London's West End theaters have always attracted visitors from all over the world to see their performances, but have had to renew themselves and adapt, due to the outbreak of the "Covid-19" epidemic.
And 15 million tickets are sold every year for West End shows, including "Phantom of the Opera", "Lee Miserable", and "The Mouse Trap", a play that started in 1952.
However, the epidemic caused the blinds to shed since last March, leaving theaters facing an uncertain future, while the measures of social separation threaten their existence.
Louis Harrison and Brian Hook, co-founders of "Hartshorn-Hawke Productions", were among the first to adapt to the new reality, and announced the reopening of the doors of their theater with the "The Great Gatsby" show.
In the world of traditional theater, social divergence procedures are a real problem.
With the public forced to remain two meters away under the current rules, Royal Shakespeare said it could only accommodate 20% of its usual audience.
Catherine Malone, executive director of the company that is based in Stratford-upon-Even, said things like this "are not physically sustainable".
She added, “How do we perform performances under measures of social separation? "It is hard to imagine Romeo and Juliet within two meters."
"The show will be re-envisaged as a masquerade party," Hook said. Spectators are invited to wear masks that they can consider part of their outfit, and gloves if they wish.
Attendance will also be reduced to 90 from 240 previously, and the timetable has been adjusted to allow for comprehensive clearance operations.
Hook added that the good news is that tickets are "sold and people want to return."
For his part, the head of the Union of Theaters in the United Kingdom, Julian Bird, told a parliamentary committee recently held that "about a third of the attendees at the London theaters are foreign tourists, and at the moment there is of course very little possibility of visitors from abroad."
He warned that up to 70% of theaters had gone bankrupt by the end of the year.
The current crisis has left a theater revenue gap of £ 3 billion, a decrease of more than 60% from last year, according to a study by Statistics Economics of Oxford for the benefit of The Creative Industries Federation. However, this report does not take into account the potential reluctance of the public to return to theaters when this is permitted, with the Federation warning that 200,000 people will be dismissed from their jobs if the government does not interfere.
For the sake of survival and continuity, some theaters offer alternative products and solutions. In London's Old Vic theater, actress Claire Foy and Matt Smith will star in the television series "The Crown", playing "Langs" without an audience, while maintaining a distance between them. Each show will be filmed and broadcast live to 1000 people who bought tickets at regular prices.
This is a bold gamble, as many other theaters, such as the National Theater in London, have published free shows online, which were filmed before the outbreak.
Quarantine challenge
A direct challenge is the absence of a large number of tourists, with hotels, restaurants and museums closed until at least early July.
The imposition of a 14-day quarantine on most travelers who arrive in Britain, starting from the eighth of June, has dampened hopes for a rapid recovery of the tourism sector.
15th
One million tickets were sold each year for famous theater performances in London.
In order to continue, some theaters offer alternative products and solutions.