Opera is boring
At OHP, we pride ourselves on producing exciting productions that capture an audience’s imagination. We strive to produce varied seasons with something for everyone, from popular favourites such as Don Giovanni, to rarities like Zazà. We sometimes put a new spin on old operas and give our Directors and Conductors the freedom to explore staging ideas.
You can’t understand opera in a different language
Every performance of our operas in foreign languages are surtitled with translations and a synopsis of every opera can be found in our programmes. We find many of our patrons actually prefer to watch our operas without reading the surtitles – you’ll be surprised how much you can understand from great acting and singing.
Opera is always expensive
Actually, opera tickets are often a lot less expensive than many pop concerts or sporting events. Here at OHP, we want our operas to reach as many people as possible regardless of income or background. That’s why we’ve introduced a free ticket scheme for older patrons and young people, and our INSPIRE £18 tickets scheme which are available to everyone at subsidised prices. You can find out more about our Inspire education and outreach scheme and other community projects we run here.
Opera is elitist
Opera is often called ‘elitist’ but we’re passionate about showing that’s not the case. Our audiences are of all ages, nationalities, backgrounds and, thanks to our subsidised and free ticket schemes, everyone has the chance to experience one of our shows. We regularly take our operas into the community, running projects with RNIB, SANE, Royal Hospital Chelsea as well as annually performing an audio-described performance. You can find out more about these projects here.
Opera is old fashioned and no longer relevant
Opera tells some of the most human and timeless stories there are: love, separation, death, loss and turmoil are just some of the themes that regularly appear in operas.
Opera isn’t for young people
Actually, most studies show that opera audiences are growing and getting younger! At OHP, we’re keen for people of all ages to see our operas which is why we introduced our older patrons and younger audiences free ticket schemes. We even run the family opera Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Will Todd on the Yucca Lawn – designed specifically for children and families to give young ones their first taste of opera.
