Ministers Say ROH Is “Shambles” Date: 1 November 1997
At a stormy Commons committee session held on Thursday, the management of the Royal Opera House was held fully responsible for its deepening financial crisis. Gerald Kaufman, chairman of the Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport, told ROH chief executive Mary Allen that the House was a “shambles” and that the Arts Council would be “nuts to give you an extra penny before you sort yourselves out.” The ROH has received £78m of lottery money and an additional annual grant of more than £14.5m. Despite this substantial public outlay, the ROH's debts are rising dramatically - from £4.7m in July to an anticipated £6.2m by March 1998. Last month alone the Royal Ballet lost £750,000 after only 28 performances at its temporary home, Labatt's Apollo. The Royal Opera is also suffering and the two companies together are expected to lose £1.5m between now and March. Allen has admitted that plans for the companies seasons away from home were not well laid.
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