Coronavirus: ‘I can’t wait…’ – theatre leaders reveal their hopes for a post-crisis future

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Shakespeare

Top row: Jenny Sealey, Suba Das, Fiona Allan, Jamie Wilson. Bottom row: Rufus Norris, Maureen Beattie, David Hutchinson, Indhu Rubasingham. Photos: Micha Theiner/Pamela Raith/Alex Brenner/The Other Richard/Darren Bell/Mark Douet

Rufus Norris, National Theatre director and joint chief executive
It takes less than a minute to walk from my desk to the back of the Olivier stalls, and often during an evening shift I will make that journey and stand for a few precious minutes in the company of a thousand audience members while the show unfolds. I have missed this on so many evenings in the last month – that reminder that what we do is hold each other: in story, humanity, sorrow, ridiculousness, sometimes even to account. First night back, I’ll be there, at the back.

Jenny Sealey, Graeae artistic director
I am looking forward to thanking my team in person for their profound resilience, understanding, creativity and commitment and being back in our building, making theatre and having our daily lives abuzz with artists, families, young people and local community. I am also looking forward to thanking ACE in person for their exemplary leadership and guidance and to being part of a new dawn and hoping that we have learnt from this.

David Hutchinson, Selladoor Worldwide chief executive
I’m looking forward to that feeling of excitement with a touch of indigestion, having throttled down a pre-theatre dinner to make it in time for the last few notes of the musicians in the band warming up, ahead of curtain open. First thing I’m going to do when theatres reopen is take a trip to each of our regional theatres to celebrate the reopening of the theatres with our incredible teams who have been working like superheros over this challenging period to keep audiences and our communities engaged and up to date.

Michael Longhurst, Donmar Warehouse artistic director
I’m so inspired by the collaboration and support between artistic and executive directors across the country right now, by all the messages and ticket donations we’ve received, by the many moments of individual and collective creativity under these conditions that have moved me to laughter and tears, and by the surge in civic spirit – initiatives such as deliveraid.co.uk to feed front-line NHS workers. I want to get off Zoom calls for a moment to reflect on the lasting change this will cause our society. But I cannot wait to reconnect with a buzzing audience from our theatre, after a profound experience of sharing space.

Steve Bassam, Royal Exchange Theatre Elders Company member
I miss the Royal Exchange Theatre’s coaching enabling my confidence to stand up and perform and the camaraderie, humour and supportive hugs of Elder’s Company members. I miss walking into the magnificent building that houses the Royal Exchange and feeling in awe, yet so at home. I’m looking forward to taking my seat in the Royal Exchange’s amazing theatre in-the-round for another quality production. I’m looking forward to a joyous reunion with the Elder’s Company, entering our rehearsal space and performing together, leading to my first experience on stage with a live audience.

Robert Hastie, Sheffield Theatres artistic director
Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, playing at the Crucible in Sheffield before the shutdown, contains the line “What is the city but the people?”. Seeing our streets – and theatres – empty, the sentiment seems spot on. Theatre is people coming together to tell stories. The good news is that there’s no shortage of stories and human beings are endlessly inventive. We’ll be back.

Nadia Fall, Theatre Royal Stratford East artistic director
I cannot wait to be back in the building – where we are free to walk into each other’s offices with a bright idea, a question or even just a gossip, and not having to schedule a Zoom meeting. I cannot wait to hear the din of punters gathering for pre-theatre drinks in the bar and the music striking up downstairs. I cannot wait to taste the daily cake offering from Ash in box office rather than marvelling at her baking online. And most of all I cannot wait to sit in the auditorium among an audience of people watching a live performance. I crave those communal moments of laughter or pin-drop silence and I’ll have a proper blubber when that happens. I think we all will.

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Michael Harrison, producer
I am looking forward to getting back to the escapism that live theatre and entertainment provides. I’m looking forward to not taking for granted everything we had before and using this as an opportunity to reassess many aspects of our businesses and lives. I have five shows planned to open in the West End this year and one way or another I’m making them all happen. My shows have always been about entertaining people and I look forward to when we can do that again. My shoulders will drop when I walk back into the London Palladium.

Fiona Allan, Birmingham Hippodrome chief executive and artistic director
Probably what I’m missing most is seeing our audiences – full of anticipation and high spirits on the way into the theatre, and then buzzing with energy on the way out. I miss people congregating, and sharing experiences. Cancelling our schools’ programme, free festivals and foyer performances has been heartbreaking. I’m looking forward to Birmingham Hippodrome returning to being a vibrant, alive cultural centre for everyone to enjoy.

Chris Stafford, Leicester Curve chief executive
Nothing beats the buzz and excitement of seeing our theatre full with audiences, artists and participants – Curve is a creative home for so many people and I can’t wait until the day we can open our doors, bring our team together again and return to being a live theatre and community hub once more.

Jamie Wilson, producer
This is a difficult period for us all in many ways, and I, along with so many other people, am looking forward to a time when the theatre industry can unite once again in collaboration, conversation, passion and determination to bring life into these beautiful theatres and spaces. Bringing entertainment and joy to audiences once again will be truly extraordinary.

