The Royal Opera House (ROH) has contacted agencies about handling a
corporate PR account to refresh its image, and in a separate move is
planning to hire an agency to manage the launch of its refurbished
building in Covent Garden.
ROH board member Michael Berkeley confirmed that agencies had been
contacted to handle its corporate PR, although he refused to name
them.
He said: ’We want to draw attention to some of the positive things that
are happening.’
Lord Bell, chairman of Chime Communications, has been advising ROH chair
Colin Southgate in a private, unpaid capacity during the recent turmoil
at Covent Garden.
The move comes as ROH chiefs hold talks with the Arts Council over
funding, which will dictate the extent to which the ROH revamps
operations.
Currently the organisation receives pounds 14.4 million annually but
culture secretary Chris Smith has said that funding could be increased
if key criteria were met.
These are: to increase accessibility particularly through ticket
pricing, take the opera and ballet companies out to schools and dispel
its elitist image.
Michael Kaiser, currently general director of the American Ballet
Theatre, is poised to take up the role of ROH executive director this
week.
