I’m pleased to share a statement from Theatres Trust following the announcement of the Capital Kickstart Fund.
Jon Morgan, director of Theatres Trust, comments:
News that more than 30 theatres will receive funding through the Capital Kickstart Fund is very welcome. Having highlighted to government the plight of theatres whose capital projects had been subject to delays and increased costs due to the pandemic, Theatres Trust is pleased that theatres such as Mercury Theatre in Colchester, Camden People’s Theatre and Octagon Bolton will be able to complete works that will provide new and enhanced facilities for engaging with their local communities, keep theatres operational and improve their environmental sustainability.
However, while this funding is welcome, it is just the tip of the iceberg of the investment that is needed if our theatres are to remain fit for purpose for 21st century audiences and artists. Theatres Trust research has identified more than 80 other theatre building projects that are in development, many of whom have reported average delays of 18 months due to the financial impact of Covid. With most theatres’ reserves exhausted surviving the lockdown, the usual funding sources diverted towards the pandemic response, and against a backdrop of historic under-investment in our theatre infrastructure due to reducing lottery funds, theatres must be considered as part of wider government investment in infrastructure.
An investment in repairing and upgrading our theatre fabric would not only preserve our wonderful theatre heritage, it would ensure theatres are able to offer wider access and community facilities, a welcoming comfortable space for diverse communities and it would ‘green’ these important public buildings by reducing their CO2 emissions. Beyond that, Theatres Trust research has shown that an average investment of around just £11m in 50 theatres across England over the next four years would generate long-term social and economic benefits to their communities, towns and cities amounting to more than 13,000 new jobs and an £880m contribution to local economies, supporting both the construction sector and the high street. An investment in theatre infrastructure projects would make a major contribution to the country’s post Covid recovery, promoting wellbeing and a sense of place, animating the high street and contributing significantly to local businesses and the wider economy.
Theatres Trust welcomes news that a further £300m in grants and £100m in repayable loans will made available. We would hope that a high proportion of this will go to the performing arts sector and particularly those in Tier 3, which have been unable to reopen.
Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaw will star as Al and Bet in John Godber’s classic comedy, April in Paris, which will tour the country, opening in Wellingborough on 28 January 2021, and will be directed by Richard Lewis. Audiences will be socially distanced.
In John Godber’s touching and hilarious classic, we go into the heart of one ordinary couple’s life as they go on both the journey of a lifetime and a journey into their relationship. Al and Bet are in a rut. Married for 26 years, their conversations are running dry and life has taken its toll. With his building work sparse and her shifts at the shoe shop getting few and far between there’s little to look forward to, apart from a possible ABBA tribute show in Wakefield and the odd trip to the pub. But Bet has dreams. She longs to walk with the Pharaohs in Egypt, sunbathe on golden beaches and climb Alpine mountains, all fuelled by her love of magazine competitions with holidays as prizes. Finally, her luck changes; she wins a night away for two to Paris in April, via a luxury trip on P&O Ferries out of Hull.
John Godber says, “April in Paris is one of my favourite plays and I’m very excited about this new version with Joe and Sarah, directed by my long-time friend Richard Lewis. I hope that Al and Bet’s trip to the French capital helps to raise the spirits and even a laugh or two, as they rekindle their romance amidst the baguettes, Beaujolais and the steak tartare! The play’s message, that we need to be kind to each other, seems to me to be more relevant now than it ever was before!”
Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaw had begun the second UK tour of Some Mother’s Do ‘Ave ‘Em when theatres were closed by the Government because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so they are delighted to be able to go out on the road again, as Joe explains:
“To say I’m excited about performing April in Paris would be an understatement, for lots of reasons. One of the things that is so important is that we (Sarah Earnshaw, Richard Lewis and all at Limelight) will be on the front line with one of the first shows back into the theatre after such an horrendous year…. and we shall be flying the flag, so to speak, to the naysayers who say it can’t be done. Well, Richard and his team have proved them wrong; if you think outside the box, anything can be achieved.”
