A Short Message of Hope: The Theatre Industry during and after this crisis

I am back again writing another article and, I apologise, it is related to Coronavirus. I have seen many news articles this week about the impact of COVID-19 on the Creative Industries including:

• Nuffield Southampton Theatres have gone into administration (https://www.whatsonstage.com/southampton-theatre/news/nuffield-southampton-theatres-nst-administration_51533.html)
• Film and TV industry near enough put on hold in Northern Ireland (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-52566248)
• 'The Universe Hit Pause': The Ripple Effects of Broadway's Shutdown (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/07/theater/mrs-doubtfire-broadway-shutdown-virus.html?referringSource=articleShare&fbclid=IwAR25p7RPDP3fLdYXMi45k7BNi81ShN2twwHB8KN_e3wcLz-YZ-cyrAYIiaA)

This creates a rather negative outlook on the theatre and creative industries but there always has to be hope. Theatre and the performing arts are an integral part of the Creative Industries, one of the fastest growing industries in the UK economy. They contribute about ￡101.5 billion in Growth Value Added (GVA). Companies such as the National Theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith are providing their shows online for people to watch to ensure the continuing growth in arts engagement but is this enough? I like to think I can be an optimist. I think after this, the creative industries will thrive with work focusing on this time in quarantine. But here is the big question: How?

My response to that question is... collaboration.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much" - Helen Keller

People come into the performing arts industry for many different reasons, from very different backgrounds (Cohen, 2010) and that is a beautiful thought. We work without judgement and with encouragement of self-expression. I have started working on a new project with people from 3 different counties across England on creating a show that we can do over Zoom and film. This involves participants from VERY different backgrounds and that, as I said before is... beautiful.

So, what about after this crisis? When lockdown rulings are relaxed, the theatre industry will have to go back to pre-production on nearly every show; back to the rehearsal room and the long production meetings. This means shows might not even be back after that for another month or two. And what about ticket sales, how will seating plans work? All these questions are being worked on by the larger-scale companies and unions including the Society of London Theatres and UK Theatres. We must not give up hope when it comes to all of this. We must support each other. We must support charities that support actors and support theatres to ensure we see ourselves through this.

References

Cohen, R. (2010) Working together in theatre: Collaboration and Leadership. Macmillan International Higher Education: Basingstoke