Crucial year Theatre needs to find £250,000 ‘to survive 2021’
madelaine.richards@reachplc.com
THE director of a Gloucestershire theatre has warned that live shows may not return until next year and that the venue needs to raise £250,000 if it is to survive.
Like many businesses around the county, Gloucestershire’s theatres had to shut their doors at the start of the year and are still unable to open them. And now, the director of Tewkesbury’s The Roses Theatre has warned that there is a tricky road ahead.
In a letter to customers, director Jessica Brewster explained that the situation “remains extremely challenging” for the theatre and that things may be difficult for some time, with live shows potentially not returning until next year.
Bosses have predicted that the theatre will lose £750,000 this year as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.
Ms Brewster said in the letter: “In terms of the immediate future, we are currently unable to stage live shows under Government Covid-19 regulations and may not be able to do so until 2021.”
She added: “The next 12 months are going to be crucial in defining the future of the business. We need to raise £250,000 to ensure we survive 2021.”
The letter thanked people who had donated to the theatre, while revealing that donations had dropped 95 per cent since its enforced closure.
Ms Brewster wrote: “The Roses went into the Covid-19 crisis already in a vulnerable situation. We are wholly reliant on earned income and fundraising, with no reserves available. The impact of Covid-19 is predicted to reduce our income by £750k by Christmas. As a result we have had to temporarily reduce the staff team to two and place all other staff on furlough.”
She said efforts to raise the £250,000 needed had got off to a good start and the theatre had successfully applied for emergency funding from Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, and Gloucestershire Funders, raising £60,000. A further £6,000 has come from donations.
The letter explained: “This money is supporting us across a number of areas: from today we are opening Box Office on a part-time basis in order to process outstanding customer refunds (please note that our phone lines will remain closed for the time being whilst we carry out this work) and we are now able to bring a limited number of staff in to explore how we can reopen later in the year. We’ve also made urgent changes to the business model to create a more sustainable and successful future.
“We have also been awarded a small pot of funding for a season of digital work to get you (our brilliant audience) to get creative during the Covid-19 crisis.
“We are incredibly proud to present our inaugural Feel Good Festival: a free programme of live streamed concerts, workshops, masterclasses, and creative sessions by some of the best artists and creative businesses across the area, all designed to boost well-being during this incredibly challenging time.”
The festival launched on July 24 on the theatre’s Youtube channel with a live streamed concert by Non Jovi.
The letter concludes: “While we have made considerable steps to staying resilient over the coming months, the situation remains extremely challenging for us as an organisation. However, we are remaining positive with some exciting plans for next year and beyond.”