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Mary Allen (arts administrator)

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187:(EMI chairman) appointed as ROH's chairman and he threatened that ballet and opera performances may have to cease for two years to save money." It has been noted that Allen was essentially forced out of the position, with the one person coming to her defence unprompted being the conductor 191:, the ROH's music director. "What is desperately needed at the moment is a modicum of stability," Haitink declared in an open letter. "A third change of leadership within a year is not the answer." However, although Allen was formally asked to stay on, she resigned in March 1998. 157:
as the responsible minister, even though it breached the conditions of the Arts Council's own funding for the organisation. Although Allen took over her new post unaware how close the organisation was to bankruptcy, she began steering the major refurbishment of the House.
179:"We would prefer to see the house run by a philistine with the requisite financial acumen than by the succession of opera and ballet lovers who have brought a great and valuable institution to its knees," it said. 148:
McIntosh became General Director of the Royal Opera House in early 1997, but resigned after five months on the job due to ill health. Allen was immediately approached by "the Royal Opera House's chairman,
440: 77:(born 22 August 1951) is a British writer, broadcaster, arts administrator and management consultant best known for her controversial and turbulent period as Chief Executive of the 203:, containing her diaries of the period that she was general manager of the Covent Garden Opera House. Since leaving that post, Allen has presented various programmes on 153:, then appointed Mrs Allen to replace her without advertising the post." . Although he was not "not happy" with the appointment, the decision was accepted by 121:. After working for private companies as a management trainer and consultant, as well as running Watermans Arts Centre in west London, Allen worked for the 315:
Norman Lebrecht, "Last act at the Royal Opera? Norman Lebrecht wonders whether, after Mary Allen's departure, the ROH will ever return to Covent Garden",
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approaching with a year, consideration of a likely successor generated some speculation in the British press. Among the four women named were
450: 276: 415: 460: 405: 172:. He was critical of Allen's actions and "demanded her removal 'with immediate effect' ". This led to her offering to resign. 420: 154: 90: 295: 125:
rising to the position of Secretary General in 1994 just as the organisation took on the responsibility of distributing
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The Select Committee's Report was also critical of the actions of the entire Board of the Royal Opera House:
232: 445: 102: 105:(MA Creative Writing). In the early 1970s she worked under the name of Mary Adames as an actress in 342: 122: 430: 111: 145:
and Mary Allen, although the latter "publicly stated that she would not be taking the job".
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Covent Garden, The Untold Story: Dispatches from the English Culture War, 1945 to 2000
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funds, before becoming Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House in London.
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A House Divided: The Diary of a Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House
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theatre and the West End. She appeared in an early London production of
215: 106: 117: 343:"Countdown to Crisis?-management crisis at Royal Opera House", 277:
David Lister, "Arts: A woman to replace Isaacs at the ROH",
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People educated at the School of St Helen and St Katharine
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In mid-1996, with the retirement of then general director
263:. Guardian News & Media. 22 August 2014. p. 43. 296:
David Lister, "Allen goes sick as RoH crisis deepens",
