The appeal of theatres, and the enjoyment of going to watch a show with hundreds of strangers in an enclosed space, is now an impossible challenge to tackle in a Coronavirus world.
The industry has been hit hard by the lockdown, but socially distant indoor performances are permitted to take place from the 15th of August. However, for local and regional theatre, the number of redundancies continue to rise.
According to The Stage, Arts Council England funding now equates to about 18% of theatre’s local income, putting increased importance on earned income from ticket sales from live performances.
Regional Theatres Coping in Lockdown
Bonnie and the Bonnettes, a north east based theatre company and drag trio explained the difficulties they have experienced as a regional theatre company.
“For a government to not even acknowledge that our world exists is scary”
Co-Founder of Bonnie and the Bonnettes, Cameron Sharp said: “For us so much of our world is in regional theatre, not only is it our job it’s where our social group is, so for a government to not even acknowledge that our world exists is scary and we didn’t know what it meant for us.”
Co- Founder Becky Glendenning added: “I think people really underestimate the importance of regional theatre and the importance of community arts as an industry and the difference we can make.”
Due to COVID 19, all upcoming dates for Bonnie and the Bonnettes have been postponed including the launch of their new north east tour, and their new show I Died in a Moshpit, which focuses on elements of Becky’s teenage years.
Telling Real Stories
Co-Founder Hattie Eason said: “A lot of our work ultimately starts up as autobiographical or biographical, so whether that is a literal retelling of one of our stories or the retelling of others’ stories.”
“For example, our next show is based on elements Becky’s teenage years but not told as her but told by these fictional characters.”
Cameron added: “And I think the most important part of that is story, they always say write what you know, so if its not us directly its part of the communities that were in, so the queer world, to be people our age, to be millennials, to be working class.
“Ultimately, we want to comment on what we see and give a reflection back into the world of what we see and offer a shared experience of that story.”
The trio are positive about the future and have been developing more of an online presence during lockdown to remain engaged with their audience.
Most recently, the trio have taken part in Doncaster’s Pride At Home and created an online best bit’s video from their BonBons Cabaret show, all for their audience to enjoy from home.
Cameron said: “Social media and digital work is literally what we do now, what we do live, what we post, timing, how does our aesthetic look and how we get that online.”
“There’s something nice about creating online content, it’s a bit of a time capsule that locks really who we are now, it’s nice that we do these projects and that we can look back on them”.
Hattie added: “Now it’s about finding out how we stay present, so in between shows that is something we are currently working through, it’s really hard to know how to stay present on a digital platform when you are not putting on a show.”
More details on how you can support regional and local theatre can be found at The British Theatre Guide.
Millie Lockhart
Featured Image courtesy of @kilyan_s via Unsplash.