Fantastic Mr Fox

If you ferret around on our website at operahollandpark.com, you'll see that we have just announced the European and UK premiere of Tobias Picker's opera of Dahls' 'Fantastic Mr Fox' on the park's Yucca Lawn (the link above - the title of this blog entry -  gives some interesting background on the piece.) Anyway, the piece aside, I was struck today by the never ending oddities of the things we are all required to consider in our daily trudge through the world of opera. In another post in this blog's history, I referred to a meeting in which I sat through some very in-depth discussions about cemetery management. Today, we thought about the most appropriate time to programme the performances of 'Fox' in order that children's lunch and tea could be considered. All vital and unavoidable and being the only parent in the office, I do feel somewhat like the 'child bore' when such things arise, but it means I can bring some authenticity to the more critical challenges that face us. In any case, I continue to annoy my colleagues by referring to the opera as the Fantastic Mr Volpe (at the risk of stating the obvious to my learned readers, Volpe is the Italian word for Fox). It was a pleasing day as an anonymous donor pledged £1,000 to our Friends for the production, a sum that joins the several other thousands pledged by generous patrons to make it all happen. 


Lucy, our corporate and events officer is back from her weary journey to Mustique. She wasn't best pleased by the change in light and temperature that confronted her in Kensington. Our collective heart bled all over the floor for her. But she is back, pressing her gently tanned nose to the grindstone, securing our future. Despite the downturn/upturn/tentative recovery/waiting to tip over the abyss (delete as appropriate) we appear to be attracting much attention.


I am dying to announce some good news but am legally prevented from doing so for the time being. Given my role in life and my general methodology (OK, I have a big mouth) you can be sure that not a nanosecond will pass beyond the very moment I am permitted to tell you all what it is I am dying to tell you all etc.


Hundreds of Friends booking forms have thudded onto the box office carpet and are being processed as we speak. A couple thousand more are due anytime soon.  It is humbling and quite remarkable how the Friends have flourished in recent years; from a first donation of just £7,000 a few short years ago to something in the order of £220,000 in 2009. And that is on top of the 18,000 odd tickets that they buy. 


The breadth and scope of the Inspire Project continues to surprise us and our event with Looked-after Children on Friday was heartwarming and touching for all concerned; a potent vignette of just what kids can achieve when given the right guidance and motivation.  Ideas for partnerships continue to flood in and suggest some very interesting diversions in the near future. If we have our way, opera will be woven fully into the fabric of life in RBKC; it is a powerful tool as many people working in challenging roles are starting to discover.


Now, as I spy the canopy build approaching through the snow, ice, wind and rain, I must take some difficult decisions. First and foremost is how on earth do we protect the new false grass that has been laid in front of the house? 

Back on the Blog

It has been a few years since this blog was active but with Facebook, Twitter, and other online nonsense having grown exponentially in the intervening period since my last post, it seems almost foolish not to draw you all in to read the musings of me and others. Both James and I have opened Twitter accounts and we shall no doubt tweet and broadcast the minutiae of our working (or otherwise) lives through the spring and summer, but we would be nobody if we were not Twits.

I managed to keep things fairly regular(?) when I last committed to this blog and I shall try to do so again. It is possible that there will be something interesting amongst it all. If you subscribe I can promise little more than humble observations and fulsome praise of the OHP team and as few words as possible about me. Which is a relief for you all.

It is less than a month until we begin the canopy build and then the whole furious process begins in full sometime in early April; operationally there have been interesting developments and the theatre site is set fair to look better than ever in 2010. We spend much time working on and developing the Inspire project (see the website for info) but soon we'll need to turn and look the season full square in the face. First one to blink...

Up and running

The first week of the season is nearly completed. My blog filling duties have been neglected but given the last minute rush of it all I can hardly be blamed (can I?)

It has been quite a week. The theatre looks beautiful and has been universally acclaimed for both the acoustics and the comfort. So mission accomplished there then.
I think this blog needs to come to a close since a) it was all about the run up (which we have run past) and b) I am so rubbish at keeping it up to date.

It has been fun doing this blog, if nothing else to help me order thoughts and keep things in perspective. Thanks for reading.

Ciao, and see you at OHP.

Testing, testing....

The fist audience steps through the gate of OHP on Wednesday for the 'Test night'. And it has been a monstrously wet Bank Holiday weekend so that will make some of the finishing groundworks a little trickier. The visitors will find a two thirds completed theatre - sans bits of screening, cladding and organic finishings. But it will be usable and great to look at. As the picture at the top shows, the seats are in and seem a million miles away from those our patrons will have been used to at OHP.

It really has been like pulling teeth watching the elements of the theatre coming together. With all this new equipment and structure, adjustments are always being made and the contractors are learning the reality of the building on the ground. But, inexorably, with every day, the work is being completed. After the first night, we will have a week to put all the final touches into place and then it really will be a most stirring sight.

Productions are on stage and working through technical rehearsal, sets are being built and adjusted and suddenly, OHP is back in business. Amazingly (and satisfyingly) we have immediately noticed that the intimacy of the theatre for which we were so renowned, has not been diminished. And the acoustic is good!

I'm not sure how it will all feel as "Va pensiero' floods across the theatre for the first time on the 5th June. It has been a long and hard road, with setbacks, doubts and several unrelated personal anxieties littering the way. I'm not beyond nor above admitting the heat of it all has been withering from time to time. I can't foresee it being anything but a hugely emotional moment so it may be wise to find a private spot.

Gulp....

It's breathless and tense on site. The number of contractors surrounded by equipment and material is bewildering but slowly and surely the theatre is taking shape. And it is unarguably impressive. The picture at the head of this post shows the view from the back row of the grandstand. It is high and one can see to the north of the house. Vertigo sufferers ought not to sit in the back row. The mezzanine is now almost fully glazed and it looks to be an inviting space in which to spend some time. Once the groundworks and finishing are complete, the public areas will be very open and relaxed (we hope). As much cover as possible outside of the canopy line is being provided but obviously we hope we won't need it! The picnic area is running late so won't be fully ready by the test night so patrons will have to make do until the official opening when the floor would have been laid.

Recent rain has shown us where the problems of drainage lay. The canopy designers are currently installing the water collecting devices and drainage run-offs. Wind driven rain presents small issues at certain points (which we knew would be an issue given the height of the canopy, dictated by a desire to have steeper seats and retain the outdoor feel). Solutions for that are in the tweaking process anyway so we will be designing add on elements in time for opening night.

We are at the point where I have started having dreams about problems. Last night was about the number of bars. We have three of them, four at times, so I am confident it was my sleeping mind playing tricks on me.

Today, everyone on site will be given a galvanising shot in the arm (or slap in the face) when the Nabucco set arrives and the build begins. James has, in his own words, thrown everything but the kitchen sink at this one. Not quite a cast of thousands but that's how it will feel! Dressing room space at a premium, costume store full to bursting etc. But what a great way to kick off this season.