The Xmas pantos are being cancelled

[TBHno]

1st world problem , I know...

My local theatre has just cancelled their Xmas panto

Panto is something I look forward to every Christmas. As a kid, I even performed in them a few times. Seeing one in the run-up to xmas is a big part of the hype for me. Seeing the kids get all dressed up and excited is great too.

It's one of those things that has to be live because the participation is a big part of it.

Xmas just won't be the same.

[SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito]

@CallmeBadJanet

Is this sad? Oh no it isn’t!😂

I'd say TOTAL 3367+ confirmed redundancies isn't that fucking funny. Like your joke.

[echodot]

@GlummyMcGlummerson

Being a Scrooge here but I'm pleased. DD always wants to go and I can't bear another year of paying £50 to listen to Bobby Davro's awful innuendos and some prick from the local radio station appropriating womanhood.

LOL!

[FelicisNox]

I literally hate pantos. They are outdated and cringey.

A Christmas play.... that's different. I love A Christmas Carol.

[anon5000]

@FelicisNox

I literally hate pantos. They are outdated and cringey.

A Christmas play.... that's different. I love A Christmas Carol.

How very MN.

[JamieLeeCurtains]

This has all become bit 'cancel the panto'.

This is about people's jobs ffs.

[jjnineone]

Read the thread people. I don't enjoy panto at all, but to make jokes about the loss of a whole industry is horrible! Did you laugh when Woolworths went bust?

It's about huge redundancies, closure of maybe the only arts venue in your town, loss of a guaranteed revenue stream, possibly a whole generation of theatre workers who can't pursue the work they want to do. It's all stuff that enriches all our lives in some way - whether that's because it's intellectual, imaginative, political, or maybe just fun. The whole industry is interconnected. You can't get rid of panto and hope that your kid still gets to see the Inspector Calls tour for GCSE, or that the venue stays open for the poetry reading you were hoping to attend...

[milveycrohn]

I don't like panto so we don't go, and it's usually very expensive, so did not take my DC when young.
However, I read recently that panto keeps the theatres going throughout the year, so this makes me feel sad that many will close.
The Gov said it hoped we will be almost normal at Christmas. This is getting to be less and less likey. Not sure they realise that theatre productions require a lot of planning / rehearsal. You can't just say - ok, you can open next week! Consequently, they have decided the risk is too great.

[Namechangr9000]

It's about huge redundancies, closure of maybe the only arts venue in your town, loss of a guaranteed revenue stream, possibly a whole generation of theatre workers who can't pursue the work they want to do. It's all stuff that enriches all our lives in some way - whether that's because it's intellectual, imaginative, political, or maybe just fun. The whole industry is interconnected. You can't get rid of panto and hope that your kid still gets to see the Inspector Calls tour for GCSE, or that the venue stays open for the poetry reading you were hoping to attend...

This is so true. Not only the actors and performers who will not be able to find work (I know a lot of actors take waiter/low paid jobs in between but these will be scarce and competition will be high) but there must be highly skilled make up artists, costume depts, scriptwriters, set builders and creators, lighting and sound technicians that will all be fairly niche skills. Some would be transferable to music or tv but cuts are happening there too.

[lyralalala]

@FelicisNox

I literally hate pantos. They are outdated and cringey.

A Christmas play.... that's different. I love A Christmas Carol.

Without pantos there will be far less plays

[Mumgonenuts2020]

Maybe if they heat somewhere and have it outside, or you could sit in the car and watch different but the kids may enjoy it.. Tully’s Farm di cinema experiences, maybe pantos too!!

[boreda11]

I'm sad that this has happened, fearful for the future of many theatres as a result.

[TBHno]

And this thread has made me feel even worse about the whole thing.

On the plus side, I've donated £10 to my local theatre to help them get through this tough period. They've given me so many smiles over the years. I'd be devastated if they closed their doors.

[PhilSwagielka]

Just because you don't like panto doesn't mean people who work in it deserve to lose their jobs.

[FredAstaireAteMyHamSandwich]

Add 2000+ to that jobs lost list for Delfont Mackintosh Theatres. Owned by the BILLIONAIRE Cameron Mackintosh.

Sorry you’ll miss seeing a Panto OP. Thank your lucky stars that’s all you’ll miss. I know hundreds of people who are scrabbling for pennies, trying to survive on £75 job seekers allowance, sleeping two to a bed in a flat share, to survive.

[AlecTrevelyan006]

Confirmed theatre redundancies as of 6 September 2020

Ambassador Theatre Group – 1,700
Belgrade Theatre Coventry – 21
Birmingham Town Hall and Symphony Hall – 35
Birmingham Hippodrome – 62
Birmingham Rep – 47
Bristol Old Vic – 20
Canterbury Marlowe Theatre – 30
Edinburgh Traverse Theatre – 11
Exeter Northcott Theatre – 35
Fairfield Halls – 200
Guildford – Yvonne Arnaud – 10 (another 4 possible)
Horsham Capitol Theatre – 4
Horsecross Arts – (in consultation)
Ipswich New Wolsey Theatre -23
Kings Cross Arts Venue – 10
Leicester Square Theatre – 36 (maybe more)
Lowestoft Marina Theatre – 11 Staff, 24 zero hrs)
Manchester Royal Exchange – 96
National Theatre – 250+
Newcastle Theatre Royal – 44
Nimax Theatres – 130
Norwich Theatre 172 (incl 59 on zero hrs contracts)
Nuffield Southampton Theatres – 86
Oxford Playhouse – 12
Pitlochry Festival Theatre – 42
Porthcawl Grand Pavilion 14
Plymouth Theatre Royal – 110+
Sadlers Wells London 51
Somerset Stride Theatre 8
Theatre By The Lake Keswick – 38
Tobacco Factory Theatres – 25
Southbank Centre London – 400
Wales Millenium Centre – 250
Wiltshire Creative – 40% of staff
Winchester Theatre Royal – 6
Worthing Theatres – 19
Cameron Mackintosh Theatre/ Delfont Mackintosh 850 +

