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Gloucestershire Business News

Theatre 'fighting for survival' as virus forces venues to close doors

Theatres and other arts venues across Gloucestershire have closed their doors to the public amid the coronavirus pandemic with one theatre saying it now faces a fight for survival.

Yesterday, Punchline reported that some of the county's biggest venues were staying open for business, but this all changed when Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that people should avoid going to pubs, clubs and theatres.

A statement today from the Barn Theatre in Cirencester said that due to the government guidelines around Covid-19 and in response to the Prime Minister's statement, it was with great sadness that they had taken the difficult decision to temporarily close the theatre.

"Ticket income is the lifeblood of any theatre and our charity, The Barn Theatre Project, operates without funding from local authority or Arts Council support, so this loss of revenue is a hammer blow to us," the statement said.

"It is estimated that we will lose upwards of £250,000 over the coming months which could ultimately close the theatre on a permanent basis. Our future is now dependent on our supporters and as such we are launching a donations campaign via our website and social media platforms, working together to Save Our Barn.

"Tuesday 17th March marks the second anniversary since the Barn Theatre in Cirencester opened its doors to the general public. At a time when the theatre should be celebrating our amazing achievements, we find ourselves in a position where we are fighting for our very survival."

Ian Carling, the founder and benefactor of the theatre, made a passionate speech at the recent Rory Bremner comedy evening asking the audience to support the theatre, one day before the Prime Minister saying: "You should avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other such social venues."

"My wife (Chrissie) and I have backed this project because we could see what it and could do for this town and local area," Mr Carling said. "Theatre and the opportunities it gives young people means so much to us and we would hate to see this lost due to the current pandemic.

"We couldn't be more proud of the awards we have won, the plaudits for our productions, but most of all the team. We could lose all of this. It would be so sad."

The acclaimed Built by Barn production of Ben Hur will play out to its final audiences this week and then the theatre will close until further notice. The situation will be reviewed on a daily basis.

A statement from The Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury said: "Following the advice from the Government to stop all non-essential contact we have decided to postpone all events and activities in the venue from 9am on 17th March until further notice.

"We will be contacting all affected customers, ticket holders and community groups as soon as possible to make rearrangements.

"We are a place of gathering, connection and community - all those things we are being advised against to protect ourselves and our loved ones - and we will be looking at other ways to remain a community support and resource during these difficult times. Our love and thoughts go out to everyone affected by this."

The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham said that following new guidance issued by the Government and industry body UK Theatre, this week's production of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em in the main auditorium, as well as performances scheduled in the Irving Studio Theatre would not be going ahead.

"We will issue further information, including information regarding the return of tickets purchased for this week's production, shortly," a statement said. "We appreciate your patience in this matter while we put resources in place to best serve our guests now and in the future."

Stroud Subscription Rooms said it had also made the difficult decision to cancel events at the venue temporarily, until Sunday, March 29, at least.

"Out of respect for our staff and their wellbeing, our performers, promoters and audience members we have taken the tough but necessary decision to cancel all large events at The Sub Rooms," director Hugh Phillimore said.

"We will continue to regularly monitor advice from Public Health England, and the UK Government and take the necessary action to help our community to contain this illness."

All events at the Sub Rooms are set to be rescheduled, and ticket holders will be contacted with details of new dates for all performances.

Prema arts centre at Uley, near Dursley, has also closed its doors. A spokeswoman said: "We are postponing all our workshops until the autumn."

Asked what impact the closure would have on the venue, she said: "I think we should be OK as we are such a small venue and we get Arts Council funding. But I'm not really sure what the impact will be."

It was also announced this morning that a number of cinema chains, including Cineworld, which has venues in Cheltenham and Gloucester, are shutting all their UK screens amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Cinema UK, which represents the industry, said "most UK cinema sites" would close in the coming days.

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