Cultural events hit by coronovirus chaos

A host of cultural venues across the East Midlands have closed their doors and issued appeals for financial help in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

Nottingham Playhouse has had to cancel its run of the Private Peaceful and has asked ticketholders to transfer to a new show rather than ask for a refund.

In a statement, Stephanie Sirr and Adam Penford of Nottingham Playhouse, said: “”In line with Government health advice Nottingham Playhouse is very sad to announce that Private Peaceful has had to be deferred for the time being. We will be issuing full refunds to everybody that asks for one.

“Obviously, these are unprecedented circumstances and, as a charity, Nottingham Playhouse will be heavily affected by recent events as we rely upon ticket income for over 70% of our income.

“If you would like to show your support, we would be immensely grateful if you could consider the following alternatives. By allowing us to retain all or part of your ticket price as a donation to our charitable trust or by exchanging your ticket value for a credit note to be used against a future Nottingham Playhouse production you would be helping to ensure the future of the Playhouse beyond these very challenging times.

“We look forward to welcoming you back to Nottingham Playhouse very soon.”

Also in Nottingham, the Broadway Cinema will close from 6pm on Tuesday 17 March as a “temporary” measure.

A statement from the cinema said the move was “in the interests of the health and wellbeing of both our customers and our staff.”

The cinema also asked for customers not to ask for their money back, saying that by “requesting a refund you would be making an exceptionally generous and much appreciated charitable donation to Broadway during these unprecedented times”.

The statement added: “We thank you for your patience and your continued support for Broadway during this unprecedented time. We hope to come back to you with a reopen date shortly.”

And in Derby, QUAD has closed, with all upcoming Mainframe events being postponed.

A statement from the Mainframe team said: “As you are no doubt aware, QUAD is a registered charity and a not for profit organisation. Closure and the time ahead faces us with difficult financial prospects. Please continue to support us over this time and donate if you are able to.”

Meanwhile, Nottingham City Council has announced the closure of the Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall, the National Ice Arena, heritage sites and museums including Wollaton Hall and Newstead and all leisure centres.

Leader of Nottingham City Council David Mellen said: “The latest measures announced by the Government will have a major impact on how people go about their daily lives. We’ve had to take some difficult decisions to close buildings that are a major part of city life but it will enable us to help limit the spread of coronavirus and focus our efforts on essential services which support the most vulnerable people in our communities.”