Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, theatres have been one of the hardest hit industries, from closure to future cancellations. With questions on how theatre will safely return still widely unanswered, Mayflower Theatre’s announcement on 18th June that they will not re-open until 10th December comes as no shock. They noted that “this has been an incredibly difficult decision to make”, and added how “the Coronavirus pandemic has had devastating impact on the theatre industry”.
If you’re wondering the severity of this impact, just look at the shows listed in this statement as cancelled and/or rescheduled. While they’ve already had to cancel 21 shows (including Phantom of the Opera and Murder at the Moulin Rouge), and reschedule 23 shows (including SIX, 9 to 5 The Musical, and Everyone’s Talking About Jamie), there still remains 21 shows set to rescheduled or face cancellation. As you can see, the few examples listed above includes an array of extremely popular shows, both classic and contemporary, which indicates the financial losses the theatre will make.
In Southampton alone, the beloved Nuffield Theatre has already gone into administration on 6th May due to COVID-19. The saddest part of this being when you visit their website, only to find an empty shell of what it used to be, with no shows listed whatsoever. NST, formed in 1964, employed 84 staff before going into administration, highlighting not only the cultural loss that the closing of theatres ensues but the economic impact too. If you work in theatre and have suffered as a result of COVID-19’s impact on the industry, visit this website for financial and mental wellbeing support.
However, there remains a great list of shows that we can look forward to seeing at Mayflower Theatre come December 10th. Amongst those listed as rescheduled above (SIX, 9 to 5 The Musical, Everyone’s Talking About Jamie), these include Bowie Experience (28th June 2021), Sister Act (11th September 2021), The Book of Mormon (14th April – 1st May 2021), and many more. Mayflower Theatre is a wonderful venue that The Edge has had the pleasure of working with for years, we hope to see them flourish once again as an outstanding theatre come December.
If you want to support Mayflower Theatre in this challenging time, you can donate to their ‘fund our future’ page by following this link.
