Inside the Met Opera's Armory Full of Weapons for the Stage

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The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center is one of the city’s most storied institutions. The scale of the opera house — it is the largest repertory opera house in the world — is simply stunning. But the spaces that support the Met Opera productions are equally as impressive as the front of house spaces, and they go far beyond the backstage and side stage area. In fact, the Metropolitan Opera back of house goes down three levels below the stage, including C level which contains the rehearsal rooms along with 16,400 square feet of storage.

If you’ve been to the opera, you know there is often a lot of fighting happening on stage. In the back of the house, there is an armory filled floor to ceiling with weapons of different types and eras. Here you’ll find swords, guns, cross bows, lances, and even a medieval wrecking ball. Signs denote the type of weapon, like sweep hilted rapier, a popular civilian weapon from the 16th to the 18th centuries, or a broad sword.

You can go backstage in one of our behind-the-scenes tours of the Metropolitan Opera, where you will get to see the scenic and carpentry shop, where opera singers get ready in rehearsal and dressing rooms, and other backstage areas:

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Check out more photos from the armory below!