The Show can now go on

Shrek Ensemble. Credit Brian Geach The Show can now go on

Karen Sweaney accounts for openings that lead the way in post-pandemic theatre operations

In early May last year, when the impact of Coronavirus was only first being felt, UK-based theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh expressed a belief that venues in London’s West End and on New York’s Broadway would be closed until 2021 as a result of the pandemic, telling the BBC that theatres “are going to be the last to go back.”

Sir Cameron, whose Delfont Mackintosh group owns eight London theatres and who has produced a series of global hit productions over the last five decades, went on to advise that unlike many other leisure venues, theatres cannot immediately reopen as lockdown restrictions get eased, stating that “it takes months and months to get huge shows like the kind we do up and running.”

With live entertainment among the sectors worst affected by Coronavirus measures, November’s opening of the hit Broadway musical Pippin at Sydney’s Lyric became the first large scale musical theatre production to open in Australia since COVID-19 led to theatres closing down in March.

Foundation Theatres and the Sydney Lyric had a detailed COVID Safety Plan for the performance which saw comprehensive hygiene measures with patrons required to wear masks and the venue initially not sold to full capacity.

Advising that performances will always operate in accordance with the advice of NSW Health, Foundation Theatres Chief Executive, Graeme Kearns advised before the first performance “we have detailed measures in place to assist with flow of patrons and to protect the health and hygiene of all who visit us.

“Our team has been working tirelessly to ensure that theatre is as safe as it can be.”

Following this, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s (QPAC) production of ‘Shrek The Musical’ was delivered, as of Saturday 9th January, as Australia’s first major musical to a 100% capacity audience without a special exemption required, since the onset of COVID-19.

However, the sector has had to be agile.

Short term ‘snap’ lockdowns to deal with isolated Coronavirus outbreaks caused QPAC to suspend performances of Shrek in mid-January while February’s temporary reintroduction of lockdown measures in New Zealand required Christchurch’s Court Theatre to operate under the country’s Alert Level 2.

Reacting to this, the venue re-introduced safety protection screens to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus in its auditorium and contingencies to keep patrons one metre apart.

Explaining how the venue coped with the restrictions, Court Theatre Chief Executive, Barbara George stated “the Court Theatre was a business of two halves that kept our patrons safe under COVID-19 alert level two.

“We had literally split our building into two with separate zones that catered for up to 100 people each.”

George added that with the production Winding Up with Mark Hadlow and Darien Takle having just opened “we had sold out shows with lots of people really looking forward to a night out at the theatre so it was fantastic we did not disappoint them.”

George said staff had worked hard as bookings under Alert

Frozen at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre. Credit: Capitol Theatre.

Level 2 were affected as The Court Theatre reduced the house size to create safe seating.

Another local opening, Frozen the Musical at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre, is having a more international influence, with the Disney production serving as a model for other global theatrical productions while also being used to inform the eventual reopening of productions on New York’s Broadway.

Since the Capitol Theatre hosted the international debut of the new production of Frozen on 10th December it has played to 75% capacity houses of maskwearing patrons.

The Sydney performances are the first of five Frozen productions on four different continents that Disney plans to have running in 2021 - the others being in London in June, as well as in Tokyo, Hamburg and the resumption of its North American tour.

Disney Theatrical President Thomas Schumacher sees that the Sydney, and subsequent, productions will each inform the eventual reopening of New York’s famous theatrical hub.

Schumacher, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the board of the Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway theatre industry, told cable news channel NY1 “it looks like we’ll be opening other parts of the world before Broadway opens (where) we will learn a lot of our protocols and can test how all of our safety procedures are as safe as we want them to be. We need to test it while we’re in a place with a very low infection rate.

“We’re going to learn a lot about audiences, about people’s willingness to buy tickets, how people feel about restrictions, and we’re going to learn about health and safety.”

The opening night of Frozen in Sydney welcomed 1,300 patrons who were not required to socially distance - although they were required to wear masks and follow other protocols, such as using contactless ticketing, and confirming they have watched a video telling audience members how things are going to work on the night.

Of the NSW safety protocols, Schumacher, who supervised the opening after a 14-day quarantine on arriving in Australia, said he was most taken by the QR code check-in system, which was used during technical rehearsals to keep track of all members in the building.

Having seen audience members being asked to register using QR codes before entering the theatre during regular performances, Schumacher sees this as a possibility for Broadway productions, both as a means of contract tracing and to ensure building safety.

