Free culture on your doorstep with BP Big Screens
Free culture on your doorstep - from Aberdeen to the Isle of Wight - enjoy the best of British culture, free this summer
Everyone can enjoy free culture on their doorstep when the Royal Opera House BP Big Screens are hosted at 24 key locations across the UK this summer.
Bring a picnic and your friends and family to see beloved classics: Romeo and Juliet (11 June), Carmen (2 July) and The Marriage of Figaro (9 July) as they are live-broadcast to locations across the UK. Sites include Aberdeen’s Duthie Park, Castle Square in Swansea, Walton Halls and Gardens in Warrington and all the way down to Bembridge in the Isle of Wight.
On 11 June, the first 2019 BP Big Screen is live from the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. Kenneth MacMillan’s celebrated ballet Romeo and Juliet movingly depicts the love and heart-break endured by literature’s most renowned couple. On July 2, award-winning director Barrie Kosky’s exuberant take on Bizet’s Carmen will be screened. With cabaret ensemble numbers and high-kicking dancers, this production is a beloved masterpiece. On July 9, the Royal Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro is screened. Mozart’s greatest comedy is given a sumptuous staging by David McVicar, its stunning score is fast-moving in this hilarious production with ravishing duets and emotionally potent arias.
Alex Beard, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, commented:
“The BP Big Screens are a much-loved highlight of the summer calendar across the UK, and I am delighted that we once again beam the best the Royal Opera House has to offer to an ever-wider audience. Over the years, our collaboration with BP has enabled more than half a million people to experience ballet and opera – many for the first time – and together we bring this summer highlight to people all over the UK.”
Des Violaris, Director – UK Arts and Culture at BP said:
“Each summer we look forward to the BP Big Screens and taking free culture to people all over the country. This year we screen live world-class opera and ballet from Aberdeen to the Isle of Wight and build on over 30 years of partnership work between BP and the Royal Opera House”
The first Royal Opera House BP Big Screens was in 1987 showing free ballet and opera to audiences across the UK. In 2018, 41,500 people saw a free opera or ballet performance at one of 40 screenings in 20 different locations. The Marriage of Figaro will also be live streamed on the Royal Opera House’s Facebook, YouTube and OperaVision. Share on social using @royaloperahouse and #ROHromeo, #ROHcarmen and #ROHfigaro. The Royal Opera House BP Big Screen locations:
Romeo and Juliet, 11 June 2019:
Trafalgar Square (London); Cressing Temple Barns (Essex); Trinity Square (Hull); Sandy Balls Holiday Village, The New Forest (Hampshire); Television Centre, White City (London); Walton Hall and Gardens (Warrington); Arena Square Wembley Park (London); Alnwick Castle (Northumberland); Big Screen Bristol, Millennium Square; Queen’s Drive Space (Exmouth); General Gordon Square, Woolwich (London); Guildhall Square (Portsmouth); Castle Square (Swansea); University of Warwick (Coventry); The Oast House, Spinningfields (Manchester).
Carmen, 2 July 2019:
Duthie Park (Aberdeen); Trafalgar Square (London); Lyric Square, Hammersmith (London); Millennium Square (Leeds); Tattershall Lakes Country Park (Lincolnshire); Television Centre, White City (London); Arena Square Wembley Park (London); The Village Square, (Brighton Marina); Big Screen Bristol, Millennium Square; Queen’s Drive Space, (Exmouth); General Gordon Square, Woolwich (London); Guildhall Square (Portsmouth); Castle Square (Swansea); University of Warwick (Coventry); The Oast House, Spinningfields (Manchester)
The Marriage of Figaro, 9 July 2019:
Trafalgar Square (London); Lyric Square, Hammersmith (London); Millennium Square (Leeds); The Forum (Southend-on-Sea); The Scoop at London Bridge City (London); Television Centre, White City (London); Arena Square Wembley Park (London); Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park (Isle of Wight); The Village Square, Brighton Marina (Brighton); Big Screen Bristol, Millennium Square; Queen’s Drive Space (Exmouth); General Gordon Square, Woolwich (London); Guildhall Square (Portsmouth); Castle Square (Swansea); University of Warwick (Coventry); The Oast House, Spinningfields (Manchester)
All the Royal Opera House BP Big Screens are rated 12A.
Notes to editors
- For further information, interview requests or press access please contact rachel.gaston@roh.org.uk
- Images available to download here.
About the Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House wants to give everyone access to exceptional ballet and opera. As The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, we bring together the world's most extraordinary artists in more than 500 performances every year on our two world-class stages.
We are open every day from 10am with a programme of daytime events, activities and festivals for people of all ages. Through award-winning music, dance and theatre we transport our audiences to other worlds.
Last year more than 676,000 people saw a Royal Opera House performance or came for a tour. Our BP Big Screens programme every summer sees thousands enjoy free, world-class opera and ballet on their doorsteps, from Aberdeen to the Isle of Wight. The Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season, which broadcasts live performances of opera and ballet to UK and international cinemas, celebrated ten years of world-class cinema broadcasts in 2018. In 2019, we broadcast to more than 1,500 cinemas globally. Our ongoing partnership with the BBC saw three of our productions broadcast across BBC platforms/channels last Season.
BP and the Royal Opera House
BP has been the longest running supporter of the Royal Opera House. The relationship began in 1988 with initiatives including the Schools’ Matinee programme and the Chance to Dance scheme. BP have supported the Big Screen live relays of opera and ballet performances direct from Covent Garden since 2000. The generous ongoing support of BP has enabled the Royal Opera House to reach as many people as possible around the country with live performances, allowing them to experience the very best of opera and ballet in their home town, for free. As always, BP has combined support for the screenings with studies and analysis of the benefits of the screenings and associated education work.
BP support for art and culture
In the UK, BP is a major supporter of the arts with a programme that spans over 50 years. In that time over 50 million people have engaged and connected with cultural experiences supported by the company. BP’s investment in long term partnerships with the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House represent one of the most significant long-term corporate investments in UK arts and culture www.bp.com/arts