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Over the last few months, London’s cultural institutions have delved into their archives to bring us recorded streams of plays, dance performances and concerts to keep us entertained during lockdown. But now the Royal Opera House is planning to stream something that’s actually live. Imagine!
The venue has announced plans for ‘Live from Covent Garden’, a series of three performances which will be broadcast live on YouTube and Facebook from the Royal Opera House, to an empty auditorium.
This will be the first time the venue has hosted a live performance since it closed to the public on March 17. The first concert will be at 7.30pm on June 13, hosted by presenter Anita Rani and the Royal Opera House’s director of music Antonio Pappano. The line-up includes performances of the works of Benjamin Britten and George Frideric Handel, as well as a performance by the Royal Ballet’s resident choreographer Wayne McGregor.
The first concert will be free to stream and the next two performances, on Saturday June 20 and Saturday June 27, will be ticketed at a cost of £4.99 per show. The paid-for shows will be streamed live, as well as being available to view on-demand afterwards.
Sure, it won’t be the same as sitting in a massive plush auditorium with loads of other people, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. All you need to recreate the full experience when you tune in at home is one of those tiny pairs of red binoculars and a vaguely uncomfortable chair.
Want more culture from your living room? Tom Hiddleston stars in the National Theatre’s free live stream of ‘Coriolanus’ this week.