2 out of 3 UK theatres need extra support to stay afloat

Posted on | By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels

As venues remain dark, so do their prospects of staying in business. According to a new survey conducted by SOLT and UK Theatre, approximately eight out of 10 (or roughly 2 out of 3) receiving theatres across the UK will need additional support from the government in order to survive in the event that lockdown measures continue past 31 May.



New SOLT and UK Theatre survey results and findings

The new survey outlines the many challenges that lie ahead should theatres remain closed after May and raises serious financial concerns for the industry. Almost a quarter of theatre producers have been faced with cashflow issues this month that are only likely to get worse with time.

The survey was completed by more than 164 theatres and producers nationwide and found that 77% of receiving venues and 67% of producers will need more financial support from the government than what is already being offered. Other findings from the survey: 

More than 1/3 of receiving venues responded that they would be able to get a full program up and running within one to three months after the lockdown has been lifted. Approximately 2/3 of producers and producing theatres said they could manage to get their first show fully ready within the same amount of time.

To round things up on how theatres across the country have been doing: 

Parliamentary inquiry launched to investigate impact of coronavirus on culture

The culture sector and entertainment industry have been invited to submit evidence on how COVID-19 has impacted their operations. DCMS will take into consideration both the short-term and long-term impact coronavirus has on all sectors and how social and financial measures are affecting these sectors. This is the second inquiry launched by the DCMS committee, who will also be calling for evidence on how DCMS and ACE have addressed the needs of the sector and what additional support is needed. Written evidence should be submitted by 1 May.

🎁 Read about how you can help donate to UK theatres to keep the stage alive.

By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels

Ephram is a jack of all trades and enjoys attending theatre, classical music concerts and the opera.