Cancellations, costs and chaos: UK theatres grapple with rising Covid cases

theguardian.com:

With infections on the rise in the UK, theatres are contending with the challenges posed by Covid cases among casts and production teams, leading to postponed opening nights, cancelled performances and substantial costs.

Northern Broadsides was forced to cancel performances of As You Like It at the Viaduct in Halifax on Sunday and on three further days this week due to Covid cases, with ticket buyers offered reallocated tickets or a refund. On Monday, Curve in Leicester announced that due to a number of cases among the company of its new production of Billy Elliot: The Musical, performances would now begin on 13 July rather than 7 July. A statement from Curve’s chief executive Chris Stafford and artistic director Nikolai Foster said that valuable preparation time had been lost and the delay would “allow us to make up time in the rehearsal room and ensure we deliver a first-class production for our audiences”. The run has been extended by an extra week and the company are said to now be “fighting fit”.

Last week, a touring dance double-bill at Sadler’s Wells in London was presented two years later than planned because of the pandemic. One of the pieces, Common Ground[s] by Germaine Acogny and Malou Airaudo, was cancelled at the 11th hour because of a Covid case in its company. The tour, which includes a presentation of Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring with dancers from 14 African countries, has been a mammoth undertaking, with more than 2,700 Covid tests administered on its journey so far.

For months, theatres have been allowed to open for full-capacity audiences with restrictions such as social distancing and mask-wearing now lifted by the government. But many theatres are still feeling the financial impact of the last two