Producer and director, Richard Lewis added, “As I’m sure most people are aware, it is an extremely challenging time for the theatre industry. It has effectively been banned for over eight months now and has created great hardship – for artists, for theatres and for producers. As we move into the New Year, it is already clear that only venues that can function with restricted capacity will be allowed to open. It is hugely challenging for theatres to find the type of product that can operate with these limitations. This is why I am particularly delighted and proud that Limelight Productions has been able to create a show that can help bring live performance back to its audience. John Godber’s April in Paris starring Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaw is a funny, touching comedy that lifts the spirits. It will bring a little sunshine into the life of everyone who sees it, and I hope audiences will be encouraged to help support this initiative to bring back live performances.”
Comedian Joe Pasquale has delighted audiences with his live stand-up tours for over 30 years. Along the way he’s voiced characters for Hollywood movies Garfield: A Tale of Two Kittens and Horton Hears a Who!, children’s television animation Frankenstein’s Cat and starred in The Muppets’ 25th Anniversary Show. Joe made his theatrical debut in 1999 in Larry Shue’s The Nerd, followed by the touring productions of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Mel Brooks’s The Producers. In addition, Joe took part recently in ITV1’s The All New Monty: Who Bares Wins, he was crowned ‘King of the Jungle’ in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here in 2004, appeared on five Royal Variety Performances, hosted his own ITV special An Audience with Joe Pasquale, at times hosted ThePaul O’Grady Show for Channel 4 and hosted the long-running television series The Price is Right for ITV. Other recent TV credits include a celebrity edition of Total Wipeout; Guinness World Records Smashed and Virgin One’s The Prisoner X.
Prior to playing Betty, Frank’s long-suffering wife in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Sarah Earnshaw most recently starred as Connie in The Nightingales (Theatre Royal Bath & UK Tour) and Jennifer Lore in the UK Tour of Nativity – The Musical. Her other theatre credits include Travels With My Aunt (Chichester Festival), The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot (West End and UK Tour) and the original London cast of Wicked.
The National Tour of April in Paris is produced by Limelight Productions.
The Play That Goes Wrong, the Olivier Award-winning box office hit, is back for its fourth UK Tour in the new year. Playing to socially distanced audiences, the touring production opens with a five-week Christmas season at Theatre Royal Bath from 17 December to 16 January, before heading out on tour from 18 January, visiting Eastbourne, Canterbury, Southampton, Coventry, Cheltenham and Salford with further venues still to be announced.
This touring production uniquely reunites previous cast members from the show, with a seasoned line-up presenting: Tom Babbage as Max, Jason Callender as Jonathan, Matthew Howell as Robert, Edward Howells as Dennis, Laura Kirman as Annie, Gabriel Paul as Trevor, James Watterson as Chris and Laura White as Sandra; with understudies Seán Carey, April Hughes, Beth Lilly and Jack Michael Stacey.
Awarded the 2014 WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Comedy, the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and a Tony Award for the Broadway transfer, The Play That Goes Wrong is now booking into its seventh year in the West End and continues to delight audiences around the world. The show’s success is a testament to the hard work and determination of a group of drama school graduates who became friends, set up a company under the name ‘Mischief’ and created an extraordinary body of work. The Play That Goes Wrong shows no signs of slowing down since its first performance at a London fringe venue with only four paying customers. Since then, it has played to an audience of over two million and now has productions in over 30 countries.
The play features the (fictional) Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society who are putting on a 1920s murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong … does! As the accident prone thesps battle against all the odds to reach their final curtain call, hilarious results ensue!
Mischief’s other West End successes include Peter Pan Goes Wrong, A Comedy About A Bank Robbery and Magic Goes Wrong; and last year saw a brand new six-part TV series for BBC One: The Goes Wrong Show, written and performed by the original founding Mischief Theatre members. A second series is currently in the making, with a Christmas Special set to premiere on BBC One on 22 December at 7pm entitled The Goes Wrong Show: The Nativity.
