Picture copyright
Mayflower/Qdos
Craig Revel Horwood and Debbie McGee had been due to star in Cinderella in Southampton
The UK’s greatest pantomime producer has began cancelling its 2021 shows amid ongoing uncertainty about when theatres can be ready to reopen absolutely.
Qdos has put this 12 months’s festive shows in Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh and Southampton again to 2021.
The operator of the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh mentioned the transfer would consequence in “the huge lack of £2.3m on the worst attainable time for the theatres”.
Qdos had been planning to stage 34 pantos throughout the UK this Christmas.
It’s discussing the fates of the opposite 30 with these venues – “a posh course of” that it says will take a number of weeks.
Qdos set a deadline of three August to get “readability” from the federal government concerning the reopening of theatres.
However final week, Tradition Secretary Oliver Dowden informed BBC Radio four he did not anticipate to have the opportunity to give a date for permitting audiences in with out social distancing till November “on the earliest”.
Pantomimes are essential to theatre earnings, however are unlikely to be financially viable with social distancing restrictions in place.
On Wednesday, Qdos confirmed that 4 shows had been rescheduled:
- Cinderella on the Mayflower in Southampton, due to star Craig Revel Horwood and Debbie McGee, was due to run from 11 December 2021 to three January 2021, however has been put again to Christmas 2021.
- Magnificence and the Beast at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen, scheduled to run from 28 November 2021 to three January 2021, will now run from four December 2021 to 9 January 2022.
- Sleeping Magnificence on the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh, scheduled to run from 28 November 2021 to 17 January 2021, will now run from 27 November 2021 to 16 January 2022.
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears on the Grand Opera Home in Belfast, scheduled to run from 28 November 2021 to 10 January 2021, will now open in “late 2021”.
‘Devastating’ blow
In a statement, Capital Theatres, which runs the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh, mentioned the seasonal present accounted for 30% of the corporate’s annual revenue.
Chief govt Fiona Gibson mentioned the cancellation was the “greatest blow” to face the corporate because the coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March.
“Capital Theatres is Scotland’s largest theatre charity and the influence of this determination is devastating,” she mentioned.
The refurbishment of the Grand Opera Home in Belfast started in January
Belfast Grand Opera Home chief govt Ian Wilson referred to as the postponements of the panto and three different shows “massively disappointing” and “a big blow to the theatre’s funds at an already difficult time”.
Aberdeen Performing Arts, which manages His Majesty’s Theatre, mentioned “ongoing restrictions and the anticipated timescale for their leisure” made it “inconceivable… to ship a viable pantomime season this 12 months”.
Lockdown restrictions had been reimposed in town due on Wednesday to a coronavirus cluster in town.
Qdos’s 30 remaining pantos are scheduled for cities together with Birmingham, Bradford and Bristol.
In a statement on Monday, the corporate mentioned it was “left with no selection however to start the session course of with our companion theatres concerning the viability of every present”.
Different producers and venues have already pulled the plug on festive productions in places together with Leicester, Norwich and Welwyn Backyard Metropolis.
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