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Practicalities of re-opening in late Spring 2021 (previously Autumn 2020) - or thereafter?


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Interesting points raised by the Met's General Manager, Peter Gelb in this interview.  Applaud him for waving his salary while others have been put on furlough.  Oh, and bless him for at least mentioning ballet! ... Blessedly too he says that the House will not reopen until 'is is safe to do so' ... He spells this out ... not trying to dodge the reality .... I (perhaps I will be alone here) found that to be most refreshing.  At least his Company and audience know where they stand ... and what the exact goal of the remit is.    This was obviously recorded before he cancelled the Fall season ... and said if they did not open - as now scheduled - on 31st December 2020 .. that it would put into question the entire 20/21 season.  

 

 

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Tamara Rojo has just been interviewed on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4.

She repeated what she has said previously about the need for dancers to take 12 weeks to return to fitness and time on top of that to be performance ready. Asked about the specific problem for dance as an essentially contact art, she referred to the need to find safe ways of performing and the possibility of creating bubbles of dancers (my paraphrasing).

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Tamara Rojo was on the Today programme - in the last hour - for a few minutes this morning.  She suggested that one way to have the Company back was to have them work in small teams and with dedicated partners and to have continual testing. 

 

In a way this reminded me of the recent news from the US that 22 basketball teams are to go back - with all being quarantined in a Disney outlet.  They would be playing without crowds in attendance. 

 

Where there is a will there must be (some) way!!  One admires in each case the dedicated determination.  

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I think Tamara also said that it would take the dancers 12 weeks to return to full performing standard (I found it hard to hear some of what she said so please correct me if I'm wrong). If it takes that long then that could delay still further when performances can be resumed.

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There was a Q&A session last week with Alex Beard, Ollie Mears and Kevin O’Hare for ROH benefactors. I’m sure I’m not breaking confidences by advising that KOH said there was a date in the diary for company class to start again (14 July IIRC). Obviously that’s not set in stone but it’s a signal that there are proper plans in place for a gradual return for the company to be able to perform in some way.

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25 minutes ago, bangorballetboy said:

There was a Q&A session last week with Alex Beard, Ollie Mears and Kevin O’Hare for ROH benefactors. I’m sure I’m not breaking confidences by advising that KOH said there was a date in the diary for company class to start again (14 July IIRC). Obviously that’s not set in stone but it’s a signal that there are proper plans in place for a gradual return for the company to be able to perform in some way.


Sounds promising 🤞

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16 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

 

What depressing reading, Bruce!

 

I think the reality for many in the arts, Scheherezade, is sadly depressing just now.  I do, however, think this report was framed so that the requests currently in front of the Treasury - so vital for the future support of so many in our performing arts certainly - might have maximum credence.  Fingers crossed. 

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On 02/06/2020 at 19:28, bangorballetboy said:


The Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet (and the ROH orchestra) continued to perform in other venues.

 

Yes, other venues where social distancing issues would also apply: = i.e.  the Apollo, the Barbican, Sadler's Wells.

Even the Big Top approach (wonderful memories of the rain pelting down in Battersea at the same time as the downpour on stage rain in Fille) or Holland Park would be challenging in terms of audience distancing.

A post on Instagram yesterday from Anna Rose O'Sullivan (of herself and Vadim Muntagirov  in Month in the Country) caused me to start thinking of a number of shorter ballets which could lend themselves to the creation of a performance bubble, comprising a relatively small cast. But that would present additional challenges in terms of keeping the corps busy and engaged in the action.

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Tamara Rojo has just been on Radio 4’s PM programme. In the context of the theatre sector contributing £111billion a year to the economy, she asked for an extension to the Job Retention Scheme, the plight of freelancers within the industry whose expertise could easily be lost, and the need for additional support to help companies manage the massive reduction in revenue (already and if audiences had to be spaced out).

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Interesting thought piece today ...

 

I get nervous whenever I hear the buzzwords ‘creative solutions’, especially from the government when talking about the arts.

It often means there is no money forthcoming and is followed by a call to think differently. 

 

https://www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/digital-has-given-us-a-lifeline-but-public-perceptions-of-free-online-theatre-must-change-post-covid

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15 minutes ago, capybara said:

The Stage is behind a paywall, Bruce.

 

 

Oh, sorry.  Thanks for letting me know, Capybara.  I am a subscriber but I had thought that the individual links were available to all.  I see them listed in just so many places nowa-Covid-days.  

