Unless we think big, act collectively, and use the different stages of recovery to make the case for theatre, Peter Arnott isn't sure we'll be able to persuade governments or businesses to back the sector at all.
I think there are five Stages of Recovery for Theatre Making in Scotland. I am finding it useful to think in terms of recovery from a serious illness. Let's start with where we've been.
Stage One : Emergency. (March to June 2020)
We closed our theatres and most of our industry down. We're still numb at the shock, three months on. The new order has been a chaos of improvisation for some and of immiseration for others. Some of us have instinctively been shouting and waving, yelling “Hey, look at me! I’m still alive!” Some have hunkered down in whatever protective bunkers were available to them. Others have watched their livliehoods and maybe their careers disappear like smoke.
Another aspect of this chaos has been that everybody has been trying to think of everything all at once. What kind of shows can we do under lockdown conditions? How do you monetise the internet? How about drive-ins? Will audiences ever come back even when they’re allowed to come back? What happens if a civic asset, like a theatre, goes bankrupt? How do I get on the furlough scheme? What happens to my staff when it ends?
It has been the instinct of many of us to seek refuge from these questions under a duvet with a bottle of Glenlivet till things “get back to normal.” I’m sure most of us have had days like that... Keep reading on Peter Arnott's blog
I think there are five Stages of Recovery for Theatre Making in Scotland. I am finding it useful to think in terms of recovery from a serious illness. Let's start with where we've been.
Stage One : Emergency. (March to June 2020)
We closed our theatres and most of our industry down. We're still numb at the shock, three months on. The new order has been a chaos of improvisation for some and of immiseration for others. Some of us have instinctively been shouting and waving, yelling “Hey, look at me! I’m still alive!” Some have hunkered down in whatever protective bunkers were available to them. Others have watched their livliehoods and maybe their careers disappear like smoke.
Another aspect of this chaos has been that everybody has been trying to think of everything all at once. What kind of shows can we do under lockdown conditions? How do you monetise the internet? How about drive-ins? Will audiences ever come back even when they’re allowed to come back? What happens if a civic asset, like a theatre, goes bankrupt? How do I get on the furlough scheme? What happens to my staff when it ends?
It has been the instinct of many of us to seek refuge from these questions under a duvet with a bottle of Glenlivet till things “get back to normal.” I’m sure most of us have had days like that... Keep reading on Peter Arnott's blog