The Play That Goes Wrong is co-written by Mischief company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields. The tour is directed by Sean Turner, originally directed by Mark Bell, with set designs by Nigel Hook, costumes by Roberto Surace, lighting by Ric Mountjoy and sound design by Andy Johnson. The Play That Goes Wrong is produced by Kenny Wax Ltd and Stage Presence Ltd.
ALEXANDRA PALACE RECEIVES £2.9 MILLION FUNDING LIFELINE FROM THE CULTURE RECOVERY FUND
DCMS FUNDING VIA NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND PROVIDES THE LONDON LANDMARK ‘ROUTE TO RECOVERY’
Alexandra Palace has been saved from the risk of closure thanks to a £2.9 million grant from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage.
The funding, awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), will help offset the significant impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the Park and Palace.
The government grant will fund vital costs to enable the Trust to continue to maintain the listed Palace and 196 acre Park. It will also enable the organisation to deliver its programme of cultural events and creative learning activities that support some of the most vulnerable people in the community.
The vast heritage site is one of the country’s largest independent event venues which in a normal year delivers over 250 events, provides more than 20,000 work opportunities and contributes nearly £170m to the wider economy.
Ros Kerslake, CEO of the National Lottery Heritage Fund said: ‘Alexandra Palace is a jewel in the crown of London’s heritage, with commanding views over the city, important parkland and the National Lottery-funded Victorian theatre. Like so many organisations that rely on visitor income from events, from snooker to summer festivals, the Trust was facing a perilous future due to the COVID-19 crisis. The leadership and the team at Ally Pally have done an amazing job in recent years creating a sustainable and important cultural destination serving some of London’s most deprived communities in the borough of Haringey. We are delighted to be part of helping them to survive and thrive through this difficult time.’
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: ‘Alexandra Palace has continued to reinvent itself as “the people’s palace”, despite many setbacks. Thanks to this funding from the Cultural Recovery Fund, it will continue to shine as a beacon of hope, providing employment and entertainment, as well as a green lung for the local community in the tranquillity of its surrounding park. Throughout the challenges of the past year, Ally Pally has continued to adapt, and prove that this iconic historic building has an important part to play in today’s world.’
Nigel Huddleston, Heritage Minister said: “Alexandra Palace is a cultural icon in London and has allowed us to witness so many legendary moments over the years. I am delighted that we have been able to support the site through our unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund so it may continue to make history for years to come.”
Louise Stewart, Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust, CEO says: ‘We are hugely grateful to the NLHF, Historic England and DCMS for their critical support at a time when organisations such ourselves are facing overwhelming financial challenges due to the impact of the pandemic. We’d also like to thank all those in the heritage and cultural sectors who have worked with the Government to make this funding available.
‘Over the past 140 years Alexandra Palace has been home to some of the most iconic moments in modern entertainment history. The grant, together with support from Haringey Council and donations from the public, means that we can continue this legacy. It will ensure that these unique heritage assets, the Palace and Park, are cared for and we can deliver more experiences that entertain, inspire and educate, as well as providing crucial employment opportunities and economic benefit to our community. Over the last nine months we’ve worked non-stop to make sure we can open the doors safely and keep the parkland well maintained to provide vital green space. There are many challenges ahead, but for now at least, thanks to this funding, we have some time and resource to deliver our route to recovery.’
Award winning broadcaster, local resident and long-time Ally Pally supporter Lauren Laverne said: ‘This is such fantastic news. Ally Pally is so many things – an iconic music and arts venue, a vital hub for sport and cultural events and a beautiful green space with parkland the whole community can enjoy. Knowing its doors can stay open and that the music will play on is just wonderful.’
Ally Pally – which was built in 1873 as the ‘People’s Palace’, a home for entertainment for the population of London and beyond – has continued to demonstrate resilience and an enterprising spirit since first having to close its doors in March this year. Whilst a brimming schedule of public events underwent a significant cancellation and rescheduling process, the organisation has continued to find ways of making things happen within ever-changing sets of guidelines.
Throughout the pandemic the organisation has taken its creative learning programme online to deliver a host of art, literature, dance, poetry and music activities for young people, families, schools, disabled people and care home residents.
