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Post by The Matthew on Apr 26, 2020 17:38:49 GMT
I do wonder how places can be expected to open at limited capacity given how little money they will make? Restaurants, theaters, cafes etc struggle to go into profit as it is. I think some will manage. The pubs I frequented for meals rarely operated at capacity except on Sunday afternoons, but they were all out in the country or small villages where the rent was low or where the property was owned outright by the landlord. It'll obviously be a very different matter in expensive locations where high throughput is essential. If I was the government my approach would be to set out distancing regulations and say "If you can operate within these restrictions then you can open" and perhaps "If you cheat and we catch you the fine will be unlimited". That's considerably more complicated than a simple "This type of business can open; this type can't" but I think it'll be necessary to allow people to get back to work where it's safe for them to do so. Give people the opportunity to use their own knowledge of their own business to see if they can come up with innovative ways to keep going. It might even be fun, in a wartime spirit all-pull-together kind of way.
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Post by crowblack on Apr 26, 2020 20:29:36 GMT
You can check a bag and check a ticket without physically touching it. I have had severe OCD for many years so am very conscious about contact when I'm out and about. This is a virus that travels 2m and then hangs around in the air. It can even piggy-back on pollution particles. Not handing over a ticket as you walk through the narrow door into the average British theatre space isn't going to keep you or the usher that much safer.
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Post by sph on Apr 26, 2020 21:30:16 GMT
You can check a bag and check a ticket without physically touching it. I have had severe OCD for many years so am very conscious about contact when I'm out and about. This is a virus that travels 2m and then hangs around in the air. It can even piggy-back on pollution particles. Not handing over a ticket as you walk through the narrow door into the average British theatre space isn't going to keep you or the usher that much safer. No, but I still expect that actual physical contact will be prohibited. It may not help THAT much, but in a busier setting it's something and would also probably make audiences feel slightly more secure. A person could probably stand to be near another person when things start to ease, but may still not want them touching them or anything they have to handle. That's not how it works, I know, but it's how people's minds work.
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Post by poster J on Apr 26, 2020 21:49:45 GMT
I can't see it being sustainable that theatres will remain closed until a vaccine is found. There's no guarantee there ever will be a vaccine. I think with many of these public gatherings you have to be given your own choice to make. Do you want to risk getting the illness and help improve your mental health or do you want to avoid getting the illness and completely but potentially let your mental health suffer? I do wonder whether we might see smaller, fringe-type theatres reopening sooner than the huge barns of a theatre. There is a false dichotomy here. There has been a rush from some quarters to suggest that mental health is only affected by being locked down. The truth, however, is that it is a more akin to a seesaw. Those who are in that group are balanced by an equal number whose mental health is improved by not making them exposed to the virus. Now, rather than suddenly say ‘everybody out’, the seesaw needs to find an equilibrium, so that as few on each side of it are affected. How that affects theatre is that it needs to provide for each of those groups and in between, a tough balancing act. Absolutely, and the biggest question at the minute is at what point do we tip it back to equilibrium. At the minute it is 100% on the side of measures to combat coronavirus and 0% on the side of every other health condition on the planet and the economy... ...or at least that is what it feels like to many I suspect, and certainly to many people I know, and that is part of the problem. That is unsustainable. I'm going to be brutally honest about my own experience now as I'm getting very frustrated by the tunnel vision of some people on here (not you) and the idea that this is only about coronavirus. It isn't. I'm just about managing to control my mental health at the minute, but it's getting more difficult as the weeks of isolation go on, and I don't know how much longer I will last before I have to ask for help and undo all of the good work I've done over the past couple of years in getting to a place where I don't need it. I am lucky that I have never been so low as to have suicidal thoughts, but many are worse off that me. Many people who aren't self-isolating alone really don't understand the mental health impact of all of this - yes, some will be happy they can hide away from it all, but many of us aren't wired like that, or at least need human contact at least some of the time, when we choose. To go without through no choice of your own isn't normal, it isn't healthy. If there are many more like me, and I suspect there are from my own experience and people I know, then the seesaw needs to tip soon or there will be a massive strain on mental health resources that already couldn't cope before the crisis. Do I want us to find a cure/vaccine and prevent unnecessary deaths? Of course, but unnecessary deaths don't just come from coronavirus, so we need to look at the bigger picture both in terms of avoiding unnecessary victims and preserving resources. That will of course involve an element of choice, but no-one has ever been forced to go to the theatre, cinema, restaurants etc so in that respect it will be nothing new, just added space between tables or empty seats. Everyone can then choose their risk in light of their own personal circumstances.
