Theatre industry pleads for Government help

Theatre professionals and industry leaders are adding their voices to the increasingly urgent pleas to the Government to find ways to save the performing arts from imminent disaster.

Writing in The Telegraph, producer Sonia Friedman became the latest in a number of industry experts to warn that “British theatre is on the brink of collapse”.

Pointing to the fact that theatre has lost £330 million of income during the lockdown to date, Friedman warned that “without an urgent government rescue package, 70% of our performing arts companies will be out of business before the end of year”.

While welcoming Wednesday’s announcement of the appointment of Neil Mendoza as Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal as part of the new Government task force set up to find ways out of lockdown for the culture and creative industries, Friedman went on to warn that the industry’s problems needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Issuing the stark warning that “once gone, British theatre is lost for good” Friedman ended her article by warning of the “grave danger” facing the theatre industry without swift and decisive action from Government. The producer warned that the country faces losing some of our most famous institutions, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Sadler’s Wells and the National Theatre, by the end of the year.

Friedman’s intervention follows similar calls from some of the biggest names in the industry on the Government to turn its attention to the industry as it moves from protecting the NHS to re-starting and re-building the country’s industry and the economy.

Today alone the Royal Court’s artistic director Vicky Featherstone and Sheffield Theatres’ artistic director Robert Hastie appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme to also warn that by Christmas 70 years of investment from successive governments will be completely wiped down the pan unless we find some way to get some extra support.

The Society of London Theatre’s chief executive Julian Bird also appeared on Radio 4 to note that venues currently have zero income, while writing in The Times, Royal & Derngate artistic director James Dacre called for an immediate cash injection to help us survive lockdown and “warned that ‘without such a package, irreparable damage could be inflicted on Britain’s Theatrical infrastructure”.

In recent weeks, Cameron Mackintosh has voiced fears from theatre operators on both sides of the Atlantic that theatres will remain dark until early next year unless social distancing measures are lifted.

Andrew Lloyd Webber meanwhile has urged the Government to look to South Korea where the touring production of The Phantom of the Opera re-opened in late April with more following as the country eases its way out of its own lockdown.

Angela Thomas

STOP PRESS: The Ambassador Group’s chief executive Mark Cornell is part of the Government’s new task force responsible for working out a blueprint for the way back from lockdown for the recreation and leisure sectors.

Meeting for the first time today on 22 May 2020, the group which also includes Tamara Rojo from the English National Ballet, the Arts Council England chair Sir Nicholas Serota, and former BBC and ITV chief Lord Michael Grade, will meet on a weekly basis with a brief to discuss and develop a way forward and offer ‘key sector stakeholders direct access to ministers’.

Chaired by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, the taskforce will be supported by eight working groups chaired by Department of Culture and Media ministers and including representatives from individual sectors.