Intimate Opera Club was formed in 1951 by Audrey and Douglas Spooner (Photo Below), who ran the company as an Evening Institute class for many years, assisted by a committee. In those early years, performances were at the Eltham Little Theatre, Eltham Hill. In 1982, the entertainer Bob Hope, who was born in Eltham, visited The Eltham Little Theatre which was then renamed The Bob Hope Theatre. Some IOC performances were taken to the Lewisham Theatre and the Trident Theatre in Greenwich. Around 1989 a break was made with the Evening Institute and IOC set itself up in the Holy Trinity Church in Eltham, where rehearsals and a number of performances took place. IOC also uses the Tyler Theatre in Eltham.
Interesting link to an archived article in Opera Magazine when the company was first formed:
(copy and paste into your browser) http://opera.archive.netcopy.co.uk/article/october-1952/45/news
Interesting link to an archived article in Opera Magazine when the company was first formed:
(copy and paste into your browser) http://opera.archive.netcopy.co.uk/article/october-1952/45/news
Audrey and Douglas Spooner
Founders of Intimate Opera Club
at an IOC social event