Opera fans in China don't need a plane ticket to enjoy the exciting performances staged at London's Royal Opera House (ROH) – a movie ticket would suffice.

Audiences can now get closer to the action at the iconic London venue thanks to the British Opera and Ballet Festival, which kicked off last Friday with filmed live performances playing at Emperor Cinemas in Beijing.

The ongoing festival features screenings of six of the latest titles from the prestigious opera house, including Peter Wright's beloved Christmas classic "The Nutcracker," Wolfgang Mozart's masterpiece "Don Giovanni," and celebrated choreographer Kenneth MacMillan's haunting psychological ballet "Mayerling."

In addition to a glittering slate of ROH productions, the event is also showcasing award-winning British choreographer Matthew Bourne's two groundbreaking remakes, "Swan Lake" and "Romeo and Juliet," as presented by his dance company New Adventures.

The festival, running from September 18 to 27, is part of the popular live theater program New Live – which broadcasts live performances in cinemas in high-definition (HD). It was launched in 2015 by Beijing-based ATW Culture Media Ltd., the sole distributor of the UK's National Theatre Live in the Chinese mainland.

"These eight titles from two renowned British institutions are all new releases, most of which were recorded in 2019. And the latest was filmed this February," Li Congzhou, CEO of ATW Culture, told CGTN. 

"The Chinese audience can watch these works almost simultaneously with their British counterparts," he added.

Despite cinemas and theaters offering distinctly different experiences, Li said that audiovisual details of the productions were still perfectly captured on camera and moviegoers can still witness the same exquisite performances as if they were playing on stage.

"[HD theater live broadcasting] aims to restore the charm of the original scenes as much as possible, so it is actually the best tool for art communications," Li added.

Making high-art more accessible

With the support of the British Council, Li and his production company, via the New Live project, brought more than 100 theater productions from top UK, U.S. and Russian opera houses to cinemas across the nation, reaching millions of Chinese viewers.

This time, ATW Culture has partnered with Emperor Cinemas to offer cinemagoers a rich audiovisual feast of stage arts.

"We have been exploring more possibilities in cinema screenings," said Bill Lee, general manager of Emperor Cinemas (PRC), adding that they have planned to introduce more "special" screenings to their cinemas.

"These titles are exactly the high-end content we want to show, which will also attract more art lovers to cinemas," he added.

Lee also noted that price is also a factor in making opera and ballet more accessible. "The price (of a movie ticket) is relatively more affordable for almost everyone, and it means [the shows] can reach a wider audience."

Moreover, the cinematic presentation is an excellent alternative for those who cannot attend in person, especially in the time of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

"Due to the current COVID-19 situation, international tours now still can't get back on track," Guo Shanshan, senior arts manager of British Council China, told CGTN, adding that "HD theater live broadcasting projects allow the audience to have an immersive experience."

Guo said that the British Council hopes to promote more exchanges through this project to "show the Chinese audience more excellent HD theater live broadcasting projects from the UK."

"We also hope to encourage more cultural and art institutions in China to make bold attempts in this field," she added.

 

Reporter: Hong Yaobin

Video editor: Hong Yaobin

Cameraman: Hui Jie

Cover image designer: Yin Yating