Selladoor Worldwide has announced the postponement of all its 2020 touring shows, with major productions including Footloose, 9 To 5 The Musical and Bring It On now shelved until 2021.
The producers behind hit productions including Fame, Avenue Q and American Idiot and the operators of regional theatres in North Devon and Cambridgeshire have also confirmed they will temporarily close their offices during July and August.
Selladoor venues will remain closed until November with the Queen’s Theatre Barnstable, The Landmark Ilfracombe and New Theatre Peterborough hoping to reopen for the pre-pantomime season.
Announcing the decisions in response to the continuing Covid-19 crisis, Selladoor CEO David Hutchinson said: “It’s with a heavy heart that we’ve taken the decision to postpone the majority of our productions until 2021 both in the UK and internationally.
“It’s taken our production team, creatives and partners years to put these productions together and we were so excited to share them with audiences this year. However, the uncertainty on when theatres will reopen and when we can develop audiences for our work and clarity on best practices for touring in a Covid-world we feel the odds are against us delivering shows in 2020.
“With over 100 members of Selladoor staff to consider across our productions and venues’ operation, the priority at this uncertain time is to maximise our runway for relaunch and maintain as much resilience as we can to keep people within the business.
“At this juncture, pausing during the summer and maximising the support available is vital in sustaining a long period of inactivity. We are currently burning through our cash reserve at a very fast rate and it’s not sustainable for our organisation who are mainly reliant on box office.”
The confirmed production postponements are:
Footloose the Musical – Was due to open last month (April 2020) at Wimbledon’s New Theatre but will now open at the earliest in Zurich, Switzerland in November this year with UK dates commencing in January 2021.
We Will Rock You – Was due to open in August this year in Cape Town, South Africa, but will now open in February 2021 in Manila in the Philippines.
Madagascar – A Musical Adventure – Was due to open in August in Auckland, New Zealand but will now open in the autumn of 2021.
Bring It On The Musical – Was due to open at the Birmingham Hippodrome next month (June) but will now open in the autumn of 2021.
9 to 5 UK tour – Was due to open this month (May) at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre but is now planned to open in the spring of 2021.
Commenting on the theatre closures, the company’s director of venues Stuart Shanks said: “It’s heart-breaking to have to extend the temporary closure of our theatres until the autumn. However, the safety of our audiences, colleagues and visiting companies is paramount.”
Naomi James, head of productions at Selladoor, added: “It has been a devastating decision to postpone productions further and lose almost all production activity for 2020… Our worst case scenario quickly became our best case scenario and we hope that by moving everything into 2021, we give ourselves the best chance at being able to play our part in rebuilding of our wonderful industry, when that time comes.”
Angela Thomas
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