Show Must Go On: Why we are fighting for our theatres & live venues

A life without live music, theatre and festivals is the greyest, dullest of existences.

That’s why the Fife Free Press is proud to be part of our company, JPIMedia’s, new campaign, The Show Must Go On.

I’ve been going to gigs for over 40 years, and the thrill of seeing a band remains as great as ever.

Theatres, concert halls, and live events have given me memories that have lasted a lifetime, and allowed me to see some truly outstanding performers.

Every August, I go home to Edinburgh and dive deep into the Festival Fringe, haring around the city from venue to venue to pack in four, sometimes five shows every day. The cost is hysterical, but the experience is priceless.

Lockdown hasn’t just changed all of that - it has put it in serious jeopardy.

Theatres are now beginning redundancy talks with staff, and some may close their doors altogether.

There is no date yet for when venues may re-open their doors, let alone a blueprint for how to survive when social distancing means full houses cannot be permitted.

We cannot lose them.

Theatres and live venues vital to our towns. They support huge numbers of jobs - think of the familiar faces you see from the box office to the cafe to the auditoriums and behind the scenes - and they provide the platforms for talented, creative people to find their feet.

They are about so much more than just ‘the show.’

Our theatres are vibrant, creative, multi-purpose venues which are home to community groups, am-dram groups, touring performers, and much, much more.

And if they are forced to close, we will all lose out.

And there is every chance that they may also never return.

The government’s £1.57 billion rescue package is massive, but it won’t get every venue through a potential full calendar year with zero revenue.

The shows they have rescheduled will almost certainly have to be pushed further back - March 2021 is the month many within the industry have circled as the earliest possible return.

Before then, there may be one-off events, while some promoters are toying with drive-in shows, but will that be enough to sustain the industry?

We want to make sure they get the help they need – wherever they are.

Our campaign has been endorsed by the Theatres Trust, the national charity that campaigns to protect theatre buildings for current and future generations.

It aims to make sure the needs of our venues and the people who depend on them get heard - and that they get the help they need and deserve.

Over the coming weeks, we will be looking at what lockdown has meant to performers, promoters, theatre bosses and audiences - and what help they need from the community to stay afloat.

We will give them a voice and a platform to shout as loud as they want - and we urge you to play your part supporting their fundraising, and any events they can host.

Looking at my calendar for next month reminds me of how everything has changed. August 2019 was packed with 75 shows at the Fringe - everything from Nicholas Parsons to late night drag acts bringing the house down.

This year it is empty.

The lights in our theatres remain dimmed. We cannot allow them to be extinguished.

To share your views and be part of our campaign please email [email protected]

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspapers - the Fife Free Press, Fife Herald, St Andrews Citizen and East Fife Mail.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Allan Crow, Editor, Fife Free Press