Londons Little Opera House

Leading an artistic revolution - The Sunday Times Redefining the boundaries of opera - The Laurence Olivier Awards As pub theatre this is surely the best ever - Daily Express
OperaUpClose was founded two years ago with 7000 borrowed on the credit card of its artistic director, Adam Spreadbury-Maher. Since then its production of La Bohme, which opened at the Cock Tavern Theatre in Kilburn in December 2009, has become the worlds longest continuously running opera. It transferred to Soho Theatre and won the Olivier Award for Best New Opera in 2011, beating competition from the Royal Opera House and English National Opera. In 2011, the company made the Kings Head Theatre in Islington its temporary home. Its aim is to raise the funds to open a third opera house in London - Londons Little Opera House - as a full-time home for a very different sort of opera.

OperaUpClose runs without any public subsidy, relying entirely on box office takings and a small number of generous patrons. All the key members of its creative team are in their twenties or early thirties. It is the dream of getting their own permanent venue, to allow them to reach their full The company is dedicated to presenting new potential, which spurs them on. and classic operas in intimate spaces, bringing opera to life for new audiences. Says artistic director Adam Spreadbury-Maher: Were so proud of what weve achieved in two In two years it has grown from a tiny pub-based years with extremely limited resources. Weve concern to one which attracts the support of high- proved to ourselves that we can do it and that profile librettists and directors like Mark Ravenhill theres a demand for intimate opera out there. and Jonathan Miller. It has also gained a reputa- Being the company to open Londons third option as a training ground for a new generation of era house, specifically for opera performed up opera singers. In the last two years, it has worked close, would be a natural progression as well as with over 200 singers, some at the beginning of a hugely exciting and ambitious next step. their careers, some well established and all the rest in between. The company has recently created unique house agreements with Equity to ensure performers are looked after in the best way possible. Many of its singers have gone on to perform at ENO, Glyndebourne and the ROH, having played their first major roles with the company. Since La Bohme, OperaUpClose has produced The Barber of Seville, Madam Butterfly, Cinderella, Pagliacci, The Coronation of Poppea, The Turn of the Screw and Don Giovanni. It is currently in negotiations to license its productions of La Bohme and Madam Butterfly in the USA, Thailand, Singapore and South Africa. FOR PRESS ENQUIRIES, PRESS TICKETS AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS, PLEASE CONTACT: Kat Ould on kat.ould@kingsheadtheatre.com - 07540 487 438 Follow us on twitter (@kingsheadthtr) and facebook (LondonsLittleOperaHouse)