Crisis has dogged the Royal Opera House in recent years, as the Parliamentary commission report revealed.

Background

The theatre dates from the mid-nineteenth century. The stage machinery has not been renovated since the turn of the century.

The land it stands on in the heart of London's West End was bought by the Arts Council in 1975.

Backstage conditions were considered "barbaric" and it was feared health and safety considerations might force it to close.

History

July 1995
The National Lottery offered the Royal Opera House a £78m grant for refurbishment in two tranches. It was the largest Arts Council lottery grant ever made.

Current ROH Chairman Lord Chadlington headed the Arts Council lottery committee at the time, but "had only one vote," as he told the select committee.

At that time, Chief Executive Sir Jeremy Isaacs and the Arts Council were mulling over the options of using the nearby Lyceum and a new temporary theatre at Tower Bridge, with financial help from Disney, to house the Royal Opera company and the Royal Ballet during a closure.

December 1995
The Dominion and Drury Lane were also discussed, but the board also was looking at a "worst case scenario" of "suspended animation" in different venues.

March 1996
Some 170 ROH staff members signed a petition of concern about the closure plans, which required that 110 posts be made redundant. The ROH fixed on the "nomadic" option, but the Palladium was no longer available.

January 1997
New Chief Executive Genista McIntosh was appointed, and identified £2m savings. Touring plans showed a full programme for both companies including performances at the Labatt's Apollo Hammersmith, Royal Festival Hall, Barbican, London Coliseum, Royal Albert Hall, Shaftesbury Theatre and Sadler's Wells.

A further 102 posts were cut, although redundancies were lower.

April 1997
Fearing Ms McIntosh's resignation, Chairman Lord Chadlington spoke secretly to the Arts Council General Secretary Mary Allen, who had been interviewed for the job before. She did not tell Lord Gowrie because she thought Ms McIntosh would "get through".

May 7, 1997
Ms McIntosh resigns after five months in the job. New chairman Lord Chadlington blames "stress." She later said she had been "mismatched with the organisation".

Lord Chadlington visited the Culture Secretary, Chris Smith, and said he wanted to appoint Ms Allen without a selection process because of the "urgency" of the matter. Mr Smith later told the committee he did not realise Ms Allen would work three months' notice and not join the ROH until September.

Lord Chadlington said he was "happy" with the plan. Lord Gowrie said he was "gobsmacked" to learn of Ms Allen's departure.

July 1997
Private patrons stepped in to bail out the ROH to the tune of £2m so it could remain a going concern. Projected deficit for closure was £3m.

Box office receipts proved disappointing and the Labatt's Apollo Royal Ballet run made losses of about £750,000.

September 1997
The board was told that budgets were "seriously wanting" with projections showing £9m to £10m could be added to the accumulated £4.7m deficit. This was "manifestly unsustainable".

The Walker-Arnott report demanded by Mr Smith found that the refurbishment and closure plan were sound and proceeding to plan, but criticised Arts Council controls.

October 1997
Lord Chadlington told the select committee that the ROH had just over a week to find a rescue package to stay solvent.

The multi-million Floral Trust was diverted for the purpose. Sir Richard Eyre was asked by Mr Smith to review options including moving English National Opera into refurbished Covent Garden along with Royal Ballet and Royal Opera.
 

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