This programme contains flash cars, big watches, and fake… At the end of November, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden called for more to be done to protect the reputation of the royal family after the release of the latest series of Netflix drama The Crown. The show has created some increasingly bad press for the royal […]Read More
Lockdown has affected the theatre industry especially hard, but new guidelines offer a glimmer of hope to venues hoping to weather the storm.Read More
The first recipients of the Cultural Recovery Fund, designed to provide a lifeline to arts and performance venues, have been revealed.Read More
Dear Mr Dowden, Oliver – if you will. I’m writing to you because, well, I have some questions. A few days ago, you expressed that you wanted theatres open by Christmas. You floated the idea of offering mass testing to audiences and therefore being able to scrap social distancing measures. Now, I feel like I’ve […]Read More
The government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme finished at the end of August (although some businesses have extended their involvement with the scheme) and it was a huge success. The latest statistics show that diners claimed 100 million meals and it gave the hospitality industry, as well as the economy more generally, a much-needed […]Read More
The government has confirmed indoor theatre performances can go ahead from today, as long as social distancing is adhered to. Although the news comes later than planned, the return of indoor performances is stage four of the Culture Secretary’s plan. As we continue to move through the phased theatre reopening, Boris Johnson has said the […]Read More
Concerns about whether this year’s pantomime season will be able to go ahead have been raised following a statement from UK Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden. Last week, Dowden revealed that November is the earliest that theatres are likely to be offered a date for reopening their doors to the public. Whilst outdoor performances with social […]Read More
It has been announced that theatres will not find out before November when they are able to reopen without complying with the social distancing rules. In an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the culture secretary (Oliver Dowden) said that indoor performances without social distancing rules in place will only resume once “safe to […]Read More
After going into administration in May, it was announced on 2nd July that the Nuffield Southampton Theatres (NST) would be closing permanently, making eighty-six members of staff redundant. The closure comes as a result of Coronavirus causing many shows to be cancelled or postponed, as well as a lack of financial support from the government […]Read More
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