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Post by basdfg on Apr 19, 2020 19:14:57 GMT
It's quite sad to think if no vaccine comes no body will ever travel to some countries ever again.
Obviously the odds are a vaccine will come soon.
I think through it make shows set abroad more attractive to (domestic) audiences through - sort of a wish you were here type feeling. |
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Post by basdfg on Apr 20, 2020 10:37:34 GMT
Because individual phones can be tracked (presumably by government not employer, though). That will need to happen here, I think, as a quid pro quo. You can restart working but your employer will be given details if you are in contact with someone infected. Given the location, they will see if their rules have been deliberately ignored and can sack anyone who has done that. Personally, my phone is so old it doesn’t even have wifi let alone bluetooth. I'd leave my phone at home then. It's no good saying don't visit theatres if theatres are open. If it is safe enough for theatres to open then people will go. If it isn't safe enough then don't open them. It's the reason why coming out of lockdown will be so difficult and cause a second wave. The millisecond anything like pubs reopen people will descend upon them in the hundreds of thousands. If you did that in Korea you might be forced to wear your ankle tag.
Plus their employers have acces to your bank and travel records - so in the UK your bosses might be allowed to check everything about you. No avoiding that.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 10:52:14 GMT
It's quite sad to think if no vaccine comes no body will ever travel to some countries ever again.
Obviously the odds are a vaccine will come soon.
I think through it make shows set abroad more attractive to (domestic) audiences through - sort of a wish you were here type feeling. I kinda think the opposite. If theatres re-opened but international travel wasn't allowed, honestly think the likes of Hamilton would close in London. Audience seems exclusively American whenever I have been! As others have mentioned, including the plane and hotel it's still cheaper than Broadway lol. The West End would basically look more like the touring circuit. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 12:14:41 GMT
Even in the unlikely event that international tourism doesn't pick up again (and hardly anyone actually believes that it won't) theatre managed perfectly well before tourists kept all the long-runners going for decades. There's no reason a production must have an eight-figure budget and get two million people through the door to break even. When I first went to the West End in 1986 a show that expected to take six months to recoup was a risk-taking outlier and pretty much everything got by perfectly well playing to predominantly local audiences.
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Post by basdfg on Apr 20, 2020 12:50:49 GMT
Even in the unlikely event that international tourism doesn't pick up again (and hardly anyone actually believes that it won't) theatre managed perfectly well before tourists kept all the long-runners going for decades. There's no reason a production must have an eight-figure budget and get two million people through the door to break even. When I first went to the West End in 1986 a show that expected to take six months to recoup was a risk-taking outlier and pretty much everything got by perfectly well playing to predominantly local audiences. But it takes a long time to readjust everything to that economy.
It will never pick up like before due to flight prices being very high as even once borders open business travel won't resume and many airlines will be bust. Also I imagine it be younger people more willing to travel first but a lot of theatre leans to older audiences.
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Post by crowblack on Apr 20, 2020 13:10:16 GMT
a show that expected to take six months to recoup was a risk-taking outlier and pretty much everything got by perfectly well playing to predominantly local audiences. Maybe they could tour productions more too? A shorter London run then regional venues, because advance booking pricey London tickets, plus often even more pricey train tickets, is going to be something people will now think twice about, even if they're not in an at-risk-group but still might become ill by the show date. |
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Post by basdfg on Apr 20, 2020 13:32:09 GMT
It does not sound like theatres in Scotland will open anytime soon - even behind closed doors football matches are being seen as too risky due to people gathering to watch them.
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Post by stevej678 on Apr 20, 2020 15:59:22 GMT
It does not sound like theatres in Scotland will open anytime soon - even behind closed doors football matches are being seen as too risky due to people gathering to watch them. Nicola Sturgeon hasn't concluded behind closed doors football matches are too risky. She's said they will be "carefully considered". www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52355228 |
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Post by basdfg on Apr 20, 2020 16:02:43 GMT
It does not sound like theatres in Scotland will open anytime soon - even behind closed doors football matches are being seen as too risky due to people gathering to watch them. Nicola Sturgeon hasn't concluded behind closed doors football matches are too risky. She's said they will be "carefully considered". Which means we not doing it unless it becomes unmaintainable not to. |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 20, 2020 16:30:46 GMT
Can I remind people of this thread regarding policy on information relating to coronavirus please.
theatreboard.co.uk/thread/7863/covid-19-misinformation-announcement-proboards
Could also ask that when posting a statement as if it is fact that you provide the source of that information.
