Red alert for theatre crisis

Monday 06 July 2020

Jersey's Opera House and Arts Centre last night glowed a striking red to draw attention to the crisis facing the theatre industry in the wake of the pandemic.

The illumination, which will took place at 21:00, was part of the national #LightItInRed campaign.

More than 500 venues across the British Isles took part in last night's display to raise awareness of the industry's challenges.

The project was initiated by UK production company Clearsound Productions in partnership with the Backstage Theatre Jobs forum, and aims to provoke a conversation with the UK government over how arts and events companies can be better supported.

@JerOperaHouse joins nearly 500 venues across UK to draw attention to the dramatic situation in the event industry. 9PM Tonight.

Please support us by sharing the images of the illumination on social media, hashtags #LightItInRed #JerseyOperaHousehttps://t.co/E9py6gRgcu pic.twitter.com/jn9Ufue7pw

— Jersey Opera House (@JerOperaHouse) July 6, 2020

The campaign website reads: "Companies from all across the events industry, as well as event locations, (event centres, convention centres, conference hotels, theatres, concert halls, playhouses and nightclubs) throughout the UK are invited to join together on the night of the 6th of July 2020.

"By lighting their buildings, or buildings in their region, red in order to draw attention to the dramatic situation in the event industry we can make a statement that can't be ignored. We were the first ones out, and will be the last ones back in."

Jersey theatres and events venues have been no stranger to the challenges brought on by the pandemic.

In May, Express reported that local theatres are expecting it to be curtains until 2021 due to the distancing restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of covid-19.

This has in turn left the arts organisations bracing for a big financial hit - one it's feared they might struggle to recover from.

Opera House Chair Pierre Horsfall previously told Express that the "twists and turns" of the building make physical distancing challenging and completely impossible on upper floors. Following a one-way system within the building would be equally difficult, while toilet access would be a “big problem”.  

“We could sit in odd rows and seats and at the very most we could get to about 150 people in the audience,” Mr Horsfall said. “It’s good to bear in mind that the Opera House sits 625 people. 150 is very small by comparison.”

With audiences being so small, Mr Horsfall said customers who hire out the Opera House will not want to pay very much - in fact, he said that demand from UK promoters had been near non-existent.

Jersey Arts Centre's Daniel Austin said there are many questions to answer before performances can resume. 

“What should our capacity be? Will we need a one-way system around the building? Should there be intervals? Backstage procedures will need to be as equally clear, safe and executed. And how will we manage all this on a practical day-to-day basis? And, indeed, financially?”