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Post by theatreian on Apr 26, 2020 22:05:11 GMT
On the daily briefings from Downing street it has been mentioned several times about the different aspects of health and risk not just from covid but from other aspects such as other health issues not being dealt with. Those with mental health issues come into this category as their issues and challenges are not being dealt with or are being compounded by our present situation. I really hope that everyone can find somewhere or someone where they can find help or assistance so that there are no more casualties from this virus than absolutely necessary.
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Post by The Matthew on Apr 27, 2020 4:45:09 GMT
I can sympathise with those who are struggling. I'm struggling. Thanks to my ASD I'm self-harming like you would not believe at the moment. Multiple breakdowns a day are no fun. And it's now nearly two months since I had a conversation with another human being. There are loads of people I was acquainted with I can't contact and I have no idea how they're doing and I might never see them again. I rarely get more than three hours sleep a night over this.
But we know from history that in the event of a pandemic if restrictions are relaxed too early you just end up going through it all again. Yes, there will be mental health issues, and I'm getting increasingly angry that some people — most notably the police — are concentrating on enforcing the government's guidance rather than the purpose behind the guidance and are clamping down on anyone who is indulging in perfectly safe activities that are no risk to anyone instead of people who are increasing the risk. Mental health matters. But half a million deaths matter too, and that won't be the end of it. That's just the first pass.
The good news is that we're over the worst of it. There's a new emergency hospital in Birmingham that might never be needed because the spread and occurrence of serious cases has fallen, and that's great. But we're only in this position because the measures we have in place are working. If we stop now and remove those measures we'll just have to go through it all again in a couple of months.
Everyone wants to be able to get back to normal before there's a vaccine or cure while somehow avoiding having hundreds of thousands of deaths but that's not one of the options reality has given us.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2020 6:09:39 GMT
The day they announced the lock-in there were 102 deaths, we aint getting out until it’s below that again
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Post by jess173 on Apr 27, 2020 13:41:21 GMT
I'm going to be brutally honest about my own experience now as I'm getting very frustrated by the tunnel vision of some people on here (not you) and the idea that this is only about coronavirus. It isn't. I'm just about managing to control my mental health at the minute, but it's getting more difficult as the weeks of isolation go on, and I don't know how much longer I will last before I have to ask for help and undo all of the good work I've done over the past couple of years in getting to a place where I don't need it. I am lucky that I have never been so low as to have suicidal thoughts, but many are worse off that me. Many people who aren't self-isolating alone really don't understand the mental health impact of all of this - yes, some will be happy they can hide away from it all, but many of us aren't wired like that, or at least need human contact at least some of the time, when we choose. To go without through no choice of your own isn't normal, it isn't healthy. Thank you for this. I feel exactly the same. I actually never had mental health issues before but since this lockdown I’ve started to develop some. I had a full blown panic attack last week. I’ve never experienced anything like this. I live alone about an hour drive away from friends and family. It was required from me to move here for work and that wasn’t really a problem as I own a car and could always go and see my friends and family whenever I liked. I also used to travel a lot and go to the theatre to escape the dull every day work life. Now I’m basically locked away miles from everyone. I never liked talking on the phone so that doesn't help me. I miss physical contact. I miss just meeting friends for dinner, to go shopping or see a show. I miss hopping on a plane to London. What scares me the most is that I don’t know when anything like that will be possible again. And every single day they paint new disaster scenarios on the news (over here daily infections have been dropping constantly but there’s never good news). I‘m back at the office now. We have to do business as usual. But there’s nothing I can look forward to anymore. I’ve got no choice but to work and then go home. Every single day. I really don’t know how long I can keep on doing this. I really hope we‘ll find a way to get some kind of „normality“ back soon. I don’t believe in a vaccine. It would take years until everyone got a dose. So we either find a cure or we will implement measures to live with it. I understand that theatres pose a huge risk at the moment and I have kind of accepted that I won’t be going to see a show in a long time. But life has to go on. At least for me it has to, or I‘m going to get real big problems pretty soon.
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Post by theatreian on Apr 27, 2020 15:32:18 GMT
I guess it's difficult to appreciate what some are going through in this crisis. All I can say is it is temporary and we just have to take one day at a time. Try and find small positives each day and remember things will change , but don't look too far ahead. I hope anyone suffering at the moment can try and find something positive even if it something like there is someone else worse off than me. Take care everyone.
