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Royal Ballet and Opera | |
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 Bow Street frontage with Plazzotta's statue, Young Dancer, in the foreground | |
  Royal Ballet and Opera Location within Central London  Royal Ballet and Opera Royal Ballet and Opera (the United Kingdom) | |
| Full name | Royal Ballet and Opera |
|---|---|
| Former names | Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (until 1892); Royal Opera House (until 2024) |
| Address | Bow Street |
| Location | London, WC2 |
| Coordinates | 51°30′47″N 0°7′22″W / 51.51306°N 0.12278°W |
| Public transit |  Covent GardenBus: 6, 11, 14, 26, 59, 98, 139, 168, 176 |
| Owner | Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation |
| Designation | Grade I[1] |
| Type | Opera house |
| Genre(s) | Classical |
| Capacity | 2,256 (main auditorium) |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1728–1732 (original building) |
| Opened | 7 December 1732 |
| Architect | Edward Shepherd (original building) Edward Middleton Barry (current building) |
| Builder | Lucas Brothers (current building) |
| Tenants | |
| The Royal Ballet The Royal Opera | |
| Website | |
| rbo | |
The Royal Ballet and Opera, formerly the Royal Opera House (ROH), is a historic opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. 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 oratorios 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.[2] 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 boxes and balconies and the amphitheatre gallery. The proscenium is 14.80 metres (48 ft 7 in) wide, with the stage of the same depth and 12.20 metres (40 ft 0 in) high. The main auditorium is a Grade I listed building.[3]
The Royal Opera House was rebranded as the Royal Ballet and Opera in 2024.[4]
- ^ Historic England (9 January 1970). "The Royal Opera House (1066392)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ "11 Secrets of London's Royal Opera House". Londonist. 16 February 2017.
- ^ "Royal Opera House (London)" Archived 23 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine description on theatrestrust.org.uk Retrieved 10 May 2013
- ^ "Royal Ballet and Opera announces ambitious new season – and name change". 30 April 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.