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The Board were forced to resign and, in January 1998, "
392: 321:on telegraph.co.uk, retrieved 27 January 2010 194: 366:, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998 310: 308: 291: 289: 218:, Allen gave the eulogy at his funeral. 207:, covering current events and the arts. 132: 411:Alumni of the University of East Anglia 380:, Northeastern University Press, 2001, 272: 270: 393: 305: 286: 451:British women television journalists 267: 91:School of St Helen and St Katharine 13: 14: 472: 60:Manager of the Royal Opera House 416:BBC newsreaders and journalists 84: 461:British women radio presenters 336: 324: 250: 1: 406:Alumni of New Hall, Cambridge 238: 233:Arts Council of Great Britain 16:Writer and arts administrator 7: 421:British arts administrators 221: 10: 477: 195:Life after the Opera House 426:Women arts administrators 349:Retrieved 27 January 2010 333:Retrieved 27 January 2010 302:Retrieved 27 January 2010 283:Retrieved 27 January 2010 165:investigation was led by 103:University of East Anglia 64: 56: 48: 30: 23: 456:British radio presenters 199:Allen published a book, 89:She was educated at the 319:(London), 28 March 1998 123:Arts Council of England 436:British opera managers 300:(London), 27 May 1997 281:(London), 4 July 1996 133:The Royal Opera House 112:The Rocky Horror Show 347:(London), March 1999 317:The Daily Telegraph 185:Sir Colin Southgate 99:New Hall, Cambridge 376:Lebrecht, Norman, 161:Later that year a 446:Royal Opera House 228:Royal Opera House 79:Royal Opera House 72: 71: 65:Years active 468: 350: 340: 334: 328: 322: 312: 303: 293: 284: 274: 265: 264: 254: 163:Select committee 151:Lord Chadlington 143:Genista McIntosh 127:National Lottery 115:and toured with 44: 40: 38: 21: 20: 476: 475: 471: 470: 469: 467: 466: 465: 391: 390: 354: 353: 341: 337: 329: 325: 313: 306: 298:The Independent 294: 287: 279:The Independent 275: 268: 256: 255: 251: 241: 224: 201:A House Divided 197: 189:Bernard Haitink 135: 87: 42: 36: 34: 26: 17: 12: 11: 5: 474: 464: 463: 458: 453: 448: 443: 438: 433: 428: 423: 418: 413: 408: 403: 389: 388: 374: 359: 358: 352: 351: 345:Dance Magazine 335: 323: 304: 285: 266: 248: 247: 246: 245: 240: 237: 236: 235: 230: 223: 220: 196: 193: 181: 180: 167:Gerald Kaufman 134: 131: 86: 83: 70: 69: 66: 62: 61: 58: 54: 53: 50: 46: 45: 41:22 August 1951 32: 28: 27: 24: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 473: 462: 459: 457: 454: 452: 449: 447: 444: 442: 439: 437: 434: 432: 431:Living people 429: 427: 424: 422: 419: 417: 414: 412: 409: 407: 404: 402: 399: 398: 396: 387: 386:1-55553-488-0 383: 379: 375: 373: 372:0-684-85865-7 369: 365: 362:Allen, Mary, 361: 360: 356: 355: 348: 346: 339: 332: 327: 320: 318: 311: 309: 301: 299: 292: 290: 282: 280: 273: 271: 262: 261: 257:"Birthdays". 253: 249: 243: 242: 234: 231: 229: 226: 225: 219: 217: 213: 212:Douglas Adams 208: 206: 202: 192: 190: 186: 178: 177: 176: 173: 171: 168: 164: 159: 156: 152: 146: 144: 140: 139:Jeremy Isaacs 130: 128: 124: 120: 119: 114: 113: 108: 104: 100: 96: 92: 82: 80: 76: 67: 63: 59: 55: 51: 47: 43:(age 73) 33: 29: 22: 19: 377: 363: 344: 338: 326: 316: 297: 278: 260:The Guardian 258: 252: 210:A friend of 209: 200: 198: 182: 174: 160: 147: 136: 116: 110: 88: 85:Early career 74: 73: 18: 401:1951 births 205:BBC Radio 4 155:Chris Smith 49:Nationality 395:Categories 239:References 75:Mary Allen 57:Occupation 37:1951-08-22 25:Mary Allen 216:Cambridge 107:repertory 68:1997–1998 222:See also 118:Godspell 101:and the 95:Abingdon 357:Sources 52:British 384:  370:  214:since 244:Notes 382:ISBN 368:ISBN 31:Born 93:in 397:: 307:^ 288:^ 269:^ 170:MP 97:, 81:. 39:) 35:(

Index

Royal Opera House
School of St Helen and St Katharine
Abingdon
New Hall, Cambridge
University of East Anglia
repertory
The Rocky Horror Show
Godspell
Arts Council of England
National Lottery
Jeremy Isaacs
Genista McIntosh
Lord Chadlington
Chris Smith
Select committee
Gerald Kaufman
MP
Sir Colin Southgate
Bernard Haitink
BBC Radio 4
Douglas Adams
Cambridge
Royal Opera House
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Guardian


David Lister, "Arts: A woman to replace Isaacs at the ROH", The Independent (London), 4 July 1996

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