At the beginning of the year, the closure of 70 per cent of the UK’s performing arts companies seemed overly dramatic. Yet now, nine weeks into a country wide lockdown, this is an entirely possible eventuality.
In an opinion piece for The Telegraph, Sonia Friedman, does not pull any punches. She begins: “British theatre is on the brink of total collapse. All the performing arts – theatre, dance, opera, comedy, theatre in education, Christmas pantomime, community shows – are facing the real possibility of complete obliteration.”
Friedman continues, noting the importance of an immediate rescue package, else risk the stability of some 70 per cent of performing arts companies. In real terms, this amounts to the closure of over 1,000 theatres across the country, with the associated loss of jobs difficult to even contemplate.
In her own words, Friedman states: “The loss is inconceivable. What we take for granted has taken generations to create. It would be irrecoverable.” She continues, listing the names of establishments that have closed already, as well as those at immediate risk. From the Young Vic to the National Theatre, according to Friedman, no establishment is safe from the impact of the global pandemic.
Even with theatres shuttered for the foreseeable, the costs do not disappear – it costs £30,000 to keep a West End playhouse closed, without even considering the wages of employees who are unable to work.
Friedman considers the future of theatre once lockdown has ended, noting that, at best, theatres could sell one seat in six – “Most theatres need to sell 60 per cent of seats just to survive. The shortfall is not sustainable” she says.
If a cultural defence were not enough, Friedman considers the economic benefit of maintaining British theatre – a boost of £5 billion alone to London’s economy, and a further £2 billion to the tourism sector of the country. According to Friedman: “Theatre makes this country far more than it receives in subsidy.”
The future of the performing arts is uncertain; however, one hopes that in future, the drama can be left in the theatre.
