Royal Opera to open new workshop

By Oliver Rogers
BBC Essex

Cecilia Oberg began her career in Sweden and has worked with pop singer Duffy

From Autumn 2010, all the scenery for operas at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden will be made in Thurrock.

A new production workshop is being built for the ROH's behind-the-scenes departments in Essex.

Gabrielle Forster-Still from the Royal Opera House told BBC Essex: "All of our sets will be built in Thurrock from next Autumn.

The finished 14-acre Royal Opera House Production Park, will also be home to other businesses along with the ROH.

Located in Purfleet, the High House site will cost £60 million to develop and create some 250 jobs.

This cost is being split among the partner organisations these include the ROH, the National Skills Academy, the Arts Council, East of England Development Agency, Thurrock Council, Liberty International, and Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

A new National Skills Academy is also being built on the same park.

To help the Royal Opera House build links with the community a number of question and answer sessions have been put on at the Thameside Theatre in Grays for members of the public to see how the behind-the-scenes staff do their jobs.

Around 50 people turned up to watch actors be transformed on stage

The evenings have dealt with directing, costumes, and choreography.

The first event put on at the Thameside was on Wednesday, 18 November and dealt with make-up and wigs.

The head of wigs and make-up for the Royal Opera House, Claudia Stolze, has worked with many of the great stars including Plácido Domingo, Darcey Bussell, and Luciano Pavarotti.

"We would like to give people an insight into what we do. We want to show off a bit! We are usually backstage so to be on it is an honour," she said.

"It is lovely to share what we are passionate about with a wider audience, and we want to show the young people of Thurrock what a lovely job this is," she added.

Claudia Stolze has worked at the ROH for nine years

Swedish make-up artist Cecilia Oberg has been working at the Royal Opera House for 18 months.

"We have the beauty make-up, the more normal kind of girlie stuff, such as blusher, foundation, eye shadow," she said.

"For the special effects side of things we've got artificial blood and silicon for scars and cuts," she added.

"I started off as a hairdresser in Sweden and then I moved over to the UK to study make-up. I have worked in film and theatre.

"London is such a great place to work in the theatre as there is so much going on," added Cecilia.

The Royal Opera House hopes to run similar evenings in the future.