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ROH Press ReleasePublic Access to the London, Opera House ROH Press Release |
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The following is the summary of the 32 page Royal Opera House press release that was issued on the 28th January 1999. Use the index, left, to goto whichever section you need for more information. For the first time, the Royal Opera House will be open to the public during the day as a regular feature of its daily existence. The Floral Hall will be open both during the day to visitors and in the evening to audiences, providing at least double the previous foyer space than in the old building. Morning coffee, lunch, snacks and drinks for visitors will be available, and a programme of free lunchtime concerts and events, a continual programme of exhibitions and daily tours will all be a regular part of life in the redeveloped theatre. Both the restored Floral Hall and the new Amphitheatre Bar are destined to become focal points for visitors during the day and the audience in the evening. The magnificently restored Floral Hall will provide one of the most attractive meeting places in central London, while the Amphitheatre Bar will lead out onto a loggia that provides an unparalleled view of Covent Garden. The pedestrian link from Bow Street to the Piazza which will house the Royal Opera House Box Office, ROH Shop, an Information Point and a Coffee Shop will be open from 10am until the end of the performance, drawing people who live and work in Covent Garden and visitors to the area into the building. The link containing these facilities will open on Wednesday 1 December, when the Box Office will also open for personal bookings for the first part of the 1999/2000 season. Access to the ROH for people with disabilities will be significantly improved. The recommendations of the Access Focus Group, which has advised on access throughout the development, will result in a combination of level entrances, gentle ramps and lifts which will enable optimum usage of the building by everyone. The number of wheelchair spaces in the auditorium will be increased from two to a maximum of twenty-four at each performance. Audio-introduced performances for the visually-impaired will resume at the start of the season. The Studio Theatre will have eight positions for wheelchair users and is fully accessible. The ROH will be open throughout the year, apart from brief closures for essential maintenance during the Summer, enabling international ballet and opera companies to visit during these periods. In addition to The Royal Ballet’s own Summer Season, which Victor Hochhauser will present in July 2000, Birmingham Royal Ballet will return to the Royal Opera House in May/June, and discussions are in progress with |
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