Getting recreation and leisure up and running again.

Not sure if anybody saw this, but Cabaret All Stars in the West End at Proud Embankment with Denise Van Outen and a host of cabaret stars, £60 including a three course meal and a free cocktail isn't bad! If I could get to London I'd absolutely go!

proudcabaret.com/pages/embankment

It's worth reading the page - the SBC has had no Artistic Director since May 2018, and no Creative Director since October 2019. A new management structure was put in place in March of this year, but the makeup of that Leadership Team hasn't been communicated, so it's unclear who is taking the decisions. The proposed operating model for reopening after April 2021 reduces the creative output of the SBC to just 10% of what it was doing prior to lockdown, with 90% available for commercial rent. That's a fairly huge change to their operating model and puts into question the funding that it currently gets from Arts Council England.

I don't think this is so much about the redundancies, which are sadly happening across all creative organisations - it's about what the SBC is, how it's run and who pays for it.

Michael Eavis has said Glastonbury 2021 may not happen too. The logistics of getting all the people there and risks of outbreaks would be high. But if this is already in doubt as an outdoor event then how can indoor events in Arenas and thus effectively theatres be able to run.

Glastonbuy often has big acts booked ahead, I've no idea if the plan would be to still try and use this year's key acts next year. But would US Acts be able to come in. I'm sure there would be some sort of quaranteening exception as the F1 drivers must have sometging similar. But would big acts want to risk treking half way around the world. Factor in this year Paul McCartney and Diana Ross were booked. They are 78 and 76 years old now and would they risk performing in the near future?

Also how many of the older legacy acts will risk playing live again - this summer The Who, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles were all due to tour the UK for example. The key personnel in those bands are all in their 70's and older now. Plus a lot have had health issues and lived life to the full.

Sir Elton is 73 now and has health issues, he'd be unlikely to risk things especially as he has youngish children he'll put first I'd assume. Sir Cliff turns 80 soon, Sir Tom Jones is now 80 etc.

The 80's super groups are all in their 60's or nearing that age. All these acts still get their sales and airplay/download royalities so they likely don't need to financially tour.

The Stones - Sir Mick had that heart scare last year, Charlie is 80 next year, Ronnie Wood had lung cancer in the last few years and has a young family so there would be clear reasons for them not touring which just leaves Keef. Now if there is a cure for this virus it must be in his blood!

@mm I hear that argument and understand it, but I work in an org (non-arts) that many of its employees might say was top heavy with senior management. Since this whole hellishness started, I've been seconded to work on various crisis groups working with senior managers and I've got to admit that they know and do a feck of a lot, take responsibility for eye-wateringly tough decisions and risks, and genuinely earn their big bucks. There's no way we would be riding the crisis as well as we are if, for eg, cheap old me was left trying to keep things going. They are on it 24/7 and they really do care deeply about the organisation and the people who work for it - it's been eye-opening for me, and actually pretty reassuring.

No idea if any of this applies to the NT or Southbank Centre, but I find it hard to believe that any senior management are sitting comfortably right now; they are more likely losing years off their life from the stress and responsibility of such an awful situation.

There are reports that furlough (for those who can benefit) will continue after October. Has anyone heard any more information on this?
I’m sure I read somewhere that France has confirmed their furlough plan until 2021/22??

zahidf Was there also and agree - it was so good to be back part of an audience with that interplay with performers. Lovely little courtyard space and a good bar; relaxed and low tech, just seats with performers on the grass in front of you. Attracted a really nice crowd last night as well.

Honestly, not the sort of thing I'd normally book for but I really enjoyed the improvised Shakespeare! Have booked for quite a few other things, this will definitely make my August better than it would have been.

I think it's quite glib to say that audiences 'just have to accept it'. Feeling safe is the priority and audiences won't feel safe gathering for a long time yet.

Audiences aren't one thing; I would go to a theatre that didn't have social distancing now, just as I was ok getting on a full plane and like I get on tubes and trains now where distancing is hard and like I sat in a full restaurant last night. I think it's fair to say that some and possibly many people wouldn't go to a non-SD indoor performance at the moment, but you can't make that sort of blanket statement on behalf of everyone.

Mark Yep - this virus is likely to be part of the human condition forever now; we'll slowly get better at understanding and treating it, we will probably at some point have a vaccine that has a decent level of effectiveness, but we are going to have to learn to live with it. And that means having a proper understanding of risk.

It also, unfortunately, means accepting that a certain level of Covid-related deaths are going to be inevitable, just as we accept circa 10,000 flu-related deaths each year as inevitable. We don't lock down for 3-4 months every year to prevent those - we take a hard-hearted decision as a nation that those deaths are a price we're willing to pay. There's a lot of pious talk about not prioritising the economy over lives, which is simplistic since the two are inextricably linked, but even taking that argument on its own merits, let's not pretend that we don't do that all the time already.