Balancing the long established financial pressures to reopen at full capacity now that Welsh Government regulations allow, brings many considerations and challenges for Welsh theatres and performing arts venues who at their heart know building audience confidence is imperative for the sector to survive.

Creu Cymru, Wales’ Performing arts sector alliance that champions and connects people, audiences and communities, is clear that the vast majority of its members, who represent virtually all of the nation’s professionally run theatres, arts centres and producing companies are facing complex commercial, programming, staffing and health and safety challenges as they prepare to fully reopen for the first time since the March 2020 nationwide, pandemic-enforced closures.

Louise Miles-Payne, Director, Creu Cymru explained: “While most theatres across Wales are delighted to be preparing for their long-awaited reopening, our recent poll showed that venues of all scales unanimously reported their concerns around the competing financial pressures to reopen at full capacity as regulations allow, while many feel continuing with social distancing and therefore lower audience numbers is likely to remain the only viable route to achieving vital audience confidence.

“As we represent the sector in Wales, encouraging customers to make use of the free to access lateral flow tests that can be sent to your home and carried out in your own time.

“Knowing that you are safe before you go to a performance helps protects those around you and will keep the magic of theatre alive. We will be promoting this message through our ‘Testing, Testing 123 campaign’ launching Tuesday, August 31.”

Ben Lloyd, Executive Director of Milford Haven’s Torch Theatre said: “We welcome Welsh Government’s latest announcement regarding lifting Covid-19 restrictions. This will have a significantly positive impact on theatre and live performances in Wales.

“As a theatre production company with no venue of our own, we have worked closely with venues across Wales on a step-by-step approach to returning to live theatre.

“Our August, autumn and pre-Christmas touring productions are relatively small scale; while in February and March 2022, we aim to present a larger scale work.

“We anticipate that venues will retain some social distancing until mid-November, but present to full capacity thereafter.

“However, in our financial modelling, we have allowed for a measure of continued social distancing (at each venue’s discretion) for the remainder of this financial year.

“We believe a gradual approach, beginning with small scale presentations in the summer and autumn, increasing to larger scale work in the early spring, and from predominantly outdoor performances this summer, to indoor performance in the autumn and beyond, to be an appropriate and measured way of building back public confidence in attending live theatre.

“It also allows us to manage the financial risks associated with a gradual return to pre-Covid levels of engagement with live theatre across Wales,” he added.