On the home straight to reopening theatres

This week Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that removal of all social distancing measures will take place from 19 July. Reaching “step four” on the roadmap means the removal of mandatory face coverings indoors and an end to limits on attendance at theatres, weddings, social gatherings in general. Mr Johnson also mentioned that “step four” will be subject to a review on 12th July, meaning it is possible for the reopening to be delayed as it did last month. 

So what does this mean for theatres? If everything goes to plan, all theatres can accept bookings for full capacity attendance for the first time in 16 months - essentially going back to normal as we were pre-Covid. Theatre owners have suffered greatly during the lockdowns, reopening at full capacity offers a lifeline for the industry, audiences are vital for theatres to survive. For many theatres across the country, near full capacity audiences is the only way to make a profit, and some venues have opted to push back shows to dates post-19th July.  As Eleanor Lloyd, President of the Society of London Theatre states “It just doesn’t add up to run without full capacity”. 

It looks unlikely that the reopening will be pushed back this time - hopefully! It does seem this time the Government appears to be a lot less cautious with their words. And hopefully by the 19th, the nation will have already celebrated England’s victory at the Euro 2020 tournament - lots to look forward to. 

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