Bristol Old Vic blames ‘farcical’ reopening of economy for delaying Giles Terera play

Bristol Old Vic has postponed Giles Terera’s debut play The Meaning of Zong until April 2022, blaming the government’s "farcical" re-opening of the economy post-lockdown.

The play, about the massacre aboard the slave ship Zong in 1781, was originally due to run from September 11 to October 2.

It will now take place from April 2 to May 7 at the theatre, and will be broadcast live to audiences at home.

The postponement of The Meaning of Zong comes a week after Bristol Old Vic announced that it will continue to offer audiences socially distanced shows throughout its autumn and winter season.

Bristol Old Vic artistic director Tom Morris said: "We will continue to work on our production of Giles’ brilliant and prophetic play, but the combination of the government’s failure to manage levels of Covid infection levels, their adherence to the rules of isolation until August 16 and the failure to release the prepared insurance scheme for theatres has made it impossible for us to create the show within its announced dates this September.

“It’s hard to be critical of a government which has been clear about the value of our national creativity and the businesses it sustains, and incisive in the investment of the Cultural Recovery Fund to protect it.

"But the management of the opening-up of the economy has been farcical."

Morris added: "The removal of restrictions (which has facilitated a massive summer surge in infections), suggests that the risk from rising Covid numbers is low.

"Strict adherence to isolation rules on top of this (ham-stringing businesses across the economy) suggests the risk from rising Covid is high. Government doesn’t appear know its own mind.

"The failure to reconcile these contradictions is causing widespread disruption across the economy (not just in theatre), crashing our faith in the Test and Trace system, and causing a frightening rise in infection rates."

Bristol Old Vic’s executive director Charlotte Geeves described the impact of isolation requirements imposed on theatremakers by the Test and Trace system as "seismic".

Geeves added: "At any point, half the company might be instructed to isolate for 10 days, interrupting rehearsals, delaying the show’s completion and increasing costs beyond recovery.

"With infection rates in Bristol approaching 1 in 100 across the population, the risk of harm to our artists and interruption to our business is very high."

Geeves confirmed that the rest of the theatre’s Autumn/Winter programme remains on sale.

Terera, who is writer, director and lead actor of The Meaning of Zong, said: "History tells us that when Olaudah Equiano first tried to tell this story in Britain two hundred years ago he was met with massive resistance, because the establishment knew the power that stories have to encourage people and bring about change in society.

"But thankfully history also shows us that stories endure while governments do not. I’m excited to continue building the production and looking forward to sharing it with audiences in the Spring."