Panto postponement latest blow for Alnwick Playhouse as it seeks further funding support

The club had been hoping to celebrate its 71st anniversary show at Alnwick Playhouse in January.

In a statement, the club said: “Alnwick Theatre Club would like everyone to know that this has not been an easy decision to make.

"The uncertainty of the coming weeks and months around the duration of social distancing requirements and all the regulations and restrictions around health and safety make it very difficult for us to commit to a production of such a scale.

"More importantly, the health and well-being of our cast and crew (and their families), the Playhouse staff and the wider community is at the forefront of our minds at this time.”

The panto will be rescheduled for January 2022.

Alnwick Playhouse, meanwhile, still remains closed.

Last month, it revealed that tentative talks had been held towards reopening in November.

The venue reopened in January following a £3.3m refurbishment only to have to close its doors in mid-March.

It has now submitted an application to the Arts Council England (ACE) Cultural Recovery Fund.

A column in the Alnwick Playhouse newsletter, In The Loop, explains: “Culture drives our economy, enriches our lives and shows off our creativity to the world. This is one of the reasons why the Government have made a £1.57 billion investment to protect Britain’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage industries.

"The investment into the sector offers hope to many organisations like Alnwick Playhouse. 92% of the Playhouse income comes from tickets and related sales and this revenue stopped overnight when we were forced into closure.

"Funding support for the Playhouse is more important than ever and the Playhouse have submitted an application to the Arts Council England (ACE) Cultural Recovery Fund.”

It continues: “Obviously the fund will be in huge demand across the UK and there is no guarantee of success but we believe the Playhouse application builds a very strong case for support.

"ACE has previously supported the Playhouse capital campaign through Grants for the Arts, as well as making a grant though the Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

If you can, please do pick up a copy when you are at the shops. Thank you for your support.