Theatres, operas and live performing art venues across Europe are confronted with growing financial implications due to the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. Resuming artistic activities in the near future will be crucial for our sector to survive.
Despite great uncertainty regarding firm procedures affecting all departments within a venue and often a lack of information from authorities within Member States, theatres are working tirelessly to adapt their planning to the latest health risk announcements. More and more individual proposals for measures to unlock cultural places and activities are being developed.
What can we learn from our European neighbours? What are the options to not put employees, artists and the public at risk so that live performances can be attended again?
We are gathering proposals and measures developed for each type of venue and cultural activity in theatres. Observing initiatives to exit the lockdown in other areas of society, we are convinced of the need for European exchange to develop coordinated action.
Call to Action for Policymakers
Theatre is a genuine part of Europe’s cultural and linguistic diversity and its venues are important public spaces for an open European society. We therefore stress the importance of international collaboration and dialogue within the sector and with policymakers to steer the way out of the crisis.
We ask for a commitment on European level to support Member States to facilitate the exchange of information in order to enable coordinated actions to unlock theatres. We need to ensure the continuity of our sector’s activities with a European relevance once the pandemic shall be passed, and we need solutions to compensate for the financial loss due to the adjustments when gradually reopening our venues.
Call to Action for Members
Respecting all known health risk preventions, let us work on a joint approach of procedures for theatres to open again for the season 2020/21! Share relevant information concerning the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on theatre venues as well as documentation of exit measures and strategies developed by and for member organisations across Europe.
From legal frameworks, on to measures and practices of how to organise the reopening, timings, financial impacts, artistic choices and programme formats to communicating with the audiences: all aspects of the crisis are gathered in our survey.
If you are an ETC Member representative, please help and fill in this questionnaire (2-10 minutes) below.
Resources for ETC Members
ETC is compiling of all relevant resources from international and national institutions. All these documents are available for ETC Members only: click on the link below to access to the resources. Should you have lost your login, please contact the ETC Team!
Last update: New resources added on 23 June 2020
