Written evidence submitted by The League of Independent Producers

Impact of Covid-19 on the UK theatre industry

1. About The League of Independent Producers

1.1.        The League represents independent commercial theatre producers and managers responsible for the majority of West End productions, and the vast majority of independent producers operating elsewhere in the UK.[1] (Schedule 1).

1.2.        League members presented over 2000 “playing weeks” of performances throughout the UK in 2019 and are responsible for the employment of thousands of workers in the sector.

1.3.        Such productions include: Girl From The North Country, Mamma Mia!, The Lehman Trilogy, The Play That Goes Wrong, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, and Wicked the Musical. (Schedule 2).

2. Executive Summary.

2.1.        In 2018, UK theatres generated ticket revenue of £1.28 billion, reaching an audience of 34 million people.[2] For context, more people see a West End show each year than attend a Premier League football match.[3]

2.2.        The theatre sector supports the UK’s multibillion-pound film and television industry[4] by launching the careers of actors[5], writers[6] and producers (including League members responsible for the Oscar-winning film, 1917).[7] 

2.3.        As a result of Covid-19, all theatre productions across the UK have closed.[8] [9] Theatre producers have lost their income source and have had to furlough or terminate the employment of thousands of workers in the sector.

2.4.        Given the scientific advice regarding social distancing, it is the League’s view that performances won’t be able to fully resume until late 2020 at the earliest, and more likely 2021. Without financial support until and following theatres re-opening, the UK will become a “cultural wasteland”.[10]

2.5.        Challenges. The sector faces significant ongoing challenges:

2.5.1.       Social Distancing: Social distancing is not possible in a theatre for either patrons or employees.[11] [12] Theatres need to either be fully open, or fully closed. The social distancing necessary for vulnerable groups and recommended for all people[13] makes theatrical productions economically unviable.[14] [15]

2.5.2.       Audience Reluctance: Audience research shows that only 19% of audiences would return to venues “just because they open again”.[16] Productions will have significant difficulty attracting an audience as theatregoers will be fearful of contracting Covid-19.[17] [18] [19] [20]

2.5.3.       Reduced Demand: Demand for theatre will be substantially lower due to an anticipated recession,[21] increased levels of unemployment, and drastically lower rates of international and domestic tourism.[22] [23]

2.5.4.       Insurance Risk: Productions will be unable to obtain cancellation insurance should any of the personnel employed on a production contract Covid-19. Without such insurance, productions cannot proceed.

2.5.5.       Difficulty Raising Investment: Raising commercial investment will be significantly more difficult due to an increase in real and perceived risk by investors, for which lack of insurance will a major issue.

2.6.        Recommendations. To support the theatre sector, the following government assistance is needed:

2.6.1.       Mitigate Risk: Provide or underwrite production cancellation insurance regarding communicable diseases.

2.6.2.       Encourage Private Investment: Increase the rate of Theatre Tax Relief[24] to 50% of 80% of total expenditure for a period of three (3) years from 1 January 2020, including any new expenditure associated with resuming performances once theatres re-open.

2.6.3.       Back Business: Extend the business rates holiday[25] to all businesses in the sector, not just theatre buildings.

2.6.4.       