The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham has joined other nationwide theatres, producers, noted industry professionals and industry governing bodies, UK Theatre and The Society of London Theatres, in urging the Government to support action designed to save our cultural institutions from ruin.

Following reports by Oxford University, which predict as many as 400,000 job losses, the organisations are uniting behind efforts to rebuild an industry reeling from the effects of enforced closures during the Coronavirus pandemic.

In an open letter to Chancellor, Rishi Sunak and Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden theatre professionals are advocating for the government to urgently consider investment which would sustain the creative and cultural workforce, support theatre’s recovery and safeguard the future of the theatre industry. The full text of the open letter is available here.

Locally, venues including the Everyman Theatre, The Playhouse, The Bacon Theatre, The Town Hall are awaiting official guidance and timelines to allow for the re-opening of venues and the ability to welcome audiences back in a safe environment.

Mark Goucher, Chief Exec of the Everyman Theatre has said “the theatre will do everything possible to protect jobs here in Cheltenham. The Everyman employs over 100 staff and will continue to support them for as long as possible. British theatre will be greatly impacted by this crisis for a very long time.

Even with the recent announcement of the lifting of certain restrictions, and the reduction in distancing guidelines, theatres are still quite some way from returning to business. I would like to thank our customers for their support during this time and we look forward to welcoming you back as soon as possible.”

The first step in the return of the Everyman Theatre will see the Café Bar opening for takeaway service from Tuesday, 23rd June. Additionally, several productions which were originally scheduled during the enforced closure have been rescheduled for 2021 and the first newly scheduled performance by Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse has been announced for 27th – 28th April, 2021.