Netflix has provided funds to support UK theatre workers amid COVID-19, while the Louvre shifted its entire allocation of tickets after reopening on Monday…
Theatre Artists Fund
Theatre practitioners in the UK will have access to grants via a new fund launched by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre.
The fund has been established with a £500,000 donation from Netflix to specifically support those who have been ineligible for Government aid and have not been able to work since theatres closed on March 16 due to Covid-19.
Spearheaded by director Sam Mendes the fund will provide short-term relief to hundreds of theatre workers and freelancers across the UK. The grants will be £1,000 each, and the full criteria is available to view on the Theatre Artists Fund website.
Mendes said: “We have created a fund to which the most vulnerable freelance theatre practitioners can now apply. It is specifically designed for theatre workers who find themselves at breaking point, for those unable to put food on the table or to pay bills, or for those considering leaving the profession altogether.
“The Theatre Artists Fund is not for buildings, or regular staff, but for freelance artists who actually make the shows that the public pay to see.”
Julian Bird, chief executive of SOLT, added: “Our industry is an ecosystem and so this scheme has been designed to provide a short-term lifeline to the core workforce of that ecosystem, with an emphasis on supporting those from underrepresented communities. I would like to thank Sam Mendes for his inspiration in the establishment of this fund, and thank Netflix for their enabling donation.
“While we currently don’t have enough funds to help everyone, we call on those companies and individuals who have thrived in the sector and those who can’t imagine a future without theatre, to give generously to help sustain this fund for a generation of workers that are at genuine risk.”
The Louvre, the world’s largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris, sold out of the 7,400 tickets available when it reopened Monday.
The museum, which has been closed since March 13, typically welcomes between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors a day, equating to €40m in lost revenues over the four months, according to Nadia Refsi, head of the museum’s press division.
Due to social distancing measures and reduced tourism, the landmark expects to bring in, at most, 20 to 30 per cent less revenue than last summer.
Several NFL American football teams have revealed that season ticket holders can opt out of the 2020 season and roll over existing payments to next season.
The Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans are among those to offer fans the option to skip this year due to COVID-19.
While the league maintains the season will go ahead as planned with no current communication on COVID-related measures, several teams are preparing for the potential need to significantly reduce stadium seating capacities to allow for social distancing.
The Eagles said in an email to fans: “We understand that, even with safety measures in place, you may have concerns about attending games in person.
“As such, we would like to offer you the option to defer your season tickets for the 2020 season. If you choose this option, we will pause your account for 2020 and resume your account in 2021 with the same seat locations you would have had in 2020. If applicable, your SBL and any other ticket or club seat license agreement will remain in effect and you will resume season ticket purchases in 2021.”
The Titans told fans that they can also choose to receive a refund and informed buyers that remaining instalments on payment plans have been suspended as of July 1.
Teams are also leaving room for the possibility of cancelled games, with the Patriots telling fans that they will receive a full refund for the face value of their ticket in such an instance, or that they will be able to apply the full amount of a cancelled game as a credit toward a future ticket purchase.
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