Open for over 50 years and named “Regional Theater of the Year” in 2015 by the newspaper The Stage , the Nuffield Southampton Theaters will not recover from the health crisis. In bankruptcy since May, he had to lay off 86 of his staff and close his two rooms. The Theater includes venues on the University of Southampton campus and in a new hub in the city center.
Several candidates volunteered to save the institution, but its administrators and local authorities felt that none of them had the experience necessary to offer a sustainable model. Result: the Theater permanently lowers its curtains.
Read also: On Broadway, theaters will remain closed until 2021 due to coronavirus
Its artistic director, Sam Hodges, does not admit defeat however: "If no buyer has been validated by the official administrative process, this does not necessarily mean the end of the Nuffield Southampton Theaters as a cultural entity at the heart from the city. Discussions are underway between stakeholders and interested parties and there is still hope, ” he said in a long post on Twitter.
Numerous and shared expectations
The British government has not announced any specific aid for theaters, while the future is darkening for many establishments which may not reopen for several months. The sale of tickets constitutes the majority of their income.
As early as mid-May, the famous Globe Theater, a London replica of Shakespeare's open-air theater, raised a cry of alarm, believing that without government aid, it would not overcome the crisis. The Haymarket Theater in Leicester and the Southport Theater have been placed in compulsory liquidation.
Read also: The Shakespearean theater of the Globe, threatened with bankruptcy because of the coronavirus
In the capital, the London Theater Society (SOLT), the UK Theater and nearly 100 artists signed an open letter in late June calling on the government to act to prevent the sector from collapsing. But for the moment, no aid has been announced. And entertainment professionals are increasingly worried.
A volunteer from the MissingLiveTheatre hangs colorful ribbons on the facade of the National Theater in south-east London. TOLGA AKMEN / AFP
Meanwhile citizen actions are increasing. Several establishments have today been wrapped in pink ribbon indicating “Missing Live Theater”, such as the National Theater or the Manchester Royal Exchange.
The campaign launched by a group of English scenographers continues, in an attempt to restore color and a breath of life to a theater that is increasingly in the dark.