Is it really worth saving?

       Hello, lovelies.

               Does the thought of standing on a stage in front of an audience fill you with joy? Do you love the idea of learning lines and standing in the middle of a cold rehearsal studio going over and over the same scene in order to get it right? Or is the theatre something that other people do? Do the prices of the tickets, drinks and ice creams fill you with dread as it is all too expensive and totally out of your reach? Is the theatre an elitist middle-class pass time that is overpriced and is expendable? Or are the arts really worth saving?

               I don’t know about you, but I just love the theatre. No, it’s more than that. I live for the theatre. It’s usually what I talk about the most. I tend to only read plays and books that are based on it. I met most of my friends whilst working at a couple of theatres in and around London. You could say that I am more than a little biased when it comes to the subject. So my heart broke into pieces when the first lockdown happened and my beloved theatres closed. At first, we all thought it would only be a matter of weeks before they would open up again. But they didn’t. They remained closed, or dark as it’s called in the business.  But as the weeks past, there was still no end in sight. The doors remained closed. But what does that mean for all those like me whose lives are wrapped up in the entertainment industry? How much does the outside world really understand how bad the situation really is?

               So, who is affected by the closures? Well, let’s think about the process of buying a ticket for a show. First, a producer works with a production team to make the show happen. A director and stage manager are brought in, a musical director, as well designers and a wardrobe department. Then come the auditions for actors, singers, dancers and musicians, so agents are required it promoting their clients. The rehearsal space must be booked; church halls are the best place. You need costume and prop makers, and any scenery that is needed. You also need to arrange transportation to all the different venues.  Then the question is how did you hear about the show in the first place? You need printers to make the posters and programmes.  You need a marketing department to advertise the show. A box office team has to be in place to book your seats for you. An overall management team to make sure that all the venues are working together, whilst promoting and growing their theatres.  Most tickets are booked online, but who puts all the information on to the internet? That’s right, employees. Then you have the venues. They have to be cleaned, well maintained and insured. Most theatres are very old buildings and are in a constant need of repair, so having a good back of house (BOH) team is essential. And it takes a whole team of cleaners to keep the building clean for the audience, staff and actors. You need a technical crew, electricians and carpenters all on hand when a show is running. DSM’s ASM and many more working silently backstage when a show is on. And those working at the back of the theatre operating the follow spotlights. That’s an awful lot of people needed.  

               Every theatre has a management team. They deal with the day to day running’s. The staff, the stock and stock control and finally the audience. They work all day, every day, from 10am till way past 11pm because, at the theatre, something is happening every day of the week. You need suppliers for all the stock and merchandise. They all need to be made in factories by people. Then they’re driven across the country by more people. 

               Then you have the front of house (FOH) team. They’re the ones that show you to your seats, sell you drinks and ice creams, keep the theatre tidy during the show, and I can honestly say that when you have up to 2,500 members of the public passing through the building, the mess they make is immense. It can take the whole time from one show ending to the next one starting to cleaning it, all the while they have to look clean and presentable when you walk in through the doors. And all of that is happening in each and every theatre up and down the country.  And you have the front door security, they have the responsibility of checking all the bags to keep everyone safe. And finally, you need a stage door manager, who is the liaison for FOH, BOH and anyone wanting to get backstage. 

               That is an awful lot of people who have now lost their jobs because the government have decided that the Theatre Industry is not a viable industry to save right now.

               There maybe a very small light at the end of this very long tunnel. 6 West End venues might be able to open this side of Christmas. Although, the Mouse Trap has decided not to open after all. Cirque du Soleil is filing for bankruptcy and cut have over 3500 jobs. Feld Entertainment laid off 90% of its workforce, permanently. Live Nation has had to lay off a significant number of employees. And what about those cruise ship entertainers and musicians? Theme park performers have no idea when they’ll be able to go back to work. There are no concerts, festivals or touring productions scheduled until 2021 and if they don’t happen next year, they may never happen again.

               It’s been reported that 90% of independent music venues may close. Entertainment Management, Publicity, Live events coordinators, performing arts organizations of all kinds- choirs, theatres, orchestras, dance companies- all are trying to figure out on a daily basis how to keep going.

    There are more than 12,000,000 people who work in the entertainment industry, all of whom have been laid off, all waiting for the theatre doors to finally open again. That’s if there are any production teams willing to put on a show in the uncertain future. Also, we can’t forget about the hundreds of thousands of performers and entertainers, without them there is no show.

Music and art are critical to a cheerful, balanced society.

Those of us who have dedicated our lives to the theatre, we are watching as our industry crumbles before our eyes, all the while being told that we are ‘nonessential’ by the government.  So before you say that the theatre industry doesn’t matter, or that it’s only for other people. Think of the millions of people who are losing their jobs, when all they really want is to put the show on for you. To entertain you for 2 and a half hours. A poll showed that only 13% of theatre-goers have said that they would return to the theatre if it were to reopen. Only 13%! So why don't you think about joining that number and be a part of history in rebuilding our precious theatre industry.