Schumacher said everything started on time, with no complications or confusion from the audiences, explaining “everyone teared up when the first invited audience came in.

“You’re aware that it’s all about the people. The orchestra, the crew, the glorious cast and all the event staff - all of whom have been out of work.

“So you’re doing this to get them back to work. It’s thrilling because I feel like I’m eight months ahead of you as I can see what this is going to be like. I can see what the protocols are going to be like, I can see how we can work together and how we can feel safe.”

In addition to the QR-code system, the theatre’s protocols include deepcleaning the building after every performance, requiring audience members over the age of 12 to wear masks, setting specific arrival time windows for audience members and specifying the order in which they can exit the theatre.

The plan was tested during the COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney’s Northern Beaches over Christmas which led to the cancelation of Frozen for three days beginning the week of 21st December.

With performances resuming on 26th December, Disney Theatrical praised the NSW Government’s handling of the situation, while cautioning that shutdowns may be part of any reopening strategy.

In a statement, Disney Theatrical advised “the impressive and thorough testing and tracing operation undertaken by the NSW Government - which has allowed Sydney’s live entertainment to resume after a brief shutdown - is the latest demonstration of their strategic

Sydney’s Capitol Theatre reopened with COVIDSafe measures in place. Images credit: Capitol Theatre.

leadership during the pandemic. The fact is, these occasional pauses are the new normal as cities reopen theatres and we will always work closely with local leadership to protect our audiences, casts and employees.”

When Broadway does reopen, Disney Theatrical will be working to remount the Aladdin and The Lion King musicals, with

UK-based Trafalgar Entertainment, the new operators of Theatre Royal Sydney, have provided an update on the progress of the venue’s refurbishment while also announcing senior appointments - Jono Perry as General Manager, Nick Cook as Technical Manager and Houri Tapiki as Head of Customer Experience - the first members to join the Theatre Royal management team.

With work advancing in anticipation of welcoming back audiences this year, the first appointments to the venue’s management team, sees Jono Perry ready to contribute his wealth of experience in the entertainment industry both Australia Schumacher noting that away from New York, the USA’s different jurisdictions will have different requirements for reopening.

Commenting on this, he concluded “we don’t know what the obligations are going to be for the vaccine. We do not know what the obligation is going to be for testing.”

The Coronavirus pandemic has seen Broadway’s 41 theatres closed since 12th March last year, and will remain closed until at least May 2021, their reopening having been pushed back several times.

The Australian production of Frozen was originally scheduled to open in July 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic. Karen Sweaney is Editor of Australasian Leisure Management.

Sydney’s Capitol Theatre reopened with COVIDSafe measures in place. Images credit: Capitol Theatre.

Operators reveal new management team and logo for Theatre Royal Sydney

and internationally over 20 years.

Most recently as Wharf Renewal Project Director at Sydney Theatre Company, he has held senior positions at organisations including Opera Australia, Brisbane Festival and the Queensland Ballet. Nick Cook has been engaged in live performance industries for close to 20 years, having held the position of Head of Technical Operations at both the Sydney Lyric and Capitol Theatres, as well as, most recently at the newly opened Sydney Coliseum.

Houri Tapiki joins the team after most recently leading the Client Services teams at Ticketek which further enhances her expertise in leading customer experiences across a diverse range of venues and events.

Welcoming his appointment, Perry advised “the refurbishment and reopening of Theatre Royal Sydney is another significant milestone rebuilding Sydney’s cultural life (and) will reestablish Sydney’s CBD as our driver for the cultural and visitor economy.”

Sir Howard Panter, Trafalgar Entertainment’s Group Chief Executive, advised “the eyes of the international arts industry are firmly set on Sydney as it heralds a further cultural renaissance playing a very important part in the recovery and renewal of the creative industries.

“Theatre Royal Sydney will be transformed with international standards to house world-class productions from Australia and around the world from major commercial musicals, plays, ballet and live music. TE is collaborating with leading producers and promoters across its industry networks worldwide to establish a diverse programme of first-class theatre productions.

“Sydney holds a unique position as producers from all around the globe are circling to be one of the first to have their productions play in the Theatre Royal in 2021. We are currently in talks with producers across Australia, the USA and London, to confirm inspiring productions to relaunch Theatre Royal. We know this activity will play a key role in Sydney’s cultural and economic revival.”