In April, when the venue should have been welcoming thousands of concert goers, the space was transformed into a vital food distribution hub. During the summer, its vantage point with amazing views across London made its outdoor terrace not only the most spectacular destination for a socially distanced pint, but also introduced live entertainment to the site once more with comedians able to perform live to eager crowds for the first time in months.
As lockdown eased local people flocked to the vast acres of parkland for a welcome change of scene. In July the birthplace of the BBC partnered with pioneering experiential tech company Melody VR to bring an immersive digital Wireless Festival to fans – something no other UK festival managed to achieve.
Nick Cave’s Idiot Prayer saw the musician, who has performed at the venue many times, alone at his piano in the vast West Hall, creating yet another significant cultural moment this year that seemed to encapsulate the mood and fragility of the time.
In September, working in partnership with the English National Opera, the first ever Drive-In Opera production was staged in the grounds. Another example of Ally Pally’s pioneering desire to entertain audiences and its readiness to adapt.
Further live performances got partially underway this autumn before the most recent lockdown was announced, and a programme of Christmas entertainment including Ice Skating, Santa’s Grotto, the acclaimed theatre production The Gruffalo’s Child and a film season will now animate the venue throughout the festive period. The recent announcement from the Professional Darts Corporation that the 2020/21 William Hill World Darts Championship will go ahead at the iconic venue, with fans, was also vital to the venue’s economic balance.
So not only does the successful funding application provide a lifeline, it means Ally Pally can continue to keep making things happen.
PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter said: ‘We’ve staged the William Hill World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace since 2007 and the venue is both the perfect home for us and now synonymous with the event globally. Whilst the West Hall is the focus of the on-stage action, Alexandra Palace’s other facilities enable us to deliver a world-class event experience to tens of thousands of fans annually and also host broadcast partners, sponsors and media. We’re pleased to see Alexandra Palace receive grant funding, which is a boost for them just weeks before this year’s World Championship begins on December 15.’
Camden People’s Theatre embarks on its ambitious redevelopment
Delayed by the pandemic, CPT’s revitalised plans for its first ever capital development work will improve the venue’s sustainability, accessibility, and create a civic space that is open day and night
“This atmospheric little venue which punches way above its weight in supporting the future of British theatre” Lyn Gardner on Camden People’s Theatre
Camden People’s Theatre (CPT) today announces the start of its bold new development project, activating revitalised plans to upgrade its performance space, rehearsal space and foyer for the first time in its 26-year history. Their project has been developed in partnership with architects De Matos Ryan through a co-design process that engaged with the local community, audiences and artists. The works will improve accessibility, resilience and sustainability, allowing CPT to realise their ambition to open a new community café, with a vastly improved on-street presence, reimagining 58-60 Hampstead Road as a civic space open day and night, and making CPT’s building as community-focused as the art they promote.
Thirteen months ago, Camden People’s Theatre announced their plans to transform their space, with a ‘brief closure’ for work in Summer 2020. Since the pandemic hit, theyhave recalibrated those plans and secured funding to carry out the works while social distancing is still in place and many theatres remain closed. They have also continued to support their community through youth outreach and a partnership with a local food charity, as well as supporting early-career artists with a major new round of commissions.
With a Small Capital Grant from Arts Council England and a grant from the Foyle Foundation already in place, CPT has spent the last seven months securing generous contributions from a number of sources, including London Borough of Camden, Viridor Credits and the Cockayne Foundation (full list below). Now, the final grant has been confirmed, a Capital Kickstart grant as part of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund, enabling the redevelopment to finally go ahead.
