to think that it's wrong to have the pubs open and theatres closed

[bettsbattenburg]

twitter.com/markgoldthorp/status/1279680026791882752/photo/1

Theatres aren't allowed to open (why?) and yet pubs are? This kind of scene is ridiculous, it should be the opposite.

@bettsbattenburg

Many theatre staff are objecting to having to be closed though, surely they know the risks that they are facing?

It’s not really up to them, unfortunately. If they cannot afford to run shows at a reduced capacity, then they cannot open.

@Fairenuff

'But it's not for the audiences' protection that theatres are closed. You can't do theatre without very close contact.'

Yes I know. That was my point above. That's why I said I thought it must be more to do with workplace risk assessment.

How? PPE on stage? No sound effects or fancy lighting because the surfaces can't be cleaned? People doing their own hair and make-up? How do people do quick costume changes without help if they have to socially distance? What about shows with lots of physical intimacy and contact? You sweat like crazy under those lights as it is.

Plus, there's the matter of socially distancing the audience. If a theatre has to run at 50% capacity to ensure space between different groups, it won't be worth their time to open. They won't make money if they can never fill more than 50% of their seats.

@Fairenuff I agree with your comments about theatres and about schools

“And on top of that, you'd need to socially distance the audience. They'd make a loss just opening the doors.”

Many pubs are going to be the same though...

Large chain types will still be profitable and I assume that’s why they’re opening tbh, because the owners of those have sway with government.

I don’t think we’ll have a theatre industry at all when all this is over with all the job losses that this will entail. Not just performers but front of house staff, back office staff, costume designers, set designers, makeup artists and many more. It’s virtually inevitable unless the government gives extended help until at least next year.

Vanilla you appear to be agreeing with me, why do you keep quoting me?

I think there will have to be some creative thinking about how to make things possible.

One suggestion I've heard for concerts is that they might have to become shorter - removing the whole problem of the interval. So you go out to hear an hour's string quartet, instead of a symphony and a concerto. It doesn't get the orchestras back into full employment, but it begins to get the venues some income again.

I heard a piece on the radio from someone who went to a Shakespeare play, which in the end didn't go ahead, because the biggest name in the cast had had an accident earlier in the day. Instead, that actor sat on a chair on the stage and entertained the audience with anecdotes, and although they were offered their money back, they felt they'd had their money's-worth. Maybe those in theatre can get thinking about plays which might be do-able, monologues, and other forms of entertainment. It wouldn't be the same, but it would get things going again - and I bet they'd get audiences. Musical theatre would be harder, of course.

If you care about theatres, you will care about performers. Outdoor theatres perhaps, but how can performers social distance?
Indoor theatre isn't comparable to a pub with outside space.

The problem is with social distancing measures a theatre won't be able to sell enough seats to break even, let alone make a profit, they will be cutting capacity by a more than half. With cinemas they can keep replaying films over and over so can make it profitable, you can't do that with live actors. I am so desperate to return to the theatre but I fear it's going to be a long time.

I suspect that one of the reasons theatres aren't opening is due to the average age of the audience. It may not be the case for cutting edge London productions, but certainly at our non trendy theatre, the average audience age would probably be 70+. Seats are also very tightly packed together.
We last went to the theatre on 24/02 - Dial M for Murder - and I think there were plenty of news items about coronavirus at that stage, but theatre was still packed ( members 2 for 1 opening evening) with the usual demographic.

I desperately want theatres to open soon. However, everyone is packed in like sardines and that’s even with limited capacity. Think about getting in and out of seats even.

@Blobbyweeble

I don’t think we’ll have a theatre industry at all when all this is over with all the job losses that this will entail. Not just performers but front of house staff, back office staff, costume designers, set designers, makeup artists and many more. It’s virtually inevitable unless the government gives extended help until at least next year.

My son and his girlfriend have just been laid off, he’s a senior technician and she works front of house. The arts do seem to have been treated pretty shabbily in the current crisis and it’s likely to lead to massive losses of theatres, not just regional but there probably will be a few big name casualties in the West End too. There’s also quite a large group of students who are taking degrees in all aspects of the performing arts that are going to come straight off their courses onto the dole queue

Sitting next to someone without distancing indoors for a long period of time hugely increases the risk of passing the virus on. Theatres don't have the option but to open at anything less than full capacity as their profit margins are so small anyway.
I don't agree with what's happened in that picture at all but the risk outside is minimal.

It's such a shame for the industry. Music and theatre.

The concerns about audience social distancing. Is it possible to have some kind of watch from home set-up? I'd pay to watch performances from home online or on TV.

That leaves the issue of how to protect the performers and other staff but perhaps there's a way of making things work?

Seems like outdoor performance is the short term plan.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/06/outdoor-theatre-on-cards-this-summer-but-christmas-pantos-in-doubt