Theatre trade body The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) has announced West End theatres will remain closed until at least 28 June 2020 with all performances covering those dates now cancelled.
Ticket holder’s are not required to do anything as they will be contacted by their point of sale to refund, credit or re-book performances dates.
In their statement, SOLT confirmed that theatre’s may not open on the 29 June, but that they were cancelling performances on a rolling basis in line with Government advice. It added that different theatre’s and productions would likely open at different times.
SOLT made the decision to close West End theatre’s with immediate effect on 16 March 2020 following a UK government press conference earlier on the day asking people to avoid unnecessary gatherings. A New York state ban of all gatherings of more than 500 had seen Broadway theatre’s close on 12 March 2020.
Statement from the Society of London Theatre (SOLT)”
“London’s West End looks forward to welcoming audiences back into theatres as soon as performances can safely resume.
To give our customers some clarity, we have been cancelling performances across the West End on a rolling basis, in line with the latest advice from the Government.
We are now extending those cancellations until Sunday 28 June.
This does not mean theatres will reopen on 29 June; if further cancellations are necessary they will continue to be announced on a rolling basis. Different theatres and productions are likely to reopen at different times.
Ticketholders for affected performances do not need to do anything. They will be contacted by the organisation from which they bought their tickets to arrange a refund, credit note or exchange for a later date.
We are grateful to customers for the patience they are showing during this challenging time for our industry. With 300,000 people visiting West End theatres in a normal week, it’s a major undertaking to process refunds, exchanges and credit notes, particularly when many staff are working remotely. Please rest assured that we are all working as quickly as we can and we appreciate the on-going support of our audiences.”