The work will:
Create a more inclusive space, with better access provision including automatic doors, refurbished accessible bathrooms and lift
Dramatically improve sightlines and create a more comfortable bar and foyer space for a better audience experience
Improve facilities for artists, including increased performance space and acoustic separation from the street and bar, to better reflect the quality of work CPT presents
Create the conditions for the launch of a community café, enabling the building to be open day and night
Maximize available space to enable concurrent use of theatre and rehearsal space
Revive and celebrate the theatre’s pub architecture
“CPT have been producing experimental, community minded and radical theatre from this base for the past 25 years. Over this time they have built an enviable reputation of engaging with their resident neighbours through locally oriented work and are an important amenity at the heart of their community. We are overjoyed to hear that CPT has been supported by so many brilliant funders to realise their vision for the refurbishment of their building during this time of great uncertainty.” – Cllr Danny Beales, Cabinet Member for Investing in Communities, Culture & an Inclusive Economy (Includes Planning, Regeneration & Economic Development), London Borough of Camden
The works will take place throughout December-March, enabling the building to be ready for CPT to invoice audiences back with an inspirational spring season featuring the 23rd Sprint Festival and Calm Down, Dear, their annual feminism festival. During this time, CPT has partnered with Regent’s Place and Old Diorama Theatre to continue to provide in kind rehearsal space for early-career artists. ready for CPT to invite audiences back into the building for their spring season – just over a year after the venue was forced to close.
“We couldn’t be more delighted to hear that Camden People’s Theatre has secured the essential funding it needed to embark on this exciting capital project. The theatre has tirelessly supported the Drummond Street community over the last 25 years and the co-design process, which a number of our residents have been involved in, gave us the chance to be directly involved in the ambition for the building. This project promises to secure CPT’s future in our area and ensure the organisation can thrive over the next 20 years, building a stronger community through an unprecedented time of change and upheaval.” – John Myers, chair of Drummond Street Neighbourhood Forum
Executive Director, Kaya Stanley-Money said: “This is an extraordinary moment for Camden People’s Theatre. The grant from the Cultural Capital Kickstart fund allows us to greenlight our capital development project and deliver it now, over the next four months while social distancing obliges us to remain closed to audiences. Faced – as a result of the Covid crisis – with the prospect of having to delay our project indefinitely, or to endure a second period of closure in 2021 to undertake the work, we have worked immensely hard with partners and funders to bring this capital work forward, ensuring we are in the best possible position to re-open to the public in spring 2021.
We couldn’t be more grateful for our funders’ support and their belief in the urgent need for us to complete this work now. We can’t wait to get on-site and realise the full potential of our brilliant theatre as a more accessible, inclusive and inspirational space – for artists, audiences and our Camden community.”
Founded 26 years ago, Camden People’s Theatre is one of Britain’s most influential studio theatres. Its mission is to champion different ways of thinking about the world by supporting emerging artists making adventurous theatre – particularly about issues that matter to people now. Its work is rooted in the communities of Camden and London. Through it, they celebrate the bold, the spirited and the unconventional.
The redevelopment has been made possible by generous funding and donations from Arts Council England, Foyle Foundation, Theatres Trust, Euston Town BID, Section 106 Funds (Camden Council), Viridor Credits, Cockayne – Grants for the Arts and The London Community Foundation, Backstage Trust, Culture Recovery Fund Capital Kickstart and individual donations.
New musical directed by award-winning theatre-makers
Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison
World Premiere at Newcastle Theatre Royal in August 2021
For tickets and all information, see www.bedknobsonstage.com
Today Michael Harrison announces that Disney’s Academy Award-winning movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks will make its world premiere as an exciting new stage musical. Performances begin at Newcastle Theatre Royal on Saturday 14 August 2021, before a UK Tour which includes a 5-week Christmas season at Leeds Grand Theatre.
Tickets are on General Sale today, Friday 11 December. Please see www.bedknobsonstage.com
Enter a world of magic and fantasy with Disney’s classic movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks. With the original songs by the legendary Sherman Brothers (Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), including Portobello Road, The Age Of Not Believing, The Beautiful Briny and new music and lyrics by Neil Bartram and book by Brian Hill, Bedknobs and Broomsticks will be brought to life by award-winning theatre-makers Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison.
When the three orphaned Rawlins children are reluctantly evacuated from wartime London to live with the mysterious Eglantine Price, they have no idea what adventures lie ahead. Upon discovering Eglantine to be a trainee witch, they join forces to search for a secret spell that will defeat the enemy once and for all. Armed with an enchanted bedknob, a bewitched broomstick and a magical flying bed, they encounter surprising new friendships on their journey from Portobello Road to the depths of the beautiful briny sea.
