London’s West End theatres will remain closed until August at the earliest, according to theatre trade body, The Society of London Theatre (SOLT).
SOLT has confirmed that the blanket closure of all venues will continue beyond the existing period, due to end on 28 June, with cancellations extended until 2 August.
All shows will be cancelled until that date, however SOLT said that certain shows may decide to stay closed for longer and that producers would confirm plans for their individual shows.
The trade body stressed that the new date “does not mean theatres will reopen on 3 August and further cancellations will continue to be announced on a rolling basis”.
SOLT Chief Executive, Julian Bird said “The decision to reopen theatres will be made based on government and scientific advice on gatherings and events. Different theatres and productions are likely to reopen at different times.”
The organisation is also contributing to the newly formed government task force, and sub-working groups, aimed at exploring how the leisure and entertainment sectors can restart operations following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bird said SOLT is working with government to “explore ways in which we can safely reopen” but stressed that mandatory social distancing will render it impossible for the majority of theatres to viably reopen.
West End theatres have been closed since 16 March as a result of Covid-19 restrictions, meaning all venues will endure at least five months of closure, even if they reopen in August.
