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.
COVID-19 Vaccine / Certification Consultations
The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) has launched an inquiry into COVID-19 Vaccine Certification. The deadline for this is 3 May. Please note – this is separate, but related to the Cabinet Office’s consultation on COVID-Status Certification Review which closes on Monday.
UK Theatre and SOLT are responding to both. However, please note there are many opinions across the sector, so we encourage others to input if they would like to.
Theatre & the EU Services Sub-Committee’s inquiry on the future UK-EU relationship on trade in services
Yesterday the Committee published their report, Beyond Brexit: trade in services. Following our submission, UK Theatre and SOLT are included in the report. One of the conclusions of the report was that: ‘The creative industries sector has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery will depend to some extent on getting the relationship with the EU right. The Committee is deeply concerned about the potential impact of mobility provisions in the TCA on the over two million people employed in the creative industries, which could make touring prohibitively bureaucratic and expensive. The Government and EU should work together to remedy this situation before international business travel resumes.’
Government-Backed Insurance Westminster Hall debate – UK Theatre mentions
This week UK Theatre and SOLT briefed Jamie Stone MP and Kevin Brennan MP ahead of their debate. UK Theatre was mentioned in the debate. We will continue to work with backbenchers on the issue through PQs and briefings. The discussion touched upon several areas including:
- Economic contribution of the creative industries
- Reopening on 21 June 2021
- Insurance to be underwritten for the sector to be able to restart
- Potential for deskilling
- Treasury support schemes not suiting those in the creative and cultural industries
Theatre Green Book
Patrick Dillon, project lead for the Theatre Green Book, is holding a series of seminars for those who are interested in trialling the Green Book, or thinking about it, or simply want to hear more. They’ll last an hour, and the aim will be to take people through the Green Book beta version, and answer questions. It will also be a chance for companies thinking of working with the Green Book to connect with each other and those who are already planning to trial a show can bring their teams along – including freelancers – to learn more. The dates are as follows:
1) Friday 9 April, 9.30am – 10.30am
2) Tuesday 20 April, 9.30am – 10.30am
RSVP to pghdillon@gmail.com for the Zoom links. Please feel free to pass this on to others who might be interested.
Sustainable Productions is in a beta version for trialling and can be found here. Work is now starting on developing Sustainable Buildings and as part of this, the project team are asking theatre owners and operators to complete this simple survey by Friday 9 April to help understand the current status and future priorities for making theatre buildings more sustainable.
Theatre Artists Fund donation
We’re delighted to announce that the Theatre Artists Fund has received a tremendous grant of £500,000 from The Mackintosh Foundation. Please read the full press release here.
So far, over £5.5m has been raised and 5,359 grants have been given out to struggling theatre practitioners across the UK, who are ineligible for government support. The demand for emergency aid is still so high, and the Fund must raise at least £750,000 a month, with every penny going directly to those in need.
World Theatre Day
World Theatre Day takes place on Saturday 27 March. We’ll be sharing content on Official London Theatre’s channels and encourage you to share your own content too, using the hashtag #WorldTheatreDay.
Media briefing notes
We’ve recently updated our media briefing notes with headlines from our ‘one year on’ survey. Please find these here.
Job opportunity: Head of Box Office at Magic Mike Live
Magic Mike Live are seeking a Head of Box Office. The deadline to apply is Sunday 28 March. Find out more 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