Coronavirus: Scottish theatres given £10m survival lifeline

The Scottish government has announced a £10m fund to help theatres and performing arts venues survive the coronavirus lockdown.

Many venues have been struggling financially after the pandemic forced forced them to close their doors.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the relief fund would help venues who cannot yet reopen to their audiences.

She said the government was considering providing similar help for music venues.

Ms Hyslop launched the fund, which is part of the £185m Business Support Fund, at Friday's daily Scottish government briefing.

She said theatres and performing arts venues and freelancers who work with them were an essential part of the fabric of Scotland's culture and communities, and that the Scottish government was determined that they would survive and be able to thrive again.

She added: "Our performing arts venues effectively had to close overnight, with an almost complete loss of income. There is no doubt that in doing so they saved lives, and for that I am extremely grateful.

"As we navigate our way through the pandemic, we know physical distancing is vital to ensuring that we do not see a second wave of infections, but we recognise the difficulties this presents for those in performing arts.

"This dedicated fund will be a vital lifeline to help performing arts venues continue to weather the storm."

The fund will be run by Creative Scotland, whose chief executive Iain Munro said: "This will provide a critical injection of cash to help meet the immediate needs of performing arts venues in Scotland which have been so badly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"It is significant and demonstrates the Scottish government's continued commitment to culture.

"But we also recognise that organisations and individuals working across the wider cultural sector are facing extremely challenging circumstances which, in some cases, threaten their long-term viability."

The £10m fund was described as "the next step" after culture and creative industries were offered help through the £120m Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund.

The aims of the fund are to remove the threat of insolvency until the end of March 2021, to allow core staff to return to work from furlough or avoid redundancy to work on future sustainability plans and to increase the opportunities for freelance artists and creatives.

The announcement was welcomed across the sector.

Rhona Matheson, from the FST, an industry body representing more than 200 professional performing arts organisations and individuals throughout Scotland, said she was delighted by the scale of the investment in the future of theatre and dance in Scotland. 

She said: "It will benefit our sector ecosystem, helping to secure jobs and livelihoods wherever possible all over the country. We are particularly grateful to Fiona Hyslop for her understanding of the challenges we face and for her work in securing this support."