A limited number of theatregoers and music-lovers in England will get their first taste of live entertainment in months from this weekend (from 11 July 2020) when the country enters stage three of the Government’s five-point phased return for professional arts performances.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden yesterday announced the limited return of outdoor theatre and music performances along with a number of small indoor tests events, including the performances at the London Palladium previously mooted by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The test performances will be used to help inform and develop the guidance for moving through the final two stages of the plan – ‘indoor performances with a limited audience and indoor performances with a fuller audience’. The Secretary of State has also commissioned a scientific study on the risks associated with singing and brass instruments which will be done in partnership with Public Health England, professional musicians from the Royal Opera House and the BBC, along with scientists from Imperial College, London and Bristol University.
Included in the Government examples of the type of outdoor performances permitted was the eagerly-anticipated Six Drive-In performances which begin on 4 August in Milton Keynes. The announcement also mentioned Glyndebourne Opera in Sussex and Cornwall’s Minack Theatre.
The announcement was accompanied by the publication of the Government’s promised detailed advice and guidance for arts organisations, venue operators and arts professionals.
Covering all aspects of performance, from casting, sound and lighting, costume and fitting, to cloakrooms, orchestra pits, hair and make-up, the advice can be downloaded HERE.
With social distancing in mind, capacities for the first outdoor performances will be drastically reduced, with other safety measures including using electronic ticketing where possible and retaining all visitor contact details. Performances should be scheduled to allow enough time to deep clean between shows and there should be clear social distancing markings in area where queues might form.
Singing and the playing of brass and wind instruments in groups or in front of an audience is limited to professionals only, while performers, conductors and musicians must observe social distancing wherever possible.
The culture secretary also announced a change in planning rules designed to protect theatres, concert halls and live music performance venues from demolition or change of use by developers. The changes are designed to stop that venues that have been made temporarily vacant during lockdown disappearing altogether and to give extra security to these businesses as they start to re-open.
Announcing the latest steps towards the return of live entertainment, Dowden said: “Our culture, heritage and arts are too precious to lose. That’s why we’re protecting venues like theatres from redevelopment if they fall on hard times.
“We are also giving further clarity on restart dates in our roadmap back to performance. From 11 July we can all enjoy performances outdoors with social distancing and we are working hard to get indoor audiences back as soon as we safely can, following pilots. Our scientific research project will also help speed up this journey.
“Combined with our £1.57 billion rescue package, this is a comprehensive plan to help our brilliant arts organisations weather the Covid storm and bounce back stronger.”
Housing and communities secretary, Robert Jenrick said: “The UK has a leading cultural industry that is the envy of the world. Our theatres, concert halls and live music performance venues are one of the reasons that the country has this reputation and they are essential to our national culture. That’s why we are protecting them for the enjoyment of future generations.
“Alongside the £1.57 billion investment to protect Britain’s cultural, arts and heritage institutions, I am ensuring the buildings that represent these institutions can’t be destroyed and are properly protected in the planning system.”
Theatres Trust director Jon Morgan welcomed the news but made a plea to Government for venues to have more notice as to the planning of stages 4 and 5 in the reopening schedule: “Alongside the very welcome and much-needed package of government support for the culture sector announced earlier this week, the publication of the performing arts guidance today will give a further degree of clarity to theatres. The publication of details for stage 3 will allow theatres to move to outdoor performances from 11 July.
“However, it is disappointing that the guidelines have been published without a ‘not before’ date for Stage 4 and the all-important Stage 5 – the point when theatres will be able to open fully and welcome back audiences without social distancing. For the majority, it means continued delay and uncertainty as to when they will be able to reopen fully and for some, this delay may mean they never reopen.
“We appreciate the difficulty in setting a date for stage 5 as it will always be conditional on circumstances such as the R rate remaining low, further safety tests being conducted and the safety of staff, creatives and audiences must be a priority. But without even an indicative date it is difficult for theatres to plan ahead – and for many theatres this uncertainty will be devastating.”
Angela Thomas
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