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Post by properjob on Apr 27, 2020 18:05:26 GMT
For those that are missing watching theatre I would really recommend trying some of the streamed theatre options out there if you haven't already. There is a thread in this very forum collating them and there are a lot out there. I have the good fortune to still be working and I am struggling to fit them all in. Some are obviously better than others but the ones that were filmed with the intention of releasing them e.g. broadcast to cinema's rather than the archive recordings are very good and certainly keep me distracted.
Stay safe, look after yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help.
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Post by clair on Apr 27, 2020 20:31:37 GMT
The streaming ones really don't work for me as I just don't enjoy watching a screen - I never go to the cinema and rarely watch tv. In a theatre I get totally absorbed and the rest of the world disappears, at home with a screen I get restless and do other things at the same time. I've tried a couple but no, not for me sadly although I seriously love the fact that so many places are making the effort to get stuff out there for us all
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Post by basdfg on Apr 27, 2020 21:07:29 GMT
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Post by showgirl on Apr 28, 2020 3:49:10 GMT
The streaming ones really don't work for me as I just don't enjoy watching a screen - I never go to the cinema and rarely watch tv. In a theatre I get totally absorbed and the rest of the world disappears, at home with a screen I get restless and do other things at the same time. I've tried a couple but no, not for me sadly although I seriously love the fact that so many places are making the effort to get stuff out there for us all Absolutely, clair - though unlike you, I do go to the cinema - or rather, I did. Although I find it hard to switch off and focus whether in a cinema or theatre, I feel I have a better chance of doing so in a dedicated space with a decent view. I have zero interest in peering at the same things on a tiny screen, especially when I spend all day glued to the same screen for work. I know I'm not missing anything theatre-wise that others aren't also missing, as productions have been paused, postponed or cancelled, but I am concerned about missing out on cinema releases as some customers can and do still watch at home, so I'm not sure that cinemas will still put those films on belatedly when they re-open or whether I'll have missed out completely.
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Post by 49thand8th on Apr 28, 2020 4:21:02 GMT
I try to watch streaming theatre on my TV via the YouTube app on the Roku or my Switch. It's a lot more enjoyable that way.
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Post by properjob on Apr 28, 2020 5:00:41 GMT
I try to watch streaming theatre on my TV via the YouTube app on the Roku or my Switch. It's a lot more enjoyable that way. I completely agree I only watch them on my TV and avoid the fixed camera archive recordings as even on the TV I get frustrated and not being able to see probably. Shut the curtains, turn off the lights and imagine you are surrounded by theatre board members who will give you the hard stare if you so much as twitch during the performance. Charging yourself 5 quid for an ice cream during the interval is optional.
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Post by 49thand8th on Apr 28, 2020 5:55:52 GMT
I like to stand outside my house and then run inside just before hitting "play," as if my train had been stalled.
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Post by clair on Apr 28, 2020 5:58:21 GMT
My tv is is 12 years old, basic and functional - no internet etc on it, the screen is smaller than the pc monitor and it is watched so little that if it could speak it would say it's a radio as I only usually use it for radio 2! I'm very low tech - no smartphone, laptop, ipad, just me a nokia 3310 and a 10 year old computer that is starting to ask for a retirement package. Normally not a problem as I spend a lot of time either at the theatre, out with friends or working overtime to pay for everything, home time is spent reading, writing letters to friends and a quick email/Fb check on the computer. Right now, I miss theatre, I miss my friends and I still have no desire to watch a screen - will just keep on reading, staying in touch with friends and hoping the light at the end of the tunnel will show itself soon
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Post by The Matthew on Apr 28, 2020 6:27:49 GMT
Shut the curtains, turn off the lights and imagine you are surrounded by theatre board members who will give you the hard stare if you so much as twitch during the performance. If not for the current distancing measures we could actually do that. I suppose we could set up a group meeting and occasionally cough or stage-whisper spoilers about upcoming scenes but it wouldn't be the same.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 28, 2020 6:31:23 GMT
My smart tv has been revolutionary in how I watch and what I watch. I think I watch more on YouTube than ‘real’ tv these days. I follow various vloggers, mainly travel who are still releasing content because they all seem to run with a significant backlog. The quality of content is incredible. And the other week I used the internet browser app on the tv for the first time to access the Wind In The Willows recording which looked stunning on a large screen in high definition. There’s no way I’d enjoy any of the broadcasts on a phone or iPad.
