Madam Butterfly at the ENO, 2020
(Picture: © Jane Hobson)It’s do or die time for the English National Opera. Earlier this month Arts Council England, a Government body, said it would stop funding the ENO unless it agreed to move from London to Manchester. Now ENO chairman Harry Brunjes says the company will close rather than move up north.
“There is no relocation,” he told MPs on Wednesday. “This is closing ENO down. This is losing 600 jobs from London.” The forced move is part of the levelling up agenda, but there are mixed signals. Speaking at the Margaret Thatcher Conference earlier this week, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove hinted that he wanted ENO branches in both London and Manchester: “If we were Germany or Italy, the idea of having an outstanding opera company in every major provincial city would be a no-brainer.” Hmm.
