Supporting theatre during lockdown
The last twelve months have been a struggle for many industries and the arts are no exception. Whilst the end of lockdown may (hopefully!) be in sight, it will take time before those theatres which are able to reopen are fully ‘back on their feet’.
So what can we theatre-lovers do to help?
Photo credit: @kyleunderscorehead at Unsplash
Support the industry’s freelancers
It’s not just performers who have to find work on a show-by-show basis. Until now, I hadn’t realised how much of the industry is actually made up of freelance professionals. In many cases a production will hire everyone from the costume designer to the stage manager specifically for that run, so when the show stops, the people stop working too.
Over Christmas, The Stage released a very comprehensive list of freelancers who are using their creative talents to run online businesses. Clothing, accessories, homewares, food and drink, experience vouchers and art are all available online for your perusal.
I personally invested in a few items as gifts for friends and family, including a preloved book with edible treats from The Sustainable Bookclub and two handmade, seasonably smelly candles from Candles by Tor.
Buy a gold rope bracelet
Designed by costume supervisor Daisy Woodroffe, the Velvet Rope Bracelet is ‘a symbol of solidarity’ for the theatre community and a donation from each purchase goes to the Theatrical Guild.
It’s also a nice, subtle way of showing you’re a thespian at heart!
Watch theatre at home
Yes that’s right, you can now watch plays, dance, music and more from the comfort of your sofa. “That’s not the point of theatre!” I hear you cry and yes, I would agree that watching a show online is not the same experience as attending in person BUT these recordings do a surprisingly good job of bringing just a little of that theatrical atmosphere into your living room. So, just for now, let’s turn the lights down and pretend. It’s a fun way to spend an evening and it supports the industry - which is what this is all about.
There are a few online services out there, including National Theatre at Home and Digital Theatre, which has options to purchase either for yourself or as a gift.
Give money
Of course, the best thing we can do for theatre hasn’t changed - book tickets! Many venues are currently taking bookings for when they plan to reopen. However if you’d prefer to hold off from attending a show for now but still want to help, a simple donation to the theatre(s) or theatre companies of your choice will do the trick. Many have dedicated donation pages set up on their websites - for example:
Let’s do what we can to support the industry and fingers crossed, we’ll be back in those auditoriums before too long.