(Photograph by James Bellorini)

The Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) will cut 64 roles as the Covent Garden institution moves to address long-term financial sustainability.

Per reports from The Stage, the reductions amount to roughly five percent of the organization’s current workforce of 1,169 staff. Nine of the cuts will involve compulsory redundancies, with the remainder expected to come from unfilled vacancies, voluntary departures, and natural turnover.

The RBO has been in conversation with the entertainment union BECTU throughout the process, with talks concluded across all areas except visitor experience, which covers front-of-house and box-office staff. Proposed changes in that area include bringing in more volunteers to support ushers and shifting from weekly to monthly scheduling and salary arrangements, resulting in a net reduction of more than 4,000 front-of-house shifts. Front-of-house staff are not expected to face compulsory redundancy, though a recruitment freeze may be introduced.

In a statement, an RBO spokesperson said the organization is focusing its resources on areas of greatest impact, including artistic work, audience growth, and investment in its sites, and that it must act now to remain sustainable despite currently being in a sound financial position. Meanwhile, BECTU national secretary Jenny Tingle responded that the union had worked to minimize the impact on members.

The cuts come a year after the RBO’s chief commercial officer warned that the organization’s work could be threatened without greater investment in its Covent Garden home.

The RBO’s cuts reflect a broader pattern of financial strain across British opera. The Welsh National Opera and Glyndebourne also saw reductions in Arts Council England funding in recent years, while the English National Opera faced a prolonged funding crisis that forced cuts to its orchestra and chorus, prompted the resignation of Music Director Martyn Brabbins, and ultimately led the company to forge a new partnership with Greater Manchester.

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