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While new formats helped theatres survive Covid, their future depends on further innovation, writes Stephen Langston

When the UK went into lockdown in 2020, its multibillion-pound theatre industry could have ceased to exist. However, the vacuum caused by this physical shutdown served in many cases as a spurring force for increased creativity and resourcefulness. Productions did not stop completely, but instead went online, showcasing the potential of modern technology to bring theatre to wider audiences despite a lack of traditional performance spaces or funding.

The Creative Industries Federation projected a £74 billion drop in revenue with a loss of 400,000 jobs because of the pandemic. Even theatre impresarios Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh were forced to close their productions, resulting in many permanent job losses and hundreds of self employed actors and technicians taking an unwanted “rest”.

The government’s “Rethink. Reskill. Reboot” campaign appeared to encourage people in the arts to retrain and find other jobs, inspiring an outcry from the industry...Keep reading on The Conversation.