The UK Government have been very quiet on the subject of the Arts Industry and when Theatres may be able to open again after the Coronavirus epidemic.
Finally, at todays Press Briefing, a member of the public asked a question relating to working in Theatre and an indication of when theatre may be able to reopen was given.
Michael from London says he works in the theatre and performing arts industry and it will be many months before that sector can reopen – si will workers be protected?
Jenrick says everyone is “very concerned” about the future of the arts which is one of the UK’s “great international strengths”.
He talks through the furlough scheme, the Treasury scheme to help self-employed people and work done by the culture secretary to “see how we can guide” the sector through “a very difficult time” to put social distancing in place so they are “ready to reopen” when the scientific advice allows.
We hope that will be later this Summer but that is conditional on keeping the spread of the virus down.
No information around what social distancing measures may need to be put in to place in order to reopen have been mentioned.
Although the conditional date of ‘late summer’ may be when theatres are given the green light to go ahead, it may still take three to four months to get shows back up and running after then (as mentioned recently by Producer Cameron Mackintosh).
On 5 May 2020, the Society Of London Theatre extended the cancellation date of theatre performances to 28 June 2020 but now with this new estimated timeline from the UK Government, I would imagine that will soon be revised.
