The below correspondence is posted here by kind permission from the Society of London Theatre
The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is an organisation that works with and on behalf of their Members to champion theatre and the performing arts.
Statement from SOLT & UK Theatre in response to Government roadmap
We have issued the below statement this afternoon in reaction to today’s Government announcement:
‘Today’s confirmation that Step 3 of the Government roadmap will go ahead on 17 May is very good news, allowing England’s theatre industry to begin the process of reopening. A number of theatres will be welcoming audiences back to socially distanced performances while also creating work for our world leading workforce. Theatres will be following our industry wide See it Safely protocols to ensure a consistency of customer experience and that the latest government Covid guidelines are being followed.
‘We are optimistic that this announcement paves the way for a full reopening from 21 June, and it is hugely encouraging to see audience confidence growing, reflected in increasing ticket sales.’
Mayor of London announces ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign
Joined on stage at Shakespeare’s Globe by British actor and director Adrian Lester, Sadiq Khan today confirmed his top priorities as Mayor of London and launched the new ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign, created in partnership with the city’s hospitality, culture and retail industries. The Society of London Theatre will continue to play a key role in helping to shape this new campaign through work with the Mayor’s office, London and Partners and the London Tourism Recovery Board. We’re delighted that theatre was featured in today’s announcement and that the Globe was used as the location for the launch demonstrating the Mayor’s commitment to culture.
SOLT / UK Theatre recommits to the 7 Inclusive Principles
Last summer, following on from the founding of #WeShallNotBeRemoved, SOLT / UK Theatre endorsed the Seven Principles for an Inclusive Recovery in Arts and Culture.
We are facing a key moment with the long-awaited reopening of our sector. However, there are still considerable risks to the full participation of deaf, disabled and neurodiverse people. Just recently the Government banned “clinically extremely vulnerable” people from the Events Research live events test programme.
Today, we recommit – and encourage our members to recommit – to the Seven Inclusive Principles for an Inclusive Recovery to ensure deaf, disabled & neurodiverse people are not discriminated against as artists, employees or audiences as the cultural industry reopens.
Mental Health Awareness Week
Our webinar on ‘Mindfulness for Theatre Professionals’ presented by Christoph Spiessens is now available as a captioned recording (scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the recording).
‘Christoph was an excellent speaker and gave lots of useful tips and explanations on a subject that is very complex and involved.’
We have more live webinars in our ongoing series promoting mental health and wellbeing. Next up is Laura White on Wednesday 12 May with ‘Ways to Wellness’ – to book, click here.
USEFUL RESOURCES
Coronavirus Recovery Guidance
- Coronavirus Recovery Updates and Guidance – for SOLT Members
- Coronavirus Recovery Updates and Guidance – for UK Theatre Members
- Media Briefing Notes
- See It Safely Toolkit
- Working Safely During Coronavirus – Guidance
- Coronavirus Government Guidance Library
Wellbeing and mental health support for you and your staff