SOLT Update 13 August 2021

Aug 13, 2021 | SOLT Updates

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.

Find out more about SOLT and visit their website here.

Self-isolation removed for those who are double jabbed 
From Monday 16 August, people who are double jabbed will no longer be legally required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case.  They will however be advised to take a PCR test as soon as possible.  Anyone who tests positive following the PCR test will still be legally required to self-isolate in order to break onwards chains of transmission. 

Further details on this change can be found on the government website.

Vaccinations
Please find a flyer here with information on the vaccination bus. We have organised the bus to be parked on Shaftesbury Avenue on September 11th for easy access for West End casts. The bus is offering the Pfizer vaccine which is available to anyone 16 and over.  They offer both 1st and 2nd doses, 2nd doses are only available for those where there is an 8 week gap between 1st and 2nd doses. Details of the vaccine bus locations can be found here. Below is the bus schedule for the next week: 

Monday 16/08/2021 WCC TFL – Victoria Station approach (Wilton Street entrance) 12:00 – 18:00
Tuesday 17/08/2021 RBKC Kensington Town Hall Court Yard 09:00 – 15:00
Wednesday 18/08/2021 RBKC St Luke & Christ Church, Sydney Street, SW3 10:00 – 16:00
Friday 20/08/2021 RBKC Chelsea Festival, Blantyre Street SW10 (at Worlds End Estate) 12:00 – 17:00
Saturday 21/08/2021 WCC WECH Summer Festival, Tamplin Mews Gardens. Bus would be located on Chippenham Road W9 2AH 10:00 – 17:00
Sunday 22/08/2021 RBKC Sainsburys Car park, Ladbroke Grove W10 5AA 10:00 – 14:00

 

Please also see the below links from the NHS to share with cast and staff:

 

Marketing
Please download our PowerPoint featuring some of the highlights of the Back On Stage campaign so far. This week we have been offered a free DEP campaign at central London stations for the Back On Stage campaign.

We will be sharing plans for September shortly as we want to ensure that we are doing everything we can to support theatres across the county as they reopen. Latest information from Indigo shows that the act of attending an event boosts audience confidence so please continue to encourage your audiences and cast to share their experiences with the #BackOnStage and to also ensure that you are prominently displaying the See it Safely mark – and that you are using both in all your comms so we can paint a positive picture of theatres reopening. If you haven’t applied for See it Safely, please complete the form here.

Press
We have updated the media briefing to include the latest details on insurance.

Free webinar
We are running a free crisis and reputation comms webinar for press reps on Thursday 23 Sept (2 – 3:30pm) led by Angela Coles, who specialises in media training and crisis/reputation management. Please email eva@soltukt.co.uk to find out more.

September press moment
As we approach September, we’re planning several press opportunities celebrating the return of theatre around the UK, and encouraging audiences to book for shows. Current conversations include Mail on Sunday, Telegraph, BBC Breakfast & ITV This Morning, and we want to use West End Live as a focal point while also including stories from regional venues.

Kids Week
115,000 tickets have now been sold in Kids Week.

As part of Kids Week, we are running a series of free outdoor family experiences this month in Leicester Square Gardens, thanks to support from the Mayor of London. From 23rd to 27th August, there will be activities available for a range of ages each day, from shows such as Billionaire Boy, Mary Poppins and Disney’s The Lion King. Join in with theatrical storytelling, dance classes, magic, singalongs, and more!

This week we shared a video of UK stage stars reading bestseller Broadway Baby for Kids Week. Take a look here. A portion of proceeds from sales of the book will benefit the Theatre Artists Fund.

Sunday performances – Instagram sticker
We’ve created an Instagram GIF sticker for the ‘On Stage On Sundays’ logo that you can use. To find it, you can search for any of the following: onstageonsundays; onstageonsunday; sundayshow; sundayshows; officiallondontheatre

Action: help us make the case to government to protect funding for arts subjects in Higher Education
Alongside other bodies in the cultural/creative sector, SOLT/UKT is collecting evidence to strengthen our work supporting HE creative arts courses as a vital part of the creative industries talent pipeline and landscape. This evidence will be submitted to government as part of a major lobbying effort.

As part of our submission, we need to provide 2 or 3 case studies of recent graduates employed in the theatre sector who have benefited from a creative arts course, profiling them, their employer and their course.

Please share this with members of your team and ask them to put forward someone who is willing to tell their story. Please contact David by email: david@soltukt.co.uk.

USEFUL RESOURCES

Coronavirus Recovery Guidance 

Wellbeing and mental health support for you and your staff
Jobs & careers in the sector