ENO to use its safety curtain for advertising

ENO to use its safety curtain for advertising

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norman lebrecht

November 06, 2018

You know that period before an opera begins when you settle in happy anticipation, riffling through the programme book, or catching up with your companion, or exercising your knees to let latecomers squeeze by.

Well, that period of contemplation is to be banished at the Coliseum.

English National Opera is seeking permission from Westminster City Council to create a ‘plain white painted area’ on its safety curtain, 12 x 6 metres high, to be ‘used as a projection surface pre-show and at the interval to project films showing the ENO forthcoming opera seasons’.

It is a short step from here to commercial advertising.

Rotten idea. Send your objections to Westminster now, or post them below.

Comments

  • Dominic Stafford says:

    I think this is a splendid idea. So there.

  • Mike says:

    Excellent idea. Advertising new season can easily contribute to selling more tickets and repair the budget through additional revenues.

  • Jonathan Dunsby says:

    A misleading title. It’s in the early stages. Nothing permitted or fully decided

  • James says:

    The advertising banners on Slipped Disc are a rotten idea. Sending my objections now.

  • C Porumbescu says:

    Struggling to see the issue here. This already happens at theatres all over the UK, subsidised or otherwise. And there’s never any pre-opera relaxation period at the Coliseum: they always start late and people are squeezing in 10 mins after the advertised starting time.

  • Michael says:

    If there is accompanying sound for the ads then sure I wouldn’t like it, but otherwise what is the problem even with commercial ads?

  • dorset richard says:

    I remember seeing ENO in Coventry 1975, before the show a cinescreen came down trailing next weeks film , followed by adverts for local firm

  • Advertising on the fire curtain? That’s like a historic thing from music hall and vaudeville days…

    http://www.bernardoni.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Oleo-Curtain-Vaudeville-Theatres.jpg

  • Tom says:

    I can’t imagine having sufficiently few other things to do that I would write to a local council to object to advertising on a curtain on the inside of a building

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