Suba Das, HighTide artistic director
I’m looking forward to seeing all those front of house heroes who are the lifeblood of any theatre. So the first thing I’ll do is buy a (slightly overpriced, definitely large) Merlot in one of my favourite theatre bars. And I know people are already saying they don’t ever want to see a play about this madness, but I’m really looking forward to seeing how our young and diverse writers creatively respond to and process this crisis – and hoping we don’t lose sight of our need to support that.

Paul Woolf, Portsmouth King’s Theatre chief executive
My next instinct would be to hug every member of our first audience, although that may still be big no-no. I’ve missed is the hum of energy created in the theatre, when it’s bustling with excited punters and performers alike. I’m looking forward to seeing the joy on everyone’s face after the first show, it’s what this business is all about after all.

Lorne Campbell, National Theatre Wales artistic director
I am looking forward to travelling across Wales to visit a host of venues. I love being in a theatre for the first time, watching how its audience take possession of it, settle themselves and then welcome a performance into their space, the performance is the visitor, the audience and architecture are the hosts.

James Brining, Leeds Playhouse artistic director/joint CEO
The first thing I’ll do when Leeds Playhouse reopens is check the ghost lights are still burning and remind myself of their uniquely brilliant character. What I’ve missed most is the people. The playhouse is a safe space for many different people and without them it’s an empty shell. I can’t wait to throw open our doors.

Indhu Rubasingham, Kiln Theatre artistic director
The first thing I will do is buy an americano from the cafe at the front, then walk down the corridor into the theatre and stand on the stage. But I’ll probably have to update my pass first. I’m looking forward to sitting in the auditorium with an audience, as the lights go down in anticipation for the show to start – a moment to relish and never take for granted again. And mostly being able to hang out and work with the brilliant Kiln team in our beautiful building. Theatre is about people, collaboration and community – all of which I am hugely missing.

Indhu Rubasingham. Photo: Mark Douet.

Tamara Harvey. Photo: Eliza Power

Tamara Harvey, Theatr Clwyd artistic director
Slightly to my surprise, the first thing I thought of was sitting in our theatre – at the back, where I sometimes slip in at the end of a long day to catch a few moments of whatever’s on. That feeling of community in the darkness, – the shared human experience. (To my surprise because our seats are old and knackered, but turns out I even miss the lumpy bits.)

Sean Foley, Birmingham Repertory Theatre artistic director
I am looking forward to the first big laugh, that moment when you’re doing comedy that you pray for… when the audience suddenly – like they’ve all decided this moment together beforehand in the bar – connect with the actors and the play and themselves in an inspiring collective display of apprehension, relaxation, and celebration, at the very same time… and BOOM.

Paul Miller, Orange Tree Theatre artistic director
Gather round, and we’ll tell you a story. It’s one of the few times in human history that this isn’t possible. Communion: coming together is always subversive. I look forward to deciding once and for all which is my favourite sound: shared silence or shared laughter. Either is sublime. As long as it’s shared.

Joseph Houston and William Whelton, Hope Mill Theatre
The saying, ‘you don’t know what you have until it’s gone’, has never rung truer. Having this time apart from our venue has made us fall in love with it all over again. We can’t wait to get back, once again welcoming audiences through our doors and hearing the burst of laughter and applause filling our little mill and hearts.

Rosemary Squire and Howard Panter, Trafalgar Entertainment chief executives
What we are looking forward to most is working collaboratively again – theatre and all the businesses around it are about teamwork and we are most looking forward to that interaction with all our customers – whether audience members, students, partners, suppliers and so on.

Katy Lipson, Aria Entertainment producer
I can’t wait to work on making things happen within a definitive timeline – to cultivate projects, make new connections, offer opportunities and work on productions. I have missed seeing live performances and I miss being busy. I had to close five shows so cannot wait to work on bringing them back to the stage.”

Maureen Beattie, Equity president
As WB Yeats said: “To rediscover an art of the theatre which shall be joyful, fantastic, extravagant, whimsical, beautiful, resonant and altogether reckless.” That’s what we’re after when the time comes to reopen our theatres. And there is no doubt in my mind that that is exactly what the amazing, resilient, courageous members of our industry will deliver.

Lynette Linton, Bush Theatre artistic director
As a worldwide community we have taken a big knock and it is incredibly difficult, but despite everything that is happening, we find ourselves connected by shared challenges and achievements, and it’s amazing to see how people have been looking out for each other. Having said that, I look forward to the day we’re back in the rehearsal room. We’ll have a big group hug, a dance, put on a pot of Yorkshire tea and start to create that most wonderful of shared experiences: theatre.

Richard Twyman, English Touring Theatre artistic director
Your greatest fear when you run a company is that projects are cancelled, future programming falls apart and you will struggle to pay people: for all of us this has quickly become reality. But what I’m looking forward to most is when we, collectively, emerge from this, having lived through those fears. If, as an industry, we can embrace change with openness, bravery and a true sense of collaboration then I’m excited by what comes next.