Malvern Theatres

Lockdown has had a huge impact on the arts industry and theatres. Theatres have lost thousands, if not millions of pounds due to being forced to close and performers have been without any income for months. This has left many unable to get another job, or having to take on jobs which they do not enjoy.

Yes, some shows are re-opening now, such as Six, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and The Play That Goes Wrong, but these are all big, West End productions which are able to accommodate for social distancing. Smaller, more local theatres are less able to do this as opening with social distancing would mean that they would not get enough revenue. This had caused many theatres to have to close already, and many more are nearly at breaking point.

The King’s Speech contacted Worcester Live, who run the Swan Theatre and Huntington Hall. They responded by saying that, “Covid-19 has had a devastating effect on the theatre and entertainment industry and the Swan Theatre and Huntingdon Hall are definitely feeling the effects of the pandemic.”

They went on to say that “we have had no shows at either venue and therefore no ticket income for the last six months; to open under socially distanced conditions is very limiting when a theatre of 350 seats becomes reduced to around 90. This is simply not a financially viable operation.”

The Swan Theatre