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5 minutes ago, alison said:

Quite surprising to note the number of publications which have - and haven't - made their Covid-19-related articles available freely to all :(

 

Particularly since (as regards articles that are not freely  available) you would think they would want the  content publicised as widely as possible.

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Some comfort, at least, in the DanceTabs interview with Vadim Muntagirov:

 

"What sounds very promising is that the Opera House is planning to let us in slowly from the beginning of July to do class in a studio."

 

https://dancetabs.com/2020/06/vadim-muntagirov-on-life-under-lockdown-and-dancing-at-the-roh-again-to-be-seen-this-saturday/

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Inspirational talk on the Today Programme just now from Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber who has managed to keep 'Phantom' going in South Korea through most of the pandemic. He was talking about innovative technology for tickets/admission, temperature testing etc  - all which will be trialled by his company at The Palladium early in July, that theatre having been specifically chosen because of its size/capacity.

On the flip side, he had seen the official report which is due to come out on Monday where an early draft suggested that singers would not be allowed to sing on stage!

 

The key Minuster in all this, Oliver Dowden, is on the panel of Any Questions on Radio 4 tonight. Questions can be submitted in advance by e-mail  [anyquestions@bbc.co.uk].                               

Shall we all try to send one in so that, at least, the subject of supporting dance to return to normal gets aired - {his brief covers digital, media and sport as well as culture, and the arts could so easily be swamped - again if we don't 'do something').

 

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Very much as a working first draft -perhaps others could amend, delete and expand as appropriate:

”in view of the enormous contribution made to the UK economy by the performing arts, the extraordinary and acknowledged benefits that live performance in particular brings to attendees, the devastation that lockdown has brought both to performers and to supporting staff in the industry and the fact that it has been uniformly recognised that social distancing is an unworkable model for the reopening of UK theatres, what active steps are currently under debate to resolve the impasse and save the arts in this country?”

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58 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

 

”in view of the enormous contribution made to the UK economy by the performing arts, the extraordinary and acknowledged benefits that live performance in particular brings to attendees, the devastation that lockdown has brought both to performers and to supporting staff in the industry and the fact that it has been uniformly recognised that social distancing is an unworkable model for the reopening of UK theatres, what active steps are currently under debate to resolve the impasse and save the arts in this country?”

 

My first draft was very similar, but I may not be in a position to participate in the programme:

"Given the importance of the performing arts to the economy, human well-being, and the international standing of the UK, what practical steps should the Government be taking and financing to support the theatre world to thrive again?"

 

Edited to add that I might send it in anyway - what's to lose?

 

 

Edited by capybara
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1 hour ago, capybara said:

I might send it in anyway - what's to lose?


Agreed - I thought a number of questions were read by Chris Mason and not by the person asking the question.
 

A little ironic that the Government that is so keen on claiming world beating status for every initiative, when effective would be more than welcome and has rarely been achieved, has an opportunity to help world ranking ballet, as well as music, opera, theatre etc.

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5 hours ago, capybara said:

Inspirational talk on the Today Programme just now from Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber who has managed to keep 'Phantom' going in South Korea through most of the pandemic. He was talking about innovative technology for tickets/admission, temperature testing etc  - all which will be trialled by his company at The Palladium early in July, that theatre having been specifically chosen because of its size/capacity.

 

What was said is now reported in full here:

https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/andrew-lloyd-webber-announces-plans-to-test-live-p_51802.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=19june2020&fbclid=IwAR18KnpoFoZltQFoisHZy9O57xgXouOI3Z6tklPP6XTCh-CueDH67Ib4AIs

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Well, a relevant question was asked on Any Questions? 

Three ideas were mentioned: drive through cinemas, outdoor performances and support for streamings.

None of these came from the man in charge, Oliver Dowden, who went to the default position of the arts benefiting from the extension of  the Job Retention Scheme through to October. He mustered no enthusiasm for Andrew Lloyd Webber's technology-based ideas on the basis that South Korea had a lower rate of infection than the UK.

Not good enough. Bitterly, bitterly disappointing and deeply, deeply worrying.

 

I expect the programme is on BBC iPlayer. The arts segment starts at around 16 minutes.

 

 

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From an article (on Sir Nicholas Hytner's comments) in The Stage published today - 

 

Hytner warned that large-scale theatre, as well as opera and ballet, are unlikely to return "until the other side of social distancing", but said employers must be supported financially until that time in order to avoid irreversible damage.

 

 

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