If you are speculating, or posting what is a personal opinion then this should be apparent.
thank you.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 17:35:01 GMT
Even in the unlikely event that international tourism doesn't pick up again (and hardly anyone actually believes that it won't) theatre managed perfectly well before tourists kept all the long-runners going for decades. There's no reason a production must have an eight-figure budget and get two million people through the door to break even. When I first went to the West End in 1986 a show that expected to take six months to recoup was a risk-taking outlier and pretty much everything got by perfectly well playing to predominantly local audiences. But it takes a long time to readjust everything to that economy.
It will never pick up like before due to flight prices being very high as even once borders open business travel won't resume and many airlines will be bust. Also I imagine it be younger people more willing to travel first but a lot of theatre leans to older audiences.
It may well pick up like before eventually - once demand for flights returns to what it was before (and there is nothing to suggest it won't, eventually), then economics suggests there will be new entrants to the market and increased supply, both of which eventually drive prices down. This might take years, but it may well happen eventually. And if it doesn't, well then surely that is eventually a good thing for theatres and their predominantly older audience - if people don't travel as much they will spend their money on other leisure activities, including theatre. Yes, again it will take time given social distancing, but we can't say it definitely won't recover eventually. |
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Post by HereForTheatre on Apr 20, 2020 17:49:43 GMT
I think the worst time will actually be when we are allowed back to work but we still have no access to live entertainment or social settings. That is what breaks peoples working lives up. Under normal circumstances my theatre trips would be what broke my life up a bit from work and the thing that gave me a break and something to look forward to, in many ways a 'reward' even and a way to wind down. We are going to be in a situation where most peoples working lives will go back to normal but there will be absolutely nothing else for them to do to break that up. It will just be work work work without even so much as going to the pub for a few drinks after to look forward to or to wind down over. I think i might find that more tough on my mental health than this current complete lock down.
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Post by sleepflower on Apr 20, 2020 19:03:04 GMT
For some reason the Phantom Facebook page has posted 'events' for each evening West End show starting 19th October. Wonder why? A possible restart date? Seems too early to say.
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Post by fiyero on Apr 20, 2020 19:47:59 GMT
For some reason the Phantom Facebook page has posted 'events' for each evening West End show starting 19th October. Wonder why? A possible restart date? Seems too early to say. Is it just the new booking period opening up? I know other shows have quietly extended |
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Post by basdfg on Apr 20, 2020 21:50:51 GMT
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Post by basdfg on Apr 21, 2020 8:27:52 GMT
If it lasts longer than a few weeks then effects on theatre might include. 1. Non Americans not being able to work on Broadway. 2. A sign Tourism to the USA will probably not re open anytime soon either. 4. Hollywood films might not be able to produce for even longer than expected(if non Americans can't enter to work on them) so cinemas might be bare next year so that could help theatre.
5. Most cheap airlines will go bust so when travel resumes only the ones that are either nationalised or bailed out will survive.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2020 8:46:45 GMT
4. Hollywood films might not be able to produce for even longer than expected(if non Americans can't enter to work on them) so cinemas might be bare next year so that could help theatre. Most films that have already been filmed and are due to be released this year (blockbusters at least) have already been pushed back to 2021, so cinemas will be empty this year but busy enough next year I suspect. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2020 10:14:49 GMT
Getting audiences to even leave their house is going to be difficult for quite a while. Getting them into a confined space with a bunch of strangers? Not likely. I think theatres need to reassess length of runs, staging more economically and trying to balance this with paid for streaming, If they just try and go back to how things were I can’t see it as being a credible business model.
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Post by NeilVHughes on Apr 21, 2020 10:26:41 GMT
Have to agree @cardinalpirelli , there will be a lag between the official raising of the lockdown and the confidence of people to go back to free movement.
This is the challenge for the Theatre, they will need to judge when they believe the proportion willing to go to the Theatre is large enough to provide a return on investment.
Initially it is likely to be the small to medium sized Theatres with ‘cheap’ productions and lower seat availability to gauge the demand, the National could open the Dorfman, for the large West End Theatres opening immediately would be quite gamble which most would be unlikely to take.
As one who prefers the smaller off West End Theatres it is a risk I would most probably take if they opened soon after the lockdown was raised.
