The Show Must Go On: Theatre is part of our heritage - treasure it like never before

It began by setting out the importance of the sector to the UK economy, highlighting sales of £1.28 billion across London and the rest of their UK membership, with 34 million tickets sold in 2018. 

Theatre is one part of the wider creative sector, collectively contributing a staggering £10.8billion a year to the UK economy. Arts and culture play a significant role in the wealth of the nation. In a world where the value of something is invariably measured in monetary terms, the theatre certainly has value. 

Of course, that’s only part of the story as the arts also They contribute to the health and wellbeing of the nation too. Lockdown has generated massive creativity and found an audience desperate for connectivity and a link to the outside world. Our enforced confinement has led many people to explore new experiences and stumble upon new cultural opportunities.

For theatre, Covid-19 has shaken the very foundations of venues across the country, plunging auditoriums into darkness and uncertain futures.  For some, the closures could be permanent and, just like recovering from the effects of the virus itself, recovering from the closures – for buildings, production companies and actors alike – could be a long and difficult journey. 

However, having worked in the sector for over 30 years, I am sure the theatre will survive. Theatre folk have great resilience, tenacity and, in an industry where actors are sometimes advised that success is 10 per cent talent and 90 per cent luck, our careers are often precarious, requiring great resourcefulness and unshakeable resolve. 

We’re also great team players and the pandemic has certainly seen the sector look after its own. Sir Sam Mendes recently launched the Theatre Artists Fund. With a significant initial contribution from Netflix, the fund has been boosted by donations from a host of well-known thespians, directors and others to support the sector’s struggling workforce. Many of the leading theatrical charities have also come together to centralise information about how and where actors can access help ( https://theatresupport.info)

Locally, it has been wonderful to see venues coming together in solidarity, sharing their challenges, experiences and hopes for the future. 

Audiences have been very supportive too, with many ticket holders happily transferring their seats to hastily rescheduled future dates and some generously forgoing refunds in order to help venues survive. 

The Peterborough Telegraph recently included images of local venues draped in recycled tape. This nationwide campaign sought to highlight the importance of theatres, showing them now cordoned off, with audiences barred from entry. The initiative illustrated very clearly how much our venues are missed and recognised the vital contribution and impact these buildings make to the lives of thousands of residents.

The Government’s announcement of £1.57bn of funding to the sector has been a massive boost and will certainly go some way to help the current situation for some venues and artists. Not everyone will benefit from the initiative, but the funding is a clear acknowledgement of the importance of the sector. The case for a thriving theatre industry in the UK has been heard.

All this gives me hope for the future of the industry – but make no mistake there is still a huge mountain to climb. We are still very much in Act 1 of this real-life drama. 

I remember so clearly my very first visit to the Key Theatre as a ten-year-old. That evening was the start of a lifelong love of the building and my 20-year professional association with the venue provides so many examples of the power of theatre, not only to entertain, but also to inspire, move, educate and bring people together in so many different ways. 

In my current role with South Kesteven District Council, the Arts Centres in Stamford and Grantham (just like the Key and other venues in Peterborough) are more than just a place of entertainment. They are major players in the civic life of the communities they serve.

Performances are just a small part of the story. These venues understand people and know how to welcome and look after them. Consequently, they make fantastic places to meet with friends, hold events – conferences, weddings and more. Auditoriums add style and a sense of drama to a host of events and activities. 

Theatres are constantly seeking new ways to engage with audiences and actively promote programmes encouraging inclusivity. Historically, theatres have always brought people together from many different backgrounds. Whether it’s a play, music, dance, comedy or spoken word, the experience is shared equally. 

Whilst it is true that, for many people, a theatre visit isn’t a weekly occurrence, theatres do create their own community – regular visitors always keen to book their favourite seats and eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new season brochure. 

The Key Theatre Club was a major feature of my tenure of the Key and we played host to a memorable list of famous actors and celebrities at our regular “Meet the Cast” aftershow events. Regrettably, many of the “names” from those days won’t resonate with audiences today, but in their time, they were watched by millions of TV viewers and were very well known.

A steady stream of actors from TV Soaps and from the glory days of light entertainment graced the Key stage – and the theatre bar was a great place to grab an autograph.

Today only The East of England Arena, Cresset and New Theatre have the seating capacity necessary to regularly attract big names. The regional importance of these venues continues to keep Peterborough on the provincial touring circuit and able to host contemporary shows and artists. 

Our local theatres also support stars of the future. The Key Youth Theatre has launched the professional careers of so many performers, with credits in the West End, the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre and roles in TV and film. “Strictly” singer Hayley Sanderson is just one of several ex-KYT members working constantly at the highest level.

Stamford Arts Centre’s most successful Youth Theatre graduate is Luke Pasqualino. Luke found fame in the TV series Skins, before starring as d’Artagnan in The Musketeers.

Most Youth Theatre regulars have gone on to find very rewarding “day jobs” in other fields.

Nevertheless, their experiences attending Youth Theatre activities remain some of the best and most treasured memories of their lives, leading to enduring friendships (a couple of marriages) and, above all, some wonderful life skills – self-confidence, conversation, listening, empathy, team work and self-discipline. 

Some still appear in the amateur dramatic scene. We have some wonderful local companies – all constantly working towards the next big show and the chance to appear in front of an audience.

Venues provide the opportunity for local players to take centre stage and “live the dream” for just a few days each year. 

Stamford Shoestring Theatre is busy planning to embrace the opportunities of a digital stage this autumn as part of the Stamford Arts Centre’s online season, but all local companies will be itching to return to live shows – and that all-important interaction with audiences. 

For many venues the annual pantomime season has already been cancelled this year. Some of the larger managements still cling to the hope that social-distancing rules can be relaxed and therefore make presenting a show viable.

But, for this year at least, panto will be on hold at many venues. This situation will have a far-reaching financial impact on venues and production companies but will also take away the one event most households still enjoy as a family and, for some, the only visit to a theatre in the year.

This annual treat is especially important to children, where the magic and joy of theatre productions are first-discovered and happy family memories are made. We should all make a pledge to book for panto 2021.

Some readers will doubtless remember the old marketing slogan: “We won’t make a drama out of a crisis.” For theatres, in these extraordinary times, it is hard not to.

But the show will go on – eventually – and when it does, we will all have a part to play in the successful return of live theatre. Venues are busy working to create safe spaces for audiences to visit and be together again with performers – enjoying a unique, emotional, entertaining and special experience.

Theatre is a magnificent part of our national heritage. When it is possible to enjoy productions again, let’s treasure them like never before.

We look forward to entertaining you again, safely, very soon.

Michael Cross is a name associated with Peterborough’s Key Theatre. A writer and star of the annual Key panto, Michael was a key player at the theatre on the Embankment for more than 20 years and a driving force behind the famed Key Youth Theatre which is still going strong today. He is currently Head Of Arts at neighbouring South Kesteven District Council.