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Here are all the Friends organisations that are associated with the |
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Friends of Covent Garden
American friends of CG
Ballet Association
Drogheda Circle |
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While membership is clearly not a bargain, especially when compared with other friends' organisations, Advance Booking privileges means that that this is the best way(*) of getting the good seats at the Opera House. Seat positions have been particularly important at the Opera House because the Victorian shape means that some locations are less ideal than others. Even within a price range there can be significant variation in the view of the stage and we can certainly confirm that getting the Friends priority does improve the seats you get.
Of course the Opera House is currently closed and being rebuilt so the friends advance booking facility is supposed to help members in their booking elsewhere. In reality this does not seem to be working out very well and quite a few people have found themselves getting poorer seats then those who booked normally. Aside from advance booking there is the expected mix of Rehearsals and Masterclasses. There are also some interesting talks in a series called How the House Works. Friends' talks with dancers are however nearly as rare as hens' teeth, but see the Ballet Association entry for more on this. In general (and excluding the opera side) there seems to be less going on than there is with say the Birmingham Friends and that coupled with the higher number of members means that your are less likely to get tickets for events. On average I get about 30%-40% of the tickets I would like. Events and rehearsals generally cost £7-£12. Part of the professional approach means that you get an excellent and well presented Bulletin about what is going on at the House. Usefully the Bulletin also contains comprehensive sections on similar events elsewhere in and around London. The Bulletin comes out about five times a year. A glossy magazine, called "Opera House" features some interesting articles and comes out about three times a year. However we would prefer to see a cheaper way of presenting the information and devoting more money to organising events. The organisers of the Friends also arrange some other functions that are open to the wider public (though friends generally have an advance booking privilege). These are normally called 'In-Focus' events and typically are study afternoons or study days generally covering aspects of a specific ballet or mixed bill. They cost around £10-£20. Because these are essentially public events details of how to book them are contained in the Friends' Royal Opera House entry. Finally note that there is an offshoot of the Friends in the US - the American Friends of Covent Garden. To recap; membership costs about £45 and there are reductions for senior citizens and those under 26 (what is significant about the age of 26 I know not!). Contact details;The Friends, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD (it helps if you mark the envelope 'Membership') Telephone: 0171 212 9412 or 9267 or 9268 {top} |
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American Friends of Covent Garden Other than knowing of their existence, and that contributions are tax-deductable, I know little else. Can somebody let me know what they get up to?! (hopefully in connection with supporting the Royal Ballet as opposed to the Royal Opera). Contact details; Royal Opera House Trust, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD Telephone: +44 (0)171 212 9397 Fax: +44 (0)171 212 9514 {top} |
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Ballet Association We now have a separate Ballet Association page with complete details about the association, where they meet, how to join and their recent interviews... |
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Drogheda Circle An exclusive bunch this lot with not above a few tens of members and an entrance fee of £1,000. The Circle is named after an earlier Chairman of the Royal Opera House. The idea behind the Circle is for small numbers of people, around 15 to 20, to come together and support a production by each contributing £1000. You can either pay this as a lump sum or over 4 years (which works out at £21.83 a month). Aside from a warm feeling of having contributed very directly to getting a production in place (and getting your name in the programme!), there are some other benefits. For example the literature mentions a level of involvement in the adopted production. In reality, from the people we have talked to, prospective sponsors should not harbour particularly high expectations on this front. A more tangible benefit is a post performance supper with the cast and senior members of the company. This is a truly splendid affair and a real opportunity to exchange views and perceptions, and to understand much more about what makes dancers, designers and the company tick. If you go to the ballet a lot you will be spending rather more than £21 a month on your habit; quite possibly considerably more. What's more all your tickets are effectively subsidised to a significant extent by the Arts Council and state. Looked at in this light you might well consider injecting a little cash to making things somewhat better than they otherwise would. Contact details;Royal Opera House Trust, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD Telephone: 0171 212 9397 |
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