THE Royal Opera House received the Best Community Charity Award at the Thurrock Business Awards 2016 on Friday 15 April at a ceremony held at the Civic Hall in Grays.
The Award was for the Royal Opera House’s most recent building at High House Production Park, the Bob and Tamar Manoukian Costume Centre, which was opened officially last October. The building now houses over 20,000 costumes from Royal Opera House productions together with the historic Collection of costumes, as well as a workroom for ROH staff who will now make costumes in Thurrock for new productions at the Royal Opera House. The building is also home to students on the Royal Opera House’s first degree course in Costume Construction which is run in partnership with South Essex College.
The Royal Opera House has won twice previously at the Thurrock Business Awards in 2011 and 2013. Over the last ten years, the Royal Opera House has developed very strong relationships with schools, organisations, businesses and local communities in Thurrock. The Royal Opera House aims to make ballet and opera accessible to all and offer various opportunities which show the vast range of skills and talents that go into creating the world class productions seen on stage at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
Matt Lane, Head of Thurrock and Thames Gateway said:
‘We are delighted to have been successful again at the Thurrock Business Awards as winners of the Thurrock Best Community Charity Award. The focus of our application this year was the recent completion of the new Bob and Tamar Manoukian Costume Centre at High House Production Park. This world class centre has opened up a whole new area of partnerships and community engagement for the Royal Opera House and we are particularly pleased to be working with South Essex College and the University of the Arts London to deliver the new BA Hons Costume Construction degree now in its first year. We would like to thank everyone in Thurrock for their continued support.’
Royal Opera House Learning and Participation in Thurrock delivers a wide ranging programme across Thurrock and the Thames Gateway working with schools, communities and groups offering opportunities for everyone to get involved in projects and programmes. Through partnerships with schools, children who might not ordinarily have access to the arts, have the opportunity to take part in a variety of different activities, to inspire them to develop creative skills.
The annual free BP Big Screen event at the High House Production Park gives Thurrock residents access to productions from the Royal Opera House and this year will show The Royal Ballet’s new production of Frankenstein on 18 May. The Royal Opera House Thurrock Community Chorus now boasts more than 140 members and celebrates its fifth anniversary this year with a concert on 24 July.
For more information about the work of Royal Opera House Learning and Participation in Thurrock, please go to www.roh.org.uk/thurrock. To find out about tours of the Bob and Tamar Manoukian Costume Centre and Production Workshop, current projects and ways in which you can get involved, please email getinvolved@roh.org.uk or call 01708 891200.