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Post by jess173 on Apr 21, 2020 10:30:59 GMT
Getting audiences to even leave their house is going to be difficult for quite a while. Well yesterday non-grocery shops were allowed to open again here in Germany. According to the news, streets were packed with shoppers, probably causing our chancellor to have a nervous breakdown... I wouldn’t be so sure that everyone will stay inside for a long time. Almost everyone I’ve talked to lately couldn’t wait to go out and do stuff again... Although I have to admit that the situation is a little different over here, so people are probably a bit more relaxed. |
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Post by Someone in a tree on Apr 21, 2020 10:36:28 GMT
Getting audiences to even leave their house is going to be difficult for quite a while. Well yesterday non-grocery shops were allowed to open again here in Germany. According to the news, streets were packed with shoppers, probably causing our chancellor to have a nervous breakdown... I wouldn’t be so sure that everyone will stay inside for a long time. Almost everyone I’ve talked to lately couldn’t wait to go out and do stuff again... Although I have to admit that the situation is a little different over here, so people are probably a bit more relaxed. I have a lot more trust in the German government then the UK's. Boris and chums have made a real lash up of it so why should we trust with easing the lockdown? |
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Post by viserys on Apr 21, 2020 10:49:40 GMT
The German government (aka Mutti Merkel) doesn't really have much power atm due to German federalism. It's the leaders of the regional states that can push through measures and they all do their own thing. What's allowed in one state, may be forbidden next door in the neighbouring state. Luckily I live in a state that has been following fairly relaxed rules - and interestingly our infection rates have stayed much lower than down south in Bavaria where the local bigwig likes to act a hardliner, shooing people from park benches because "resting outside" is verboten.
That said, we suffer from a bunch of contradictory virologists and epidemilogists who like to out-do each other in doom-mongering. One was allowed to spout on telly yesterday how "this could last till 2022" - yea, great way to keep morale up, man. So, all in all, we get lots o contradictory information every day, while Mutti Merkel just sits back and grumps about it all. That said, I admit I rather have her in charge here than BoJo and his mates.
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Post by MrBraithwaite on Apr 21, 2020 11:01:11 GMT
Initially it is likely to be the small to medium sized Theatres with ‘cheap’ productions and lower seat availability to gauge the demand, the National could open the Dorfman, for the large West End Theatres opening immediately would be quite gamble which most would be unlikely to take. Always puzzled why people think / would feel safer in a 300 seat theatre than a 1200+ seat theatre...before the show starts and the house opens, the foyer of the Dororfman is as packed as any foyer in the West End (Arts, Shaftesbury, Gielgud etc´. etc.) as are probably the toilets. You sit for two hours surrounded by people you don't know...if it's 500 or 2000 makes not much difference imo. |
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Post by crowblack on Apr 21, 2020 11:10:35 GMT
Any theatre reopening would have to also provide a livestream option for current shows, otherwise it would be seen as discriminating against higher risk groups like older people, BAME people, people with disabilities etc. (it was already pretty inaccessible for the latter)
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2020 11:11:22 GMT
Getting audiences to even leave their house is going to be difficult for quite a while. Well yesterday non-grocery shops were allowed to open again here in Germany. According to the news, streets were packed with shoppers, probably causing our chancellor to have a nervous breakdown... I wouldn’t be so sure that everyone will stay inside for a long time. Almost everyone I’ve talked to lately couldn’t wait to go out and do stuff again... Although I have to admit that the situation is a little different over here, so people are probably a bit more relaxed. You have a government that has actually tested people in fairly decent numbers. That may have led to complacency and surely you have to be concerned that those same people out now will lead to a new increase in infections and another lockdown will happen sooner rather than later. The inability to defer gratification is not just a British disease. How that affects theatres is that planning becomes impossible. It takes weeks and longer to get a productiion back up and running and infection rates going back up will render all that effort worthless. If, as appears to be the case, government thinking is now to push this virus way down by a longer initial lockdown, that might make more long term planning a bit easier. If we can avoid the second wave, that would be a real bonus and something to work towards, I think. Pain now, pleasure later. On other matters, German theatres are doing brilliantly putting their productions on the web. My German is sketchy but some with subtitles and plays that I know already make them good to watch. British theatres take note! edit - just seen that the German Koch institute has seen a rise in virus reproduction rate so it’s just under 1.0. It was 0.7 last time, so trending upwards again, and this was the figure before any relaxation so this ‘freedom’ may well be short lived. Merkel’s explanation of keeping the reproduction rate below 1.0 was excellent, she’s probably going spare at this news. |
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