Lowry calls Royal Opera House's northen ambitions 'bad for the arts'

The Royal Opera House's plan for a northern base is 'bad for the arts' and must be scrapped, the trustees of The Lowry arts centre have said.

The Royal Opera House said last year it was in talks to establish a presence at Manchester's Palace Theatre.

But the Salford-based Lowry has claimed the proposal would threaten £116m of public money already invested in it.

Instead, it supports a 'dual-house' model, where The Lowry would be a home for dance, including the Royal Ballet.

Opera and music would be concentrated at the new facility at the refurbished Palace Theatre.

In a statement, the Royal Opera House (ROH) said it was still committed to pursuing the proposals.

The call by The Lowry follows talks with the ROH and Manchester City Council about the artistic programme of the new facility.

Research commissioned by The Lowry concluded the plan could not work without destroying the arts centre's business model, thus threatening its £116m investment.

However, The Lowry said it 'remained committed' to the overall vision of bringing the ROH to Manchester.

In a statement, Rod Aldridge, chairman of the The Lowry trustees, said: 'It is clear that the current proposal is not viable and cannot be made to work without causing unacceptable damage to existing arts provision.

At The Lowry, we are proud of the enviable reputation we have established for bringing world-class opera and ballet to the region.

Our research provides clear evidence that that the current proposal presents significant threats to the viability of The Lowry. It would destroy what we have achieved and would put the £116m of public money invested in The Lowry at severe risk.

Mr Aldridge added that the dual-house model still involved 'substantial uncertainties' and required significant further work.

He said: 'The current proposal cannot be made to work. It is bad for Manchester, bad for the arts and bad for the taxpayer. In the interests of the whole region, it must now be abandoned.

The ROH wants a northern home for the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet, in addition to their base in London's Covent Garden.

In March, a report from Arts Council England said it had the potential to transform the artistic life of the north west'.

But it also warned the scheme was 'not yet viable' and would require 'significant' public investment.

The ROH said: 'The Royal Opera House and Manchester City Council believe that there is a very exciting and viable way forward for Royal Opera House Manchester and the arts in the North West as a whole.

'Discussions are ongoing regarding how this might most effectively be achieved, and the more potential partners are brought into the discussions, the more exciting the proposals are becoming.

'To deny the current proposal at this stage without those wider discussions taking place is premature, and the Royal Opera House remains convinced that there will be a solution that will bring great benefit, both artistically and economically, to Manchester and the greater north west region.'

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council said the council was 'disappointed' with The Lowry's remarks.

'I find it difficult to understand, as whilst at a meeting yesterday with The Lowry Trustees where I thought we agreed a way forward, a statement was issued on the contrary,' he said.

'The meeting explored the mutual benefits and options to develop this exceptional opportunity in partnership.

'The potential to transform the artistic life of the north west is widely recognised and although we recognise The Lowry's concerns we will continue to work with them and other major arts bodies to drive forward our ambition for the future.'

BBC

For me, the idea of the Royal Opera House establishing a Northern base is an interesting one, but I don't genuinely believe it is viable.

I completely reject the idea of anything that damages or compromises The Lowry in any way - as a world-class venue for opera and dance, as a centre for artistic excellence, as a business, or as a charity.

Whilst I applaud the notion of 'bringing world-class opera and ballet to the region', I don't see how the Royal Opera House would deliver that in any way other than in their own terms and I'm not wholly convinced that there is a substantial market for such 'elitist' fare. I suspect Manchester has more of an appetite for more innovative, cutting edge, non-traditional art - otherwise these companies and their ilk would visit more often.

Once again, I propose that rather than damage The Lowry and investing millions in dragging the Palace Theatre [right] into the modern age we should look first at the Opera House on Quay Street, the former Theatre Royal on Peter Street - recently mentioned in connection with a new home for the Library Theatre - or better still, we look at completely redeveloping the BBC site on Oxford Road into a new purpose-built Royal Opera House Manchester, incorporating the Dancehouse opposite, creating an additional smaller venue with studios, and merging the existing dance school into a new Royal Ballet School North.

Or simpler still, base the Royal Opera House at The Lowry, which already has the established market, the venues and staging infrastructure, the public spaces and the iconic building to create something really special - but Manchester City Council are never going to accept that...

From an entirely personal perspective as a fan of dance, I would be one hundred per cent more interested in a proposal for a northern base for Sadler's Wells... now that would be something.