Smart TVs are not that expensive nowadays so for anyone who does like the idea and is saving loads of £ on going out, now may be the time?
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Post by Cleo on Apr 28, 2020 7:34:56 GMT
I have a tv from 1990s with just essential channels. I will only replace when I have too. So I watch films, iplayer and theatre recordings on my iPad. I can even sit outside and enjoy the “ open air” theatre experience.
Having watched NT Live Twelfth Night over 2 nights, I like having the flexibility of watching to suit my mood, and can be completely immersed in a production to the extent I almost forget I’m not actually sitting in the audience. I am grateful for the glut of on line theatre available. I live alone so can indulge. Strangely I have found reading books difficult having been an avid reader until life changed so on line theatre has really filled a gap. I also enjoy listening to BBC radio drama.
However, the feeling of anticipation of taking your seat in an auditorium and the moment the first line is spoken cannot be replicated so it will be even sweeter when theatres re-open, in whatever way they can.
Can I thank Theatreboard admin for bringing the theatre community together, and keeping us hopeful that theatre will resume.
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Post by n1david on Apr 28, 2020 11:42:51 GMT
This is the most detailed analysis of theatre post-lockdown that I've read, with the thoughts of various professionals: www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/not-911-blitz-far-trickier-lockdown-means-britains-theatres/Cameron Mackintosh thinks social distancing in the auditorium and on-stage won't work, says he can keep ticking over until September and then needs to shut down: keeping his theatres but closing all productions. Rufus Norris is contemplating how the Olivier works with 250 people in the audience Daniel Evans hopes South Pacific can go ahead, and is considering temperature tests and some form of outdoor theatre Nica Burns is looking for a "third way" between closure and full reopening. ALW is looking at all sorts of options including self-cleaning door handles and "how we can clean the air". There's obviously a lot of concern about what happens next, and it's clear that nothing much is happening any time soon, but Cameron Mackintosh does end on an optimistic note: “Theatre is part of our nation, part of our way of life. It will come back.”
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Post by Someone in a tree on Apr 28, 2020 11:55:02 GMT
Thanks for that it's really interesting.
The Olivier is one of my least favourite auditoruims due to its barn like qualities. 250 will make it seem even more like a barn
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Post by distantcousin on Apr 28, 2020 12:40:29 GMT
My smart tv has been revolutionary in how I watch and what I watch. I think I watch more on YouTube than ‘real’ tv these days. I follow various vloggers, mainly travel who are still releasing content because they all seem to run with a significant backlog. The quality of content is incredible. And the other week I used the internet browser app on the tv for the first time to access the Wind In The Willows recording which looked stunning on a large screen in high definition. There’s no way I’d enjoy any of the broadcasts on a phone or iPad. Smart TVs are not that expensive nowadays so for anyone who does like the idea and is saving loads of £ on going out, now may be the time? There are some schools of thought which say it's better to buy an Amazon Fire Stick or Chromecast with a standard TV.
My smart TV became more of less obselete after 4 years because it could no longer support the latest updates of most of the TV channels. Case in point, so I had to get a Fire Stick in the end.
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Post by SuperTrooper on Apr 28, 2020 13:01:10 GMT
This is the most detailed analysis of theatre post-lockdown that I've read, with the thoughts of various professionals: www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/not-911-blitz-far-trickier-lockdown-means-britains-theatres/Cameron Mackintosh thinks social distancing in the auditorium and on-stage won't work, says he can keep ticking over until September and then needs to shut down: keeping his theatres but closing all productions. Rufus Norris is contemplating how the Olivier works with 250 people in the audience Daniel Evans hopes South Pacific can go ahead, and is considering temperature tests and some form of outdoor theatre Nica Burns is looking for a "third way" between closure and full reopening. ALW is looking at all sorts of options including self-cleaning door handles and "how we can clean the air". There's obviously a lot of concern about what happens next, and it's clear that nothing much is happening any time soon, but Cameron Mackintosh does end on an optimistic note: “Theatre is part of our nation, part of our way of life. It will come back.” Is there a way of sharing the whole article without me having to sign my life away!
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Post by Dawnstar on Apr 28, 2020 13:03:58 GMT
Daniel Evans hopes South Pacific can go ahead, and is considering temperature tests and some form of outdoor theatre If South Pacific goes ahead then I wonder what they'll do for those of us with tickets who cannot get there? We live near Cambridge. No way can we get public transport all the way down to Chichester this summer, irrespective of whatever social distancing measures they put in place at the actual theatre.
