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The UK government has announced a $2 billion fund to help theaters, art galleries and museums survive the COVID-19 pandemic. This better-than-expected package is the result of persistent lobbying from the arts world and questions over why the government is allowing people back on planes but not into theaters.
The funding for the arts is welcome, say industry experts, but guidance on when and how theater productions can resume with social distancing restrictions is still much needed.
"If it's two meters in this venue, we can only sell 16 percent of our tickets," said Elspeth McBain, CEO of the Lighthouse arts center in Poole, Dorset, a 600-seat regional theater badly affected by the shutdown that should be in line for funding.
"If social distancing goes to one meter or one meter-plus, which is where we are at the moment, it's about20 to 22 percent of tickets we can sell, so as you can imagine, financially that doesn't add up."
Theater doors across the UK remain shut, despite the government's $2 billion salvage package. /Alastair Grant/AP
All this means theaters and art centers like the Lighthouse, which should be well into rehearsals for the Christmas pantomime season, face the difficult decision of whether to go ahead with such costly productions. In normal times,these shows provide essential revenues.
Whether regional or mainstream, planning for all theaters is a headache agrees Kwame Kwei-Armah, the artistic director of London's Young Vic theater.
"Everyone in our sectoris scenario planning on quicksand, we don't know when Public Health England is going to allow us to let people back into our venues, to allow performers to perform in our venues," he told CGTN.
"We're planning for November, December, February, April.We're just every day trying to find a way to make it work."
The British government says it will issue guidance shortly,as theaters large and small await details of when and how the live arts can resume.
Video editing: David Bamford