SUB TOTAL 4,453 +

ASSOCIATED BUSINESSES REDUNDANCIES

Angels Costumier – 18
TKTS – 23
White Light – 66
Selladoor – 91

SUB TOTAL 198

[AlecTrevelyan006]

confirmed pantomime cancellations as of 24 September 2020

Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre – Beauty and the Beast
Artsdepot – Aladdin
Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
Barnstaple Queens Theatre – Cinderella
Basingstoke Anvil Arts – Beauty and the Beast
Belfast Grand Opera House – Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Birmingham Hippodrome – Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Blackpool Winter Gardens – Cinderella
Blackpool Grand Theatre – Snow Whaite and the Seven Dwarfs
Bolton Victoria Hall – Snow White
Bournemouth Pavillion – Peter Pan
Brighton Hilton Metropole – Aladdin
Bristol Hippodrome
Bromley Churchill Theatre – Sleeping Beauty
Buxton Opera House – Aladdin
Canterbury Marlowe Theatre – Jack and the Beanstalk
Chatham Central Theatre – Peter Pan
Chesham, Elgiva Theatre – Snow White
Clacton On Sea Princess Theatre – Jack On The Beanstalk
Colchester Mercury Theatre
Consett Empire Theatre – Treasure Island
Cork Everyman Palace – Aladdin
Coventry Belgrade Theatre – Beauty and the Beast
Crawley The Hawth – Cinderella
Crewe Lyceum – Sleeping Beauty
Croydon Ashcroft Playhouse – Beauty and the Beast
Curve Leicester – The Wizard Of Oz
Darlington Hippodrome – Cinderella
Dartford Orchard Theatre – Jack and the Beanstalk
Durham Gala Theatre – Robin Hood
Edinburgh Kings Theatre – Sleeping Beauty
Exeter Northcott Theatre – Robin Hood
Falkirk FTH Theatre – Beauty and the Beast
Glasgow King’s Theatre
Glasgow Tron Theatre – Wonderful Wizard Of Oz
Grantham Guildhall Arts Centre – Jack and the Beanstalk
Greenock Beacon Arts Theatre – Cinderella
Guildford Yvonne Arnaud – Robin Hood
Hackney Empire – Jack and the Beanstalk
Halifax Victoria Theatre – Jack and the Beanstalk
Hastings White Rock – Robin Hood
Hayes Beck Theatre – Jack and the Beanstalk
Hexagon Reading – Beauty and the Beast
Hoddesdon Spotlight – Peter Pan
Hornchurch Queens Theatre – Alladin
Horsham Capitol – Dick Whittington
Hull New Theatre – Snow White
Ipswich New Wolsey – Rock N Roll Panto
Ipswich Regent – Aladdin
Kilmarnock Palace Theatre – Aladdin
Leicester DeMontford Hall – Sleeping Beauty
Liverpool Empire
Lyric Hammersmith – Aladdin
Manchester Dancehouse Theatre – Dick Whittington
Manchester Opera House
Mansfield Palace Theatre – Sleeping Beauty
Middlesborough Theatre – Peter Pan
Milford Haven Torch Theatre – Jack and the Beanstalk
Monmouth Savoy – Jack and the Beanstalk
New Wimbledon Theatre
Newport Riverfront Theatre – Robin Hood
North Yorkshire Georgian Theatre Royal – Beauty and the Beast
Northampton, Royal & Derngate – Dick Whittington
Nottingham Theatre Royal – Robin Hood
Norwich Theatre Royal – Dick Whittington
Oldham Coliseum – Aladdin
Peterborough New Theatre – Aladdin
Porthcawl Grand Pavillion – Aladdin
Regent Theatre Stoke On Trent
Rhyl Pavilion Theatre – Cinderella
Richmond Theatre
Rotherham Civic Theatre – Aladdin
Salisbury Playhouse – Cinderella
Sheffield Lyceum – Sleeping Beauty
Shrewsbury Theatre Severn – Beauty and the Beast
Somerset Stride Theatre – Cinderella
Southend Cliff’s Pavilion – Peter Pan
Southport Theatre – Peter Pan
South Shields Customs House – Rapunzel
Spalding South Holland Centre – Dick Whittington
St Andrews Byre Theatre – Snow White
Stafford Gate House – Snow White
Stirling Macrobert Arts Theatre – Mother Goose
Stratford East Theatre Royal – Little Red Riding Hood
Sunderland Empire
Swindon Wyvern – Jack and the Beanstalk
Telford The Place – Aladdin
Theatr Clwyd – Beauty and the Beast
Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall Theatre – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
Welwyn Garden City, Campus West – Jack and the Beanstalk
Whitley Bay Playhouse – Treasure Island
Woking New Victoria Theatre
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre – Cinderella
Wycombe Swan – Sleeping Beauty
York Grand Opera House

[nosswith]

There will be theatre companies that have closed or where jobs have been lost on top of this job loss.