World-class opera and ballet performances will be broadcast live and free of charge for members of the public at the University of Warwick this summer.

They will be beamed from the Royal Opera House in London directly to the Big Screen at The Piazza on the main campus on Friday 3 July and Tuesday 22 September.

The first show is Kasper Holten’s production of Mozart’s masterpiece Don Giovanni and aptly sees Warwick alumnus Christopher Maltman in the title role.

It will be followed in September by Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, which was first staged in Covent Garden in 1965 and has been at the heart of The Royal Ballet’s repertory ever since.

The broadcasts are taking place in 21 locations across the country and include exclusive backstage footage and competitions. Warwick is the first university – and the only place in the West Midlands – showing the performances.

In 2014, over 47,000 people around the country people watched an ROH performance on a Big Screen.

Alexa Tamsett, who is a Royal Opera House Student Ambassador at Warwick, said: “I'm very excited to see an event like this come to the university. The Piazza, which is an incredible hub for students and the local community, is the perfect place for it to take place.

“Through the ROH Student Scheme I've already seen what easy-access to opera and ballet can do, inspiring a passion for the arts in people who had never even thought about seeing an opera or ballet before.

“It's a snowball effect really; once you've seen one performance by the Royal Opera House, you're hooked! I can't wait to see what events such as these, in so perfect a setting, can do.”

For more information about the screenings at the University of Warwick and details of how to get involved click here.

Notes to Editors:

Contacts:

Lee Page, Communications Manager, University of Warwick. Tel: +44 (0)2476 574 255, Mob: +44 (0)7920 531 221. Email: l.page@warwick.ac.uk.

Sophie Wilkinson, Press Officer Royal Opera House Cinema and Special Projects. Tel: 020 7212 9724. Email: sophie.wilkinson@roh.org.uk.

PR 132 24/6/15