Faber, London, 1999.
* Thubron, Colin (text) and Boursnell, Clive (photos), ''The Royal Opera House Covent Garden'', Hamish Hamilton, London, 1982.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Royal Opera House Covent Garden}}
* {{Official website|http://www.rbo.org.uk}}
* [http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/ Royal Opera House Collections Online (Archive Collections Catalogue and Performance Database)]
* [http://www.streetsensation.co.uk/sights/royal_opera_house.htm Royal Opera House elevation]
* [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmcumeds/199i/cu0111.htm Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport's 1998 Report on funding and management issues at the Royal Opera House]
* [http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/RoyalOperaHouseCoventGarden.htm Theatre History] Articles, Images, and Archive Material

{{Theatres in London}}
{{London landmarks}}
{{OlivierAward OperaProduction}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Royal Opera House| ]]
[[Category:West End theatres]]
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