If you’ve ever wondered what happens to all of the props and costumes created and used by the English National Opera (ENO) – and wanted to get your hands on them – a yard sale this weekend has all the answers.
For the first time in a decade, the public is being invited to peruse and purchase dozens of items from the English National Opera’s collections.
Items on sale include props, costumes, and even part of the set from some of their iconic operas like La Traviata and Così Fan Tutte. Expect a range of incredible clothes and objects including a giant bear, animal masks and vintage bridalwear.
“This is a rare opportunity to see inside, and shop, ENO’s archives. Rummage through hand-crafted props, antique furniture and one-of-a-kind costumes, discovering everything from the weird to the beautiful,” said The ENO on Instagram.
“It’s like thrifting but better: you get to take a piece of the opera home with you.”
The yard sale opened today, and runs throughout the day tomorrow from 10am to 4pm as well. Entry is free, there are no tickets, prices start at £5, and it’s card payment only.
The sale is being put on to help the English National Opera clear some of its shelves to make space for its upcoming projects. After all, a decade’s worth of props and costumes aren’t half going to accumulate.
“So many hidden gems to be discovered,” said the ENO. Photos of today’s sale show excited buyers trying on a range of costumes and rummaging through boxes, long queues outside, many rails of clothes, giant animals such as giraffes and plastic trees.
The English National Opera is currently on a summer hiatus but has a jam-packed programme coming up which begins in September and runs throughout 2024. Operas on the roster include Peter Grimes, Iolanthe, La Traviata, 7 Deaths of Maria Callas – an opera project from Marina AbramoviÄ – The Handmaid’s Tale, The Barber of Seville, and The Magic Flute.
Earlier this year Arts Council England (ACE) said that it would be removing the ENO as a national portfolio organisation, meaning it would lose millions of pounds worth of funding. In the end, the ENO and ACE agreed on a deal in which the ENO would receive £24 million of funding, but would commence plans to move its headquarters outside of London.
Speaking in May, Annilese Miskimmon, the artistic director of the ENO said: “This past season has been challenging following the Arts Council’s removal of the ENO’s NPO status but also incredibly rewarding with sell-out, critically acclaimed productions across a huge breadth of repertoire.”
