Getting recreation and leisure up and running again.

He is saying that Osborne broke through with new theatre..well he did. Of course we can now look back on Rattigan, Noel Coward and see more than perhaps their contemporaries did and some  say that Osborne lead to Eastenders and not much else. If Hare thinks he has made a major contribution, well he isn’t wrong. But he isn’t that crass. What he wants is that theatre becomes what we all talk about rather than Line of Duty...but v hard to make that happen. In a funny sort of way, the televising of plays which has been happening during Covid time might help make people think a night at the theatre would be interesting. Theatre going is a bug though, one you need to be exposed to early on...

I meant the bit where he says he can't think of playwrights under 50 who can fill theatres. He sounds embittered. Has he not heard of Phoebe Waller-Bridge? Lucy Prebble? Mike Bartlett? James Graham?

My local theatre has recently announced an end of June reopening with a show by our operatic society, so I've just made my first theatre booking in 15 months!! It's socially distanced, which I can understand, as there's not yet a guarantee it won't be needed after 21st June. I'm so excited 

Some crew/wardrobe have been, if they are employed by the Production Company.

As show crew I was on furlough for a while then made redundant, I was employed by the theatre not the producer.

Cast tend to be on year contracts that are renewed (or not) each year.

Not sure that would work. There was a bit of a fuss online a couple of years ago where a producer (I think) said the expansion of the night tube was a wonderful thing as it meant they could have performances late into the night. Pretty much no one agreed with him.

Whereas I would love them to start later as getting there from work by 7pm would be impossible - 7.30pm is tight enough and I never have time to eat.

I wish Saturday evening performances started at 7pm. When your matinee finishes at 4.30pm, killing 3 hours on your own wandering between Prets is so boring! 🤣

I believe that cast and creatives are generally freelance and self-employed, so they would not be entitled to furlough. 

Yes, but I was only talking about the cast and creatives.

Crew can be employed by the production company or the venue itself as employees. Therefore they are entitled to furlough.

Some crew members are self-employed and are contracted to the production and are not entitled to it.

Leeds Playhouse are adopting a similar strategy for some of their stuff.   Perhaps trying to ensure they get their core "older" audience back out if they are still feeling nervous.

How are events meant to function? Dangling the carrot of reopening but refusing to set up a proper cancellation insurance policy while saying the new variant is spreading.