Panto season now 'up in the air' for 2020

Pantomime producers have been left fearing the worst but planning for the best, following Thursday's coronavirus tiers government announcement.

Theatres in tier three areas will not be able to reopen when lockdown ends on 2 December, unless they are moved into tier two after a review on 16 December.

Dan Bates, the chief executive of Sheffield Theatres, says the news is "devastating, but understandable".

His group of theatres - The Crucible, Studio and Lyceum - are in tier three.

The Crucible's festive production of Damian's Pop Up Panto had been due to start on 6 December, but that is no longer possible at entertainment venues in Steel City.

"The last few days has been been like waiting for an exam result - what we're going to do and what our destiny is really," Bates told the BBC.

"What is frustrating is that we have seen the numbers [of coronavirus cases] reducing dramatically, particularly in Sheffield, and we're all a little bit on the cusp actually.

"But knowing we're in tier three now means OK, we have a plan really."

In fact, they have two. Plan A is to begin rehearsals under strict social distancing measures from next week, in case they are able to safely reopen their doors a week before Christmas.

Plan B is to figure out a way to provide a decent online streaming alternative, to give audiences "a little bit of magic" at home at least, in the event of them remaining in tier three throughout the holidays.

With 6,000 people having already paid for tickets, Bates prefers the sound of Plan A, and remains hopeful it can happen.

"Pantomime at Christmas in theatres is one of the most special times that we have, and I think to be able to bring a bit of joy - especially after the year we've all had - would be an, incredible thing to do," he added.

As early as the summer, some of the UK's biggest pantomime producers started cancelling shows amid financial and health-related Covid concerns.

Backing from the National Lottery in October meant some were able to be staged this Christmas, among them a star-filled spectacle at the London Palladium.

The tier two venue tweeted on Thursday to say they were "relieved and delighted" to confirm that performances of Pantoland will go ahead as-planned from 12 December.

But Michael Harrison, whose company Qdos Entertainment produce Pantoland, was critical of how the tier system was planned, telling The Stage: "There is no joined up thinking at all."

"To go into lockdown, and encourage rehearsals to keep going and then to announce a tier system is crazier than many of the scenes you will see in one of my pantomimes," he added.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport told the BBC the "vast majority" of pantomimes will be able to go ahead "exactly as planned" in areas that are in tier one and tier two.

"However it is important that we set a cap, to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus indoors and ensure venues can cope with managing the audience flow to and from venues."

They added they will "continue to work with the cultural sector to bring back more performances in front of fuller audiences when it is safe to do so".

Another dormant theatre, Newcastle's Theatre Royal, recently received Lottery funding; as well as a cash boost out the government's £1.57bn Cultural Recovery Fund (just as Sheffield Theatres did).

Before the winter lockdown, their long-running production of Robin Hood had been due to take off again on Tuesday 24 November. However, after the Tyneside city was similarly placed in tier three on Thursday, those plans are now "up in the air", admits chief executive Philip Bernays.

The theatre boss, who says he should now be "recovering from the effects of the first night" is instead asking panto fans for a little more time to consider how to proceed fairly for all involved.

"We've not actually made a decision because we are still just looking at all the options," said Bernays.

"We really didn't want to disappoint the people of Newcastle and the North East," he added, noting how the appetite for theatrical festive fun remains strong, despite the pandemic.

"Everything is so fluid. We're in a difficult position, the public are in a difficult position, and the panto team - many of whom are freelancers - are in a very difficult position at the moment."

While the show has not yet been cancelled, rehearsals have not been able to get under way either.

Streaming it online instead, Bernays said, is simply not economically "viable" for them - a stand-alone independent theatre - if all ticket holders have to be re-funded.

"Time will eventually run out," he concedes, just five days before everyone's first advent calendar window gets ripped open.

"We all want to do the show and the audience all want to see the show, but we can't keep everybody hanging around," concludes Bernays.

"I think the review in a couple of weeks is going to be fundamental and we may have a holding position until then, but we may make a decision beforehand.

"It's just up in the air."

Theatres Trust director Jon Morgan also reflected on the impact the new tier rules would have on the industry at a crucial period.

"It is a terrible blow for the theatre sector that so many large towns and cities in England are now in tier three, where theatres are not permitted to open," he said.

"There are many theatres that we know were planning pantos and other shows for December, and this news will be devastating for those organisations.

"They will have invested in rehearsals and other preparations for reopening and will now find themselves unable to recoup those costs, facing further financial strain in what has already been a catastrophic year."

Meanwhile, the chief executive of the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre, Julian Bird, said the announcement was "a relief for theatres in tier one and two areas - including London's West End".

Yet, he continued, it was "equally devastating" for tier three theatres, and "especially pantos". Like those currently in the balance in places like Sheffield and Newcastle.

The move "risks the survival of many venues and leaves thousands of theatre professionals struggling over the Christmas period" he went on. "Particularly freelancers who cannot rely on government [furlough scheme] support."

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