{"id":414,"date":"2020-05-15T15:25:16","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T15:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/?p=414"},"modified":"2022-02-05T12:58:57","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T12:58:57","slug":"england-april-is-the-cruellest-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/england-april-is-the-cruellest-month\/","title":{"rendered":"ENGLAND: March and April were the Cruellest Months"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

John Causebrook<\/strong>*<\/a> and John Elsom<\/strong>**<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

March and April were the cruellest months. The West End was closed. Shaftesbury Avenue and Piccadilly were eerily quiet and those who want a good night out were solemnly warned by the government to stay at home. We did not know \u2013 and nobody still knows – how long the lock-down would last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The larger managements have informed patrons who bought tickets up to May 31 can choose between receiving refunds or alternative tickets, when the theatres re-open. On April 12, the Society of London Theatres reached an agreement with Equity that artists in long running shows or in rehearsal will retain their contracts \u2013 but for how long?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One London producer, David Pugh, plans to open a new touring production at the Theatre Royal Bath on October 1, which still sounds a long way ahead. The Edinburgh International Festival in August has been cancelled. Three thousand smaller companies who gather for the fringe festival will have to wait another year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recently opened new theatre in Southampton is scheduled to close and a venerable house in Southport is unlikely to survive. There will be many more casualties. With restrictions on travel and social distancing on beaches, the seaside theatres will have their summer seasons cut by two thirds \u2013 at best. For many British children, there were two family theatre events that were not to be missed \u2013 the pantomime at Christmas and the concert party on the pier. For middle-aged and perennially versatile artists, these two reliable seasons kept the bank manager contented. Now they will have to return to painting and decorating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The actual date when the theatres can re-open is only one of many uncertainties. Will there still be a loyal public to fill them? How will the tourist industry be affected? British theatre is still generally considered to be a commercial undertaking. Who will invest in them? The two national theatres, the NT and the RSC, which are well subsidised, have pioneered the live streaming of performances. Will this become the normal way for school audiences to receive their Shakespeares? Will it join other educational services online? Will this become, as some have argued, a more democratic form of theatre?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Leicester Square: London\u2019s major theatre district during lockdown. Photo: Web<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Many producers are learning how to live-stream past and present productions. Currently, nine London productions are available on line and the filming varies from very hi-tec opera to very lo-tec songs around the piano. Will improvised video-streaming from mobiles in make-shift garages replace the alternative theatres? Small (and not so small) theatres have turned to crowd-funding as a way of keeping their businesses afloat.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This leads to the biggest question of all. Currently, in public we are asked to stay at a distance from each other of six feet. Close contact is discouraged, even in private. The social media and porn sites are flourishing. Will we become so accustomed to staring at a small screen in private that it will seem strange to gather in large theatres to enjoy a collective experience? Will we be too scared? Will we regain that sense of community, the tolerance of shared but differing values? Will we lose the sense of belonging to a civilized society?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The loss or decline of our theatres would be a sad blow to the intellectual life in the UK, already under threat from many viruses other than Covid-19. But we are still optimists. There is a wide-spread love of theatre in Britain. It is – or used to be \u2013 an indispensable part of our education. Everyone wants to celebrate again, laugh again and sing together again. The pantomime horse is not dead. It never dies. As children, we always knew that. As adults, in the middle of a pandemic, we know that Shakespeare himself lived through the plague – and his company gloriously survived. May we do the same! <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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*<\/a>John Causebrook<\/strong> is a London theatre manager and producer. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

**<\/a>John Elsom<\/strong> is a writer and theatre critic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright \u00a9<\/strong> 2020 John Causebrook and John Elsom
Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Creative<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This work is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":528,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-covid"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/flag-uk-400.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":443,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/south-africa\/","url_meta":{"origin":414,"position":0},"title":"SOUTH AFRICA: Devastating Effects","author":"John Causebrook and John Elsom","date":"May 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Gaerin Hauptfleisch* and Temple Hauptfleisch** As the first reports of what is now known as the COVID-19 international pandemic began to surface locally in February of this year, and the first confirmed South African case announced on 5 March 2020, feelings of restlessness and uncertainty soon made their presence felt\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid"","block_context":{"text":"Covid","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/covid\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/flag-s.africa-400.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":496,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/slovakia-virtual-centenary-of-slovak-theatre\/","url_meta":{"origin":414,"position":1},"title":"SLOVAKIA: Virtual Centenary of Slovak Theatre","author":"John Causebrook and John Elsom","date":"May 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Zuzana Ulicianska* There is never a right time for a crisis. However, the pandemic hit Slovak theatre at an extremely sensitive time. 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Plays such as Tracy Letts\u2019 The Minutes were in previews; their openings just days away. Buzz was building over Marianne Elliott's\u00a0revival of Company. Critics were anticipating a thrilling performance by Laurie Metcalf in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid"","block_context":{"text":"Covid","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/covid\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/flag-usa-400.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":610,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/%cf%84urkey-hope-is-in-people-hope-is-in-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":414,"position":3},"title":"\u03a4URKEY: “Hope is in People, Hope is in Us”","author":"John Causebrook and John Elsom","date":"May 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Rag\u0131p Ertu\u011frul* Overview According to the Turkish Health Minister, 112,261 cases of Covid-19 and 2,900 deaths due to the virus were confirmed as of April 27. It was also announced that people without a permit were not allowed to enter and leave the country\u2019s cities. 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Unlike many other countries in Europe, Latvia did not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Covid"","block_context":{"text":"Covid","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/category\/covid\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2020\/05\/flag-lat-400.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":605,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/21\/russia-rethinking-communication-strategies\/","url_meta":{"origin":414,"position":5},"title":"RUSSIA: Rethinking Communication Strategies","author":"John Causebrook and John Elsom","date":"May 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Alexandra Dunaeva* All Russian theatres were closed by order of the Ministry of Culture on March 17. Although in mid-April theatre leaders were still hoping to open their premieres in June, it is now completely clear that there is no reason to expect an early opening. 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