Theatre cuts half its staff

PANDEMIC REASON FOR ‘HEART-BREAKING’ LOSSES

THE Theatre Royal in Newcastle has announced 44 job losses - half its current staff - and has axed all its shows until the end of November.

The blow comes after weeks of mounting concerns over the ‘devastating’ impact of the coronavirus crisis and the Grey Street theatre’s struggles to keep afloat during lockdown.

Chief executive Philip Bernays said the decision to half the size of its team - who he called “stars” - has been “heartbreaking”.

The theatre currently has 89 full and part-time permanent posts and proposes to make 44 of them redundant, with most of the remaining staff being asked to go on to a retainer until it reopens - and there’s no date for this yet.

That will leave just 13 staff working on reduced hours and reduced pay.

The sad news was shared on yesterday, the day after Boris Johnson announced that while theatre venues can reopen, along with much of the hospitality industry, on July 4, they will not be able to host live performances.

The theatre said that this “confirmed” its view that “with a heavy heart” it has to cancel performances until November 24 – which is the date its panto Humpty Dumpty is due to start.

It made no mention of this annual show which is a money-spinner for the venue.

Earlier this month a staff member had claimed that ‘almost all’ staff were being made redundant but the theatre has not commented on the situation until yesterday’s announcement.

Mr Bernays had previously spoken to The Chronicle about the situation facing the theatre after its closure in March left it without any means of income.

Newcastle Theatre Royal Trust is a charity operating in a commercial environment and during lockdown it has had to refund tens of thousands of tickets.

A spokesman called the impact of the crisis “devastating” and said the theatre will be unable to reopen until social distancing measures are removed and there is no guidance as yet on this.

The Trust started its consultations with staff this week.

Mr Bernays said: “’We have had no performances and no income for three months, we have no funding to support us and we have no guidance about when we will reopen.

“Faced with this uncertainty we have to do everything we can to secure the future of Newcastle Theatre Royal. When we reopen we will be in a changed world and as an organisation we need to be ready for this. We will need to be smaller and more flexible to face the challenges of this different future.

“This has led to the very difficult and heart-breaking decision that we need to significantly reduce the size of our staff team.”

He added: “The team are second to none in their dedication, enthusiasm and abilities.

“Throughout the past three months they have shown real team spirit and I want to thank them for their support and resilience at this time of crisis. They are the stars of the Theatre Royal.”

The Theatre Royal invites donations and anyone wanting to contribute or support it in other ways, such as naming a seat in the auditorium or becoming a member, can do so online