This magical musical starts its UK Tour next year….it’s time to start believing!
Casting for the production will be announced at a later date.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is produced by Michael Harrison by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions.
NATIONAL THEATRE TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY LOAN AS PART OF THE CULTURAL RECOVERY FUND
The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport today announced that the National Theatre will receive a £19.7 million loan from the Culture Recovery Fund. The loan is part of the £1.57 billion Government package of emergency sector funding that was secured in the summer to support culture and heritage organisations affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this week Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, visited the National Theatre to see the final rehearsals for Dick Whittington which opens for performances tonight. The Culture Secretary met Joint Chief Executives Rufus Norris and Lisa Burger along with members of the cast and production staff working on the pantomime.
Speaking about the Cultural Recovery Fund announcement, Joint Chief Executives of the National Theatre Rufus Norris and Lisa Burger said:
“The National Theatre is incredibly grateful and relieved to secure this emergency loan from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. It is a vital lifeline that will form part of our recovery, helping to ensure that the National Theatre will be here for culture and here for the nation, now and in the future.
The NT’s impact extends across the UK and around the world, reaching millions of audience members and young people, and employing thousands of artists and freelancers every year. All of that was put under threat this year by the devastating financial impact of coronavirus closures which cut off 75% of our income overnight. Despite the generosity of our audiences and supporters and the drastic action we took to reduce costs including – very sadly – job losses, we face a multi-million-pound deficit this year and next.
The decision to apply for a loan of this scale was not taken lightly; it is an essential component in our survival. Together with support we hope to secure from our partners, donors and audiences it will enable us to invest in the freelance creative workforce to produce some of the world’s most exciting theatre.
The Culture Recovery Fund demonstrates a clear recognition of the contribution culture makes to the nation. We look forward to continuing to work with Government to ensure this investment is built on in the long term and reaches all parts of our sector.
While the challenges of this pandemic are not over, we can now begin to rebuild the NT with a renewed commitment to make world-class theatre for everyone that celebrates the diversity of our nation. We will widen digital access, offer opportunities for every child in the country to experience theatre, help develop the next generation of talent, and change lives through participation. We stand ready to play our part in supporting the UK’s economic and emotional recovery from the effects of COVID-19.”
Academy Award-winner Olivia Colman, who appeared in Lucy Kirkwood’s Mosquitoes at the National Theatre in 2017 said: “Theatre is at the heart of Britain’s creativity and the National Theatre is a crucial part of that, whether working with young people across the country or making shows to thrill global audiences. Alongside the grants to smaller theatres, it’s wonderful to hear that the NT’s future is being supported by this lifeline loan.”
The National Theatre closed earlier this year on the 16 March following government guidance about coronavirus. At the start of April National Theatre at Home launched which saw 16 NT Live and Archive productions streamed for free on the NT’s YouTube Channel reaching an audience of over 15 million in more than 170 countries. The NT reopened for performances in the remodelled Olivier theatre on the 21 October with Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’ new play Death of England: Delroy, which closed early on the 4 November due to new nationwide coronavirus restrictions. The performance was filmed and streamed free on the NT’s YouTube channel on Friday 27 November during the second national lockdown.
At the start of this month the NT re-launched National Theatre at Home as a brand-new subscription streaming platform making an initial 11 productions from NT Live and the NT’s Archive available online to watch worldwide, anytime, anywhere. Further productions will be added each month. The National Theatre will reopen on Friday 11 December with Cariad Lloyd and Jude Christian’s pantomime Dick Whittington, which will also be available for families to stream for free on YouTube from 23 – 27 December. This month filming has begun for the NT’s made-for-screen version of Romeo & Juliet with Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley which will air on Sky Arts and PBS in Spring 2021.
ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY TO RECEIVE GOVERNMENT CULTURE RECOVERY FUND REPAYABLE FINANCE
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) today announced that the Company has been successful in an application for repayable finance to the government’s Culture Recovery Fund. The loan of £19.4 million will help to secure the immediate future of the Company amidst the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the theatre industry.
