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Post by lynette on Mar 17, 2020 16:05:51 GMT
It just came to me that some shows will reopen when the all clear sounds ( forgive the falling into wartime lingo) very fast - I mean with The Mousetrap, surely all they have to do is put the hoover round and call the agents to send actors, who can learn lines overnight and off they go. But most theatres have scheduled stuff that will need rehearsals and so on.
I enjoyed The Mousetrap actually and I don’t underestimate the skills... but you get what I’m saying.
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Post by horton on Mar 17, 2020 16:17:34 GMT
Theatre's have been advised they will be shut for 12 weeks at least.
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Post by londonpostie on Mar 17, 2020 16:19:57 GMT
There won't be an all-clear. There will be a vaccine at some point. When we definitely have that and when production is scaled up, things will spring back pretty well as quickly as they have shut down. IMO.
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Post by asfound on Mar 17, 2020 16:20:20 GMT
I know this is unlikely but since I imagine rehearsals for upcoming shows are cancelled as well it would be great if once the all clear is given productions that were mid-programme and already rehearsed would be reinstated for a few shows as the upcoming ones will surely be delayed. Please Donmar?
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Post by NeilVHughes on Mar 17, 2020 16:22:25 GMT
If the 12 weeks closure is true that takes us to the around the 1st week of June which would make my first production being The Manor at the National on the 6th Jun.
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Post by Dr Tom on Mar 17, 2020 17:24:27 GMT
There will be more of a knock-on effect. Actors won't be rehearsing for shows that might or might not open.
I don't see anything reopening until after the peak. This was predicted as being 12 weeks away, but if people are now being cautious and not getting infected, I'd think that the peak will take longer to come about.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2020 18:38:19 GMT
Definitely not too early I'd say!
Gosh we all need things to look fwd to and speculating how/when things might return deffo gives me hope :-)
Am personally wondering if Back To The Future will be cancelled completely or make it back before it was due to finish - that's the one I'd really like to see.
Second to that, the Manchester run of Phantom I also really hope won't be cancelled completely - was really looking fwd to that!
I was also wondering if for the established long runners (Phantom, Les Mis etc etc), the cast, crew and FOH will still get paid while they are dark. Assume the smaller companies and limited runs sadly won't be able to do this. But I do hope Cam Mac, ALW et al will be able to look after their companies.
I also assume that these long runners will be the easiest to re-start as they are well oiled machines.
Final thought - when things do re-start, how special will those first few shows be when the curtain rises again. We don't know when, but the show will go on!
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Post by david on Mar 17, 2020 18:43:50 GMT
A nice gesture by London’s Royal Court theatre in these difficult times -
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Post by talkingheads on Mar 17, 2020 18:48:11 GMT
The possibility of not going to any live performances for the rest of the year is filling me with dread but it's proving increasingly likely. The final straw will be the Edinburgh Fringe. If that's cancelled then comedians won't have new shows to play London and tour through the Autumn, same with new plays so even if theatres did reopen then finding new material to put in them will take time.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2020 18:56:31 GMT
The possibility of not going to any live performances for the rest of the year is filling me with dread but it's proving increasingly likely. The final straw will be the Edinburgh Fringe. If that's cancelled then comedians won't have new shows to play London and tour through the Autumn, same with new plays so even if theatres did reopen then finding new material to put in them will take time. Comedians don’t come up with shows just for Edinburgh, in fact they tour places way before previewing the show. Without Edinburgh they will still just tour these shows (virus permitting) |
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Post by lynette on Mar 17, 2020 18:57:02 GMT
If the 12 weeks closure is true that takes us to the around the 1st week of June which would make my first production being The Manor at the National on the 6th Jun. I bet the reopening is a blurry as the closing so people will need to get back into gear. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2020 23:19:50 GMT
The knock on effect for this is going to be huge I’d have thought for theatre. To answer the original question I suppose the long runners could open pretty quickly given then opportunity - they are well oiled machines at this point with a bank of performs to draw upon should someone not be available (there was a period a few years ago where I saw 3 different performers play Elphaba in one month!)
I’d assume the long runners would be looking to open at the latest by the start of the summer holidays, but smaller shows, limited shows and announced shows really need to weigh up whether it’s worth moving forward: I’d assume tourism is all but finished for 2020 at this point and they are a huge lifeline for a lot of shows.
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Post by undeuxtrois on Mar 17, 2020 23:47:19 GMT
I've booked a few shows for when I come down to London in August, and I know it's a while off yet but I can't help but worry about it all being cancelled, but I'd much rather everyone stays safe than things reopen too quickly.
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Post by malvolio on Mar 18, 2020 0:52:30 GMT
It won’t be easy to reopen theatre, it won’t be as we left off and likely some theatres will be dark for a while, waiting for productions to go in and cast to rehearse. This assuming a 3 month lay off and this could easily be longer.
Maybe for something quick a show like the Boyfriend could transfer and the tours of Curtains and Blood Brothers could come in. I reckon Christmas we see theatre look a bit more reasonable, but next year it will be back to normal.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2020 9:44:59 GMT
The possibility of not going to any live performances for the rest of the year is filling me with dread but it's proving increasingly likely. The final straw will be the Edinburgh Fringe. If that's cancelled then comedians won't have new shows to play London and tour through the Autumn, same with new plays so even if theatres did reopen then finding new material to put in them will take time. Surely they'll have more time on their hands now to write new material and will be desperate to tour as soon as they can to boost their income? Assuming things have calmed down by then, I think we'll all be spoilt for choice for gigs and shows in the autumn. Plus people will be desperate to get out, socialise and have fun as soon as they are able safely to do so, so there will be an audience. The next few months are going to be so grim that when the situation improves people will over-compensate with their leisure time (and will have loads of holiday from work left to use!). |
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Post by talkingheads on Mar 18, 2020 10:54:59 GMT
The possibility of not going to any live performances for the rest of the year is filling me with dread but it's proving increasingly likely. The final straw will be the Edinburgh Fringe. If that's cancelled then comedians won't have new shows to play London and tour through the Autumn, same with new plays so even if theatres did reopen then finding new material to put in them will take time. Surely they'll have more time on their hands now to write new material and will be desperate to tour as soon as they can to boost their income? Assuming things have calmed down by then, I think we'll all be spoilt for choice for gigs and shows in the autumn. Plus people will be desperate to get out, socialise and have fun as soon as they are able safely to do so, so there will be an audience. The next few months are going to be so grim that when the situation improves people will over-compensate with their leisure time (and will have loads of holiday from work left to use!). That is true. But a show isn't built just by writing. A comedy show builds from previews so they can edit from the reaction of audiences. Then generally they do 30 performances on the trot (Edinburgh) to get the show as tight as can be. It will be interesting to see what comes out the other side of this, creatively speaking. |
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