People ‘scared witless’ of sitting in audiences because of Covid-19
THE CHIEF executive of a regional theatre has said audiences have been “scared witless” by the Covid-19 pandemic and the greatest challenge will be making them feel safe enough to come back and sit next to strangers.
Although theatres are set to be allowed to re-open their doors from May 17 under the road map for easing restrictions unveiled by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Paul Woolf, CEO of the Kings Theatre in Southsea, Hampshire, said this would not provide enough time to get shows up and running.
He said continuing uncertainty meant most touring shows had been postponed to the end of the year and into 2022.
Mr Woolf said that the Government had not given regional theatres a chance to express their concerns during the pandemic.
He added: “I do not think we have had enough interaction with
the Government. Has anyone in the Government made any noise about regional theatres? No.
“Has the Government loved going to the Palladium and talking to big producers in London. Yes. It’s very London-centric.
“Having said that, the Arts Council has distributed money but it’s very tough for regional theatres to get a voice.”
Mr Woolf, whose theatre benefitted from the Government’s cultural recovery fund, explained that touring show producers were not offering productions at the moment because socialdistancing requirements meant it was not possible to have large enough audiences to cover financial overheads.
He said that the Kings Theatre could only accommodate 420 people compared to the full capacity of 1,400, adding that even when restrictions are lifted, audiences would still need to be convinced it was safe to return.
He added: “The hardest thing will be to convince people it’s safe to come out, that you can sit next to another person because people have been scared witless - that is the biggest challenge.”
Mr Woolf revealed that he had been in discussions with other regional theatres to create a “collaboration group” in a bid to attract touring producers by reducing costs and guaranteeing audience sizes over several venues.