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Thames & Hudson and Royal Opera House partnership goes behind-the-scenes at venue
Thames & Hudson has partnered with the Royal Opera House and illustrator Lauren O’Hara on Curtain Up!: Behind the Scenes at the Royal Opera House.
Thames & Hudson holds worldwide rights, with co-editions sold in Dutch, Greek, Italian and Korean. Illustration rights were acquired by commissioning and managing editor for children’s publishing Anna Ridley from Angharad Kowal Stannus at Kowal Stannus Agency. Curtain Up! will be published in September 2022.
O’Hara has twice been nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal and shortlisted twice for the Children’s Books Ireland Award. Curtain Up! is her first book with Thames & Hudson having previously illustrated Hortense and the Shadow (Penguin Random House Children’s) and The Bandit Queen (Penguin Random House Children’s) with her sister Natalia O’Hara. Her collaboration with Sophie Dahl on Madame Badobedah (Walker Books) was the Sunday Times’ Children’s Book of the Year.
Jane Storie, head of enterprises at the Royal Opera House, said: “Curtain Up! offers readers around the world the opportunity to learn about the craft and magic that goes into making a production and ensuring the curtain goes up on time every night. We are delighted to collaborate again with Thames & Hudson and extend our heartfelt thanks to Lauren for her exquisite illustrations.”
Curtain Up! will give insight into the creation of some of the most iconic ballets and operas staged at the world-famous venue.
Ridley said: “Curtain Up! reflects the unique partnership we enjoyed with the Royal Opera House, who were generous with their expertise and provided us with full access not only to the ROH building but also to staff in every department and to a wealth of archival material. Combined with Lauren’s beautiful illustrations, the book is also a celebration of how the performing arts can inspire us creatively and make our lives richer.”
