Presented by Anushka Asthana with Elizabeth Newman and L Lanre Bakare, produced by Elizabeth Cassin and Axel Kacoutié, executive producers Nicole Jackson and Phil Maynard.

“Every year, 34 million people go to the theatre, double the number that attend Premier League football. But lockdown and physical distancing rules mean the industry is on the edge of collapse. The artistic director of the Pitlochry theatre, Elizabeth Newman, describes the impact.

Elizabeth Newman is the artistic director of the Pitlochry Festival Theatre in the Highlands. She tells Anushka Asthana about the devastating impact that the lockdown has had on the theatre, which is the largest employer in Highland Perthshire. It is facing making dozens of staff redundant or risk going out of business by the end of the year.

Lanre Bakare, the Guardian’s arts and culture correspondent, describes how disastrous the shutdown has been for theatres across the UK. The industry worries that physical distancing rules will make a quick return for productions and their audiences virtually impossible, leaving many concerned that without further government support, up to 70% of theatres could be permanently shut by the end of the year.”

Source: The Guardian News and Media Ltd.