How will theatre function when the lockdown ends?

My tv is is 12 years old, basic and functional - no internet etc on it, the screen is smaller than the pc monitor and it is watched so little that if it could speak it would say it's a radio as I only usually use it for radio 2! I'm very low tech - no smartphone, laptop, ipad, just me a nokia 3310 and a 10 year old computer that is starting to ask for a retirement package. Normally not a problem as I spend a lot of time either at the theatre, out with friends or working overtime to pay for everything, home time is spent reading, writing letters to friends and a quick email/Fb check on the computer. Right now, I miss theatre, I miss my friends and I still have no desire to watch a screen - will just keep on reading, staying in touch with friends and hoping the light at the end of the tunnel will show itself soon

My smart tv has been revolutionary in how I watch and what I watch. I think I watch more on YouTube than ‘real’ tv these days. I follow various vloggers, mainly travel who are still releasing content because they all seem to run with a significant backlog. The quality of content is incredible.  And the other week I used the internet browser app on the tv for the first time to access the Wind In The Willows recording which looked stunning on a large screen in high definition. There’s no way I’d enjoy any of the broadcasts on a phone or iPad. 

Smart TVs are not that expensive nowadays so for anyone who does like the idea and is saving loads of £ on going out, now may be the time? 

This is the most detailed analysis of theatre post-lockdown that I've read, with the thoughts of various professionals:
www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/not-911-blitz-far-trickier-lockdown-means-britains-theatres/

Cameron Mackintosh thinks social distancing in the auditorium and on-stage won't work, says he can keep ticking over until September and then needs to shut down: keeping his theatres but closing all productions.
Rufus Norris is contemplating how the Olivier works with 250 people in the audience
Daniel Evans hopes South Pacific can go ahead, and is considering temperature tests and some form of outdoor theatre
Nica Burns is looking for a "third way" between closure and full reopening.
ALW is looking at all sorts of options including self-cleaning door handles and "how we can clean the air".

There's obviously a lot of concern about what happens next, and it's clear that nothing much is happening any time soon, but Cameron Mackintosh does end on an optimistic note:
“Theatre is part of our nation, part of our way of life. It will come back.”

If South Pacific goes ahead then I wonder what they'll do for those of us with tickets who cannot get there? We live near Cambridge. No way can we get public transport all the way down to Chichester this summer, irrespective of whatever social distancing measures they put in place at the actual theatre.

You can prob get the article online as it is in the actual paper not on their online platform, if you see what I mean.

The article did make me start thinking when it asked what would I want to make me go back to the theatre.So I was thinking-

So remove all the doors. Use curtains as they do anyway. So you remove one touchy feeling risk. Cover the stair hand rails with paper and change it for each performance and other such covering devices. Toilets: do what the Old Vic did, put them outside with attendants and plenty of HOT water and soap. Close the bar, either sell packaged drinks outside or have staff wearing clean white gloves ( psychological thing) hand round free water and juice in the intervals. I bet you’d get sponsors of drinks to do this. Even hot drinks could be provided with some caution. Better regulate the air con and heating, investigate the systems that don’t circulate the air but filter it. Extend the cloakrooms so people can leave their stuff more easily and with no cost. Might have to move out some seating in the old WE places to accommodate this but would be worth it. Start earlier, say 7pm so people can come straight from work and don't have to hang about. Cafes will adjust. Lower the prices, yes, counter intuitive but make it a cheap option for a date. And put on only the very best, maybe reduce the clutter of big sets if too expensive but you know the mantra - if it is good, they will come. So some loss of income to start with but much goodwill and theatre to build on.

Obviously back stage facilities should be refurbed for the actors and creatives so they are comfortable. Spend money guys!

I was just thinking the same. I'm booked to see this but wouldn't be able to travel from London by train with travel restrictions and have no other way of getting there.

Here's how one theatre is attempting to open with reduced capacity

I bought my TV because it was 3D but it came with Smart features built in. I tried them but didn't see the point because what they offered was essentially a restricted version of what I could already do far more easily on my computer. It was very much a matter of "Love the Internet but want it to be a pain to use and wish there was less on it? Well good news!"

And now those smart features don't work at all, because the web services they connected to have changed over time and the TV manufacturer hasn't updated the firmware to match because they want me to keep buying new TVs instead of sticking with the old one. So my TV is just a TV; it displays pictures just fine, which is all I ever wanted of it anyway.

Unless they double or triple the ticket prices they are going to be losing money hand over fist. The big problem with theatre is running costs, if you don't meet those then you would be economically better off doing nothing. Given that reserves are going to be depleted or have disappeared totally, there will be just no funds there to keep the shows running.

They obviously think it’s viable or they wouldn’t be doing it.

And if it’s a choice between no theatre or more expensive theatre, a lot of theatre enthusiasts who can afford it will choose more expensive theatre.

Well done to them for coming up with a plan and trying something.