# What happens to costumes, props etc once an opera's run has ended?



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Are they kept in storage for possible re-use? Sold to private collectors? Given away to theatres or fancy-dress outlets?


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

A tour of the Metropolitan opera house, many years ago, took us to see some some sets and props and costumes in a storage area, but noted that most of it gets shipped for storage elsewhere.

There was long a costume supplier in Baltimore that rented for all kinds of purposes. There was a fire, and it closed, and, as I recall, there was a big auction of what survived. There were actual historical outfits since they had been in business for so long. (A lot of the choice stuff went to museums, I think, before the auction.)

And it appears that it still exists in some form: https://explore.baltimoreheritage.org/items/show/678


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

I made the same tour backstage, ( talking about huge!!!!) as far as I recall all costumes for the chorus and extras are kept for later use. So are the props, he secondary roles costumes where kept for later. as are the sets. The main costumes where donated / sold as Jas told. I don't think that fittings for Pavarotti ( to name just one) are fitted for less heavy weights tenors.
I was most impressed by the staging, they all hang in the height of the main stage for that week. Unbelievable, it's working like a Rolex.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

It depends on the opera house and the production. For a Boheme or Traviata the sets and costumes will be put in storage after the run and then taken out for revivals. For less well known works they may be put in storage in case there is a revival. Once a production has reached the end of its life the sets can be repurposed or destroyed. They can also be sold to a different company, for example the ROH Tosca was sold to Dallas after its last run in London as it was replaced with a new production.

I think there is a sale in London each year for theatre costumes that are no longer used by theatres. I've never been but know people who have and I think they have one sale which all the major theatres contribute to.

N.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Some important costumes for important productions/worn by famous singers are kept in opera house collections. Many companies then display these from time to time in their front of house spaces.

N.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

I imagine it's much like a community theatre, and likely depends on the resources of each theatre and each group.

For those with their own home, they may have on-site storage of costumes, wigs, shoes, props, set pieces, which may or may not be all properly organized.

Some theatre groups have storage containers in the parking lot, or in a self-storage unit, or perhaps someone's garage.

They have to pick and choose, and will often design set pieces to have multiple uses. Sometimes a specialty piece is sold off, or even rented out, like the car from *Grease*, or the plant from *Little Shop of Horrors*. I imagine that operas have similar specialty pieces. We had one specialty piece (the chainsaw hand/arm from *Evil Dead the Musical*) that has been re-sold and re-sold and re-sold . . . we keep getting reports on where it is now.

For groups that don't have a permanent home theatre building, it's rough


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