Indoor performance delay demonstrates need for theatre furlough exemption and specific freelance support, says Bectu

Responding to news that indoor performances will be postponed until at least 15 August, Bectu national secretary Noel McClean said:

“Theatres are already dealing with huge uncertainty and this announcement will only cause more pain and suffering for the workforce.

“What the industry needs is certainty, without it redundancies and lay-offs will continue. This announcement will have a huge impact on the psyche of everyone who relies on the theatre industry for their livelihood.

“The government has said that this postponement will be for a fortnight, but we know the pandemic is a fast-moving situation and this could change again.

“What this announcement demonstrates is that theatre employers should be exempt from making contributions to the furlough scheme and that a specific fund must be set-up to support theatre freelancers.

“The arts recovery funding is still months away and clearly there are significant hurdles on the road to theatres re-opening again.”