Plymouth's Theatre Royal could end up staying closed for months

Plymouth's Theatre Royal may not be able to open for months even though lockdown restrictions are being lifted – with serious implications for the future of the business and its staff.

Chief executive Adrian Vinken said he is not expecting theatres to be able to reopen in July even though cinemas are planning to unlock then.

He said social distancing rules mean staging shows with vastly reduced audience numbers would be uneconomical.

But he said the theatre had a programme of shows in place from October and had already sold 50% of its tickets for the Christmas 2020 pantomime.

However he has said that there has been “no indication” from the Government that the theatre will be able to open in October – and warned that if it remains closed for longer it will seriously jeopardise the business and jobs of its 350 workers.

“If we are allowed to use the theatre again in October – with a great programme of events already sold out and a panto that has already sold 50% of tickets – then it’s not a problem,” he said. “If we can do that our future is secure.”

But he warned: “I would hope, but not expect, that. There has been no indication that this is realistic.”

Mr Vinken said the theatre has an annual turnover, in normal circumstances, of about £20million, but stressed that 91% of income comes from ticket sales and revenue from in-house sales, such as food and drink.

“So if we stop trading we lose 91%,” he said. “So if we stop for longer (than October) we will have to contract, we can’t afford for the organisation to be insolvent. We would have to shrink and mothball.

“At the moment we have been paying all our staff, full-time and casual, but there will come a time when we can’t do that.

“We will support all staff for as long as we can, but if we run out of money we run out of money, which is why the furlough scheme is critical.”

Mr Vinken has written to the Government asking for the Job Retention Scheme to continue for hospitality and tourism businesses until they are in a position to support all staff.

“We are the biggest regional theatre in the country,” he said. “We have a near £500,000 average monthly payroll.”

The theatre closed in March 2020, furloughing staff, and a month later was already asking regular patrons to make donations so it could continue its community work.

Cinema chain Cineworld has now said it aims to start reopening multiplexes such as the one in Plymouth’s Barcode in July, but Mr Vinken said there is “no chance” the Theatre Royal, which can hold 1,300 people in its main The Lyric auditorium, could do the same.

“The economics of a theatre are completely different,” he said. “We have to sell 70% to 80% of tickets at least, we have to have the auditorium full of people or it doesn’t work.”

Mr Vinken said that shows that had been scrapped during the lockdown are being rearranged where possible with tickets reusable.

If shows can’t be rescheduled, refunds are being given to ticket-holders.

“There have been a number of shows cancelled,” he said. “We have rescheduled and had tickets transferred. If we can’t find another date we have given refunds, but the vast majority have transferred seats.

“Our anticipation is we are selling seats for the future and plan to reopen, but I can’t guarantee that.”