Battle to re-open theatres continues as further lockdown is threatened

Rising coronavirus infection rates and the fear of a further lockdown presented the latest hurdle to be cleared by those working to re-open our theatres this week.
The pandemic has seen venues closed and productions postponed or cancelled across the UK. A £1.57 billion government bailout offered a limited lifeline to some but the arts sector is really struggling.
Venue staff, producers, performers, writers and technicians throughout the entertainment world are desperate to find a way  a safe and economically viable way back to work.
But the requirement for socially distanced audiences and performers is creating what, for some, is an insurmountable problem.
For many the logical answer, so far, has been outdoor performances. But with autumn on the horizon and the nights closing in, even that option will not remain realistic for much longer.
It’s been good seeing venues, large and small, doing everything they can to  bring entertainment back to the public. Last week London’s National Theatre which has been closed since March,  announced that it is remodelling it largest stage, The Olivier, to enable performances in the round for socially distanced audiences.
It plans to reopen  in October with a new play, Death of England: Delroy, a hard-hitting sequel to their original  Death of England play at the National by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams. The one-man production  starring Giles Terera is described as being about a black working-class man confronting his relationship with Great Britain”.
National Theatre director Rufus Norris now hopes that with socially distanced audiences, staggered arrival times, paperless tickets and an enhanced cleaning programme The National can be back in business this side of a workable vaccine.
It comes at a cost though.The reconfigured theatre will have its audience capacity cut from around 1100 to under 500.
There are also plans for The National to stage a pantomime with performances of Dick Whittington scheduled for December. the show is described as being a celebration of panto’s place at the heart of British theatre. Good luck to each and every endeavour in the theatre world and across the arts sector.
Here at Clive Conway Productions we are determined to get back to staging our signature shows. Watch this space and check the venue websites for any productions you are interested in case of new or changing information.