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Post by n1david on Apr 28, 2020 13:11:01 GMT
This is the most detailed analysis of theatre post-lockdown that I've read, with the thoughts of various professionals: www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/not-911-blitz-far-trickier-lockdown-means-britains-theatres/Cameron Mackintosh thinks social distancing in the auditorium and on-stage won't work, says he can keep ticking over until September and then needs to shut down: keeping his theatres but closing all productions. Rufus Norris is contemplating how the Olivier works with 250 people in the audience Daniel Evans hopes South Pacific can go ahead, and is considering temperature tests and some form of outdoor theatre Nica Burns is looking for a "third way" between closure and full reopening. ALW is looking at all sorts of options including self-cleaning door handles and "how we can clean the air". There's obviously a lot of concern about what happens next, and it's clear that nothing much is happening any time soon, but Cameron Mackintosh does end on an optimistic note: “Theatre is part of our nation, part of our way of life. It will come back.” Is there a way of sharing the whole article without me having to sign my life away! You can get free access to a number of articles by registering for free, but I'm sure the mods here would be unhappy if we contravened the Telegraph's copyright...
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Post by lynette on Apr 28, 2020 13:16:24 GMT
You can prob get the article online as it is in the actual paper not on their online platform, if you see what I mean.
The article did make me start thinking when it asked what would I want to make me go back to the theatre.So I was thinking-
So remove all the doors. Use curtains as they do anyway. So you remove one touchy feeling risk. Cover the stair hand rails with paper and change it for each performance and other such covering devices. Toilets: do what the Old Vic did, put them outside with attendants and plenty of HOT water and soap. Close the bar, either sell packaged drinks outside or have staff wearing clean white gloves ( psychological thing) hand round free water and juice in the intervals. I bet you’d get sponsors of drinks to do this. Even hot drinks could be provided with some caution. Better regulate the air con and heating, investigate the systems that don’t circulate the air but filter it. Extend the cloakrooms so people can leave their stuff more easily and with no cost. Might have to move out some seating in the old WE places to accommodate this but would be worth it. Start earlier, say 7pm so people can come straight from work and don't have to hang about. Cafes will adjust. Lower the prices, yes, counter intuitive but make it a cheap option for a date. And put on only the very best, maybe reduce the clutter of big sets if too expensive but you know the mantra - if it is good, they will come. So some loss of income to start with but much goodwill and theatre to build on.
Obviously back stage facilities should be refurbed for the actors and creatives so they are comfortable. Spend money guys!
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Post by 49thand8th on Apr 28, 2020 14:14:34 GMT
My smart tv has been revolutionary in how I watch and what I watch. I think I watch more on YouTube than ‘real’ tv these days. I follow various vloggers, mainly travel who are still releasing content because they all seem to run with a significant backlog. The quality of content is incredible. And the other week I used the internet browser app on the tv for the first time to access the Wind In The Willows recording which looked stunning on a large screen in high definition. There’s no way I’d enjoy any of the broadcasts on a phone or iPad. Smart TVs are not that expensive nowadays so for anyone who does like the idea and is saving loads of £ on going out, now may be the time? There are two TVs in my house and neither of them are smart. They're both flatscreen but pretty old. One (the larger, newer one) has a Roku and one I use only for my Nintendo Switch (I inherited it so it was free). And there's a YouTube app available for the Switch. It's a pretty sweet setup! If you're saving money on going to the theatre right now, you may be able to find a refurbished flatscreen that works with this kind of thing. All you need is a way to plug in a streaming stick.
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Post by alece10 on Apr 28, 2020 14:17:20 GMT
Daniel Evans hopes South Pacific can go ahead, and is considering temperature tests and some form of outdoor theatre If South Pacific goes ahead then I wonder what they'll do for those of us with tickets who cannot get there? We live near Cambridge. No way can we get public transport all the way down to Chichester this summer, irrespective of whatever social distancing measures they put in place at the actual theatre. I was just thinking the same. I'm booked to see this but wouldn't be able to travel from London by train with travel restrictions and have no other way of getting there.
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Post by clair on Apr 28, 2020 14:19:55 GMT
On the plus side I suppose those theatres that are often at low capacity such as Charing Cross won't have too many alterations to do when they are allowed to open - they could prove to be the model for smaller audiences as other places see how it could work! They are used to running at lower audience numbers so they could be the ones to lead the way for once
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