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Opera Jersey house


“ I am reliably informed that the German audiences did not always understand some of the cryptic


comments coming from the stage!


The Opera House remained in private hands until the Jersey States took over the ownership in 1995. There followed another period of extensive renovations and the theatre re-opened in July 2000.


by Jasmine Hendry MANAGING DIRECTOR The Opera House


Currently the Jersey Opera House presents an eclectic programme of dance, drama, music, comedy, opera and ballet. We also host many local community groups and amateur companies. We are also embarking on a new venture with a live satellite feed from the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the National Theatre in London. For our audiences this means that they can watch an opera direct from New York or theatre direct from the National Theatre in the UK without leaving the island.


The Opera House building was opened by Lillie Langtry as a theatre in July 1900; it has survived a fire in 1921 when the auditorium was almost completely destroyed. It has been a cinema, used by the German troops during the occupation. I am reliably informed that the German audiences did not always understand some of the cryptic comments coming from the stage!


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The professional touring companies we present normally arrive with at least one 45 foot truck which requires all the necessary licences to get “over the water” and to drive on Jersey roads. When they arrive at the theatre they have to be unloaded, in theatre speak, this is called the “get-in”. Depending on the number of trucks carrying the set, props and costumes, it can mean that we need up to fifteen staff to do the get-in.


Julian Clary


So as director, what do I do? A day in the life… I arrive at the office at 9 am in the morning if it is a Monday morning I will need to catch up on what has happened over the weekend. Although I have probably been an audience member it is important for me to understand whether everything went smoothly in all the different areas. This includes technical (backstage), Box Office, Bars and Catering and Front of House including Duty Management. I need to talk to members of staff from the different departments to ascertain whether they experienced any problems, if so, what was the problem, what was done to rectify it and what can we put into





place to reduce the risk of any of them happening again. Just as importantly we discuss what went well and positively contributed to a good night out for our customers.


The job really entails two separate strands; there is the creative side which is the programming and the day to day business of running the company. When programming the three seasons throughout the year the first thing is to research what shows or acts will be touring at the appropriate time. Different art forms can have different “lead in” times so drama, opera and ballet can be programmed a year in advance, comedy and music could be six


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