Andy Richardson: Far more famine than feast - hard road back for theatres

Theatres and concert halls were at the coal face when Covid-19 struck. Promoters and artists pulled shows ahead of time, doing the right thing by audiences and trying to prevent transmission by deciding it might not be such a wise thing for large gatherings to congregate in enclosed spaces. Since then, it’s been a tough road all the way. Oliver Dowden’s much-vaunted £1.5 billion rescue package has failed to materialise in most venues, furlough is coming to an end and job losses are set to rocket. In July, more than 5,000 workers lost their job – the figures for August are expected to be worse then things get really bad as we head into the busier autumn months.

Theatres and concert halls run strange businesses. There is feast and famine, famine and feast. From March to May they fill their seats to the rafters as people enjoy the first shows of the year. This year, of course, there were none. So the money that would have seen them through summer stayed in punter’s pockets. During summertime, few were able to raise money with outdoor events. Most theatres don’t have outdoor spaces – that’s the domain of festivals – and so losses have accrued while takings have fallen off the proverbial cliff.

Feast arrives again from September to November, as artists hit the road for the busiest touring season of the year. Except that won’t happen this year, either. For theatres aren’t allowed to trade unless they socially distance – and that would mean their losses would be even higher than if they stay shut. The mega feast comes at Christmas, when people head into venues to see pantomimes. This year, they’re off. Theatre Severn, in Shrewsbury, is the latest to give up the ghost. At the start of the week, it announced a postponement until 2021. There was much wringing of hands, much expression of disappointment, but in truth, this has been the only possible outcome since May, or before.

For the theatres, it’s calamity. Panto takings keep venues operational through the leanest months of January and February, when there are hardly any shows. They pay for tax bills, staff costs, improvements and more. Now, venues are staring into the abyss. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has told them he will not update his guidance until November at the earliest, which means they miss the full winter season. This year, the only cries of ‘it’s behind you’ will come from the bank manager who’s chasing payment on the overdraft.

When theatres do re-open – and nobody knows when that will be – they face more difficulties. It typically takes a venue three months to sell a show; but that means employing staff at a time when they will have no shows on stage. More cost with no income means more debt. Inevitably, there’ll be further venue closures as theatres and concert halls run out of cash and have to shut up shop for an indefinite length of time. In the bleak midwinter, frosty theatres will make moan.

Theatres will return, when the transmission rate falls. But nobody yet knows when that is. Some guess it might be around Easter next year, which would mean more than a year of zero revenue with huge fixed costs. It is, in a word, frightening.

Culture is enormously important for this region. The Black Country is the region that gave birth to heavy rock, that gave us Led Zeppelin, Babylon Zoo, Goldie, Slade, Judas Priest, Clint Mansell, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and the exceptional singer/songwriter Scott Matthews.

Shropshire, meanwhile, has provided the backdrop to the wartime blockbuster Atonement, starring Keira Knightly and James McAvoy. It was partly filmed in Stokesay Court in Onibury, which was used for the Tallis’ home in the movie. Other films shot in the county include the 1978 thriller Absolution, which starred Richard Burton and featured a young Billy Connolly. Then there was the 2005 blockbuster remake The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which featured Highley Station on the Severn Valley Railway. The region is awash with cultural connections, links to great authors and much, much more.

In time, some of that will return. But some will also be lost. The unshowy roadies, the drivers, the fixers and riggers – most are either claiming unemployment or working as delivery drivers for Amazon, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

When theatres do return, we can all play a bit-part in their success by doing the simple thing of supporting them. Without that, they face the hardest road back – and some may not make it.