The Company has been unable to stage full productions since the start of the pandemic, resulting in an expected loss of 86% income outside the RSC’s Arts Council England (ACE) grant, a loss of approximately £46 million for the current financial year. Throughout the crisis the RSC has used its reserves and ACE grant to support the Company’s activity, alongside fundraising income from trust funders, donors and partners as well as donations from audiences, Members and Patrons as part of the Keep Your RSC campaign. The RSC also furloughed up to 90% of its staff, benefitting from the Government Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and is reaching the end of a formal consultation with staff on redundancies and changes to terms and conditions.
Since the temporary closure of the RSC’s theatres in March, the Company has retained a company of 35 freelance actors and stage managers at the heart of its work, continued to support young people and teachers with its far-reaching education activity, celebrated the power of Shakespeare through initiatives such as #shareyourShakespeare, staged free outdoor Summer performances in its Stratford-upon-Avon gardens, talked Shakespeare online with RSC alumni and audiences, and streamed productions for free on iPlayer.
The Company are staging Tales for Winter in December and January, a season of events over six weekends based around storytelling (see more HERE and HERE).
This repayable finance will ensure the Company’s financial stability in the short-term helping the RSC to:
stage Tales for Winter, the current programme of live streamed performances
open full productions in Stratford-upon-Avon and London in Spring 2021
continue essential education work in schools and communities in collaboration with 11 regional theatre partners across the country supporting hundreds of thousands of young people
recommence national touring with the RSC’s partner theatres
work with commercial partners to invest in new productions that can generate potential income for the Company
deliver a major piece of work as part of the City of Culture in Coventry 2021
capture the rest of Shakespeare’s canon through Live From cinema broadcasts which are streamed free to schools
As the Company’s programme of work expands the RSC will be able to engage significant numbers of freelance actors, musicians and creative team members alongside the RSC’s permanent workforce.
Commenting on the announcement Gregory Doran, Artistic Director, and Catherine Mallyon, Executive Director, said,
“We are relieved to receive news that the RSC will receive Culture Recovery Fund repayable finance following our application, and thank the government, through DCMS, for their significant backing. It has been reassuring to see the thousands of companies around the country receiving crucial grants over recent weeks. They are the lifeblood of communities, support the local economy and enable strong health and well-being of our towns and cities.
“It continues to be a challenging time for theatres big and small, and for all those in the arts and culture sector. We are very grateful for the support we have received from our audiences, donors and partners, but without any regular income from our work on stage, and currently no confirmed date for the full re-opening of the theatres, we must plan for a different future.
“The finance will help the RSC to recover, and in the medium-term reopen our Swan and The Other Place theatres which will remain closed in 2021. All our activity will increase the work available to our essential freelance workforce, which in turn supports the wider arts and culture industry.
“The loan agreement requires us to be financially sustainable by the end of the 2021/22 financial year so that we can move towards repaying the loan, together with the interest that it will accrue. Rather than being a grant, it provides cash flow to help with paying our essential expenditure during the crisis.
“Even when we reopen fully it will take time to return to pre-pandemic income levels. We will need to continue to make savings, as well as rebuild income, to cover the loan repayments, which will not be completed until 2040. This sadly means that we must complete our formal consultation with staff on proposed redundancies and changes to our terms and conditions. Combined with the loss of work and lack of income support for many of our freelance colleagues, this is a source of profound regret.
“We would like to thank the RSC community, all those who have sustained us and the wider industry through their donations, memberships, messages, advocacy and patience. Whilst our theatres are closed, we will continue to reach our audiences, to deliver our education work and undertake cutting edge digital development.
“We will re-open our theatres, and we will welcome people back to our buildings for full performances and for meeting together in our cafe’s, shop, restaurant and exhibitions, providing enormous enjoyment, supporting the regrowth of our local and national economy, and representing the UK on the world stage. We can’t wait for that time to come.”
In a year as stupendously out-of-whack as 2020, it should come as no surprise perhaps that one of the most eagerly anticipated shows of the festive season consists of septet of drag superstars taking over a major West End theatre in order to play merry hell with Agatha Christie (or Dragatha Christie, as the marketing for Death Drop would have it). Situated at some bespangled junction between a full-on drag show, traditional panto and the hoary old murder mysteries Ms Christie specialised in, Death Drop is about as subtle as a sledgehammer. But it’s a lot more fun.
Beyond the sheer force of personalities of the stars involved -and more on them in a second-, the main reason why the show works so well as an overall piece of theatre, as opposed to an episodic drag-a-thon where each fabulous performer gets to pitch her, his or their bit directly at the audience, is that author Holly Stars genuinely seems to respect the somewhat hackneyed conventions of the whodunnit genre, and has created an actual story on which to hang the outrageous campery and often inspired lunacy. All the elements are here: a creaky but grand old house on a remote island temporarily cut off from the outside world, a thunderstorm raging overhead, a selection of mismatched guests some of whom have (metaphorical) axes to grind… but with added drag. If there are moments when the audience isn’t screaming with mirth quite as much as one might have expected, that may be because they’re actually trying to follow the storyline.
Although the plot is all but abandoned later in the second half and Stars seems unable to find a satisfactory conclusion to this murderous tall tale, you’ll probably be laughing too much to care. Besides, similar issues haven’t proved an obstacle to success for The Play That Goes Wrong, which has just reopened on the other side of Covent Garden.
Anyway, nobody will go to Death Drop for the story; they’ll turn up to worship at the stiletto-ed feet of this literally glittering cast. Australian Courtney Act -garishly beautiful and arguably the biggest mainstream drag star to emerge since RuPaul- and stylish New Yorker Monét X Change get top billing, and both provide great, glamorous value. For my money though, the real standouts are some of the slightly lesser known performers. Anna Phylactic is so poised and convincing as a poisonous gutter press journalist that she’d only have to dial it down a couple of notches to star in a real Midsomer Murders, and Kemah Bob is shockingly funny as an endlessly priapic, shamelessly naff film maker called Phil Maker (say it out loud).
LoUis CYfer delivers world class clowning and brings the house down as a rancid Tory politician and Vinegar Strokes is gorgeous as shady hostess-with-a-secret (several secrets in fact) Lady Von Fistenburg. Playwright Holly Stars actually does, er, star, and proves to be something very special indeed as the trio of downtrodden working class sisters (Brie, Blue and Spread, named after their Mum’s favourite cheeses) who have the misfortune to be catering for, and serving, the über-glam guests. Despite being hilariously absurd, with their obsessive knowledge of 1980s/90s junk foods and ongoing inability to distinguish Courtney Act’s Antipodean pop star character from Kylie Minogue, the sisters are lent a sort of bruised dignity by their creator and actually manage to be oddly and unexpectedly touching in amongst all the madness.
Jesse Jones’s production moves at a heck of a pace: if it feels about fifteen minutes too long, that’s probably because the script itself could do with a bit of pruning. All in all though, this is a hugely enjoyable night out. Perfect festive entertainment (for adults only, there are F-bombs aplenty) and an entrancing alternative to pantomime.
Theatre Artists Fund awarded additional Arts Council funds to support theatre workers affected by Tier 3 restrictions
The Theatre Artists Fund, administered by the Society of London Theatre’s sister charity Theatre Development Trust, is pleased to announce that it is looking to support freelancers who would not have been eligible to apply in the recent round of funding (through which just over £2m was distributed) but who are now in financial need due to their anticipated work being in a part of the country that finds itself in Tier 3.
Arts Council England, with the support of DCMS, has previously contributed £1m to the fund, and is offering additional funds to help affected individuals.
The Theatre Artists Fund will be contacting producers and theatres that have had to cancel or postpone productions in Tier 3 areas to seek details of affected individuals. The usual application process will apply for those individuals to assess financial need etc., and we anticipate distributing £1,000 grants to eligible people in January.
Affected individuals that are not contacted by Christmas can email [email protected] for more information.
