Theatres lit up red in campaign to save live events sector

Theatres and other arts and events venues across the UK were lit up in red last night in a show of solidarity as part of a campaign to save the live events and entertainment sector.

Buildings ranging from the Lyceum in Edinburgh, Leeds Playhouse and the Theatre Royal Plymouth to the National Theatre, Hackney Empire and Almeida Theatre in London took part in the day of action.

Trade associations from the live events sector are collaborating to save their industry, building on the #WeMakeEvents campaign by events technology association Plasa which issued a “Red Alert” last week to symbolise the imminent danger the industry is in without financial support from the government.

Theatre Royal Plymouth

There were also creative activities in over 20 cities around the UK to symbolise how the industry has gone into “red alert, including a boat illuminated in red sailing down the Thames. As the boat reached key locations, volunteers with phones and lights glowing red responded as a symbolic way of “throwing a line” for help.

Peter Heath, managing director of Plasa, said: “The live events industry supply chain, essential to every single event in the UK, is set to completely collapse without financial support from the government, due to social distancing prohibiting mass events.

National Theatre London

“Large-scale events are not expected to reopen until spring 2021 at the earliest, and the reality is that the sector can’t wait that long.

“We’ve issued a ‘Red Alert’ after using #WeMakeEvents because the sector is on its last legs, and now the whole industry is coming together to ask the government to ‘throw us a line’.”

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