Aug 2nd-Free lunchtime performance at the Royal Opera House.

Homeless charity Streetwise Opera present Bizet’s much-loved opera Carmen with a free lunchtime performance at the Royal Opera House.

The Royal Opera House and award-winning performing arts charity Streetwise Opera are delighted to announce a lunchtime performance at the in the Paul Hamlyn Hall Friday 2 August 2019.
The free lunchtime performance entitled Carmen: Frailty, fire and freedom is the result of a seven-week residency currently taking place at the Royal Opera House. Since June 2019, the two organizations have been delivering weekly workshops at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre for 20 people aged 40–75 who have experience homelessness. 
The workshops have explored Barrie Kosky’s all-singing, all-dancing production of Bizet’s masterpiece Carmen, which originally opened at the Royal Opera House in February 2018 and is currently being revived for the second time. 
Streetwise Opera’s relationship with the Royal Opera House began in 2000 before the homeless charity was formally established. Matt Peacock, a former homeless support worker, joined forces with residents from The Passage (a homeless night shelter in Victoria) and the Royal Opera House to run a 12-week pilot project. The result was a performance of The Little Prince in the then-newly-opened Linbury Studio Theatre (now the Linbury Theatre).
The pilot project saw many of the participants gain confidence, proving that there was an identified need for work of this kind.Following its success, Matt Peacock founded Streetwise Opera in 2002. Since then, both organizations have collaborated on numerous occasions, most notably With One Voice, which saw 300 people with experience of homelessness come together from around the UK to showcase their talents as part of the London 2012 Festival. This was the first time that an event involving homeless people was part of the official Olympic celebrations.

About the Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House wants to give everyone access to exceptional ballet and opera. As The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, we bring together the world’s most extraordinary artists in more than 500 performances every year on our two world-class stages. 
We are open every day from 10am with a programme of daytime events, activities and festivals for people of all ages. Through award-winning music, dance and theatre we transport our audiences to other worlds. 
Last year more than 676,000 people saw a Royal Opera House performance or came on a tour. Our BP Big Screens programme every summer sees thousands enjoy free, world-class opera and ballet on their doorsteps, from Aberdeen to the Isle of Wight. The Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season, which broadcasts live performances of opera and ballet to UK and international cinemas, celebrated ten years of world-class cinema broadcasts in 2018.
In 2019, we will broadcast to more than 1,500 cinemas globally. Our ongoing partnership with the BBC saw three of our productions broadcast across BBC platforms/channels last Season. 
About Streetwise Opera 
Streetwise Opera is an award-winning performing arts charity for people who are or have been homeless. We run creative programmes in five regions across England and stage critically acclaimed operas. In London, we deliver weekly workshops, open to clients of The Connection and The Passage, at The Connection at St Martin’s – a day centre for people who are homeless – and at Southbank Centre.
In 2017-2018, Streetwise Opera worked with 662 people in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Gateshead, Nottingham and Teesside, with 87% reporting that they were or had been homeless. 92% or participants surveyed by Streetwise Opera felt that their mental health had improved as a consequence of being part of the programme, while 89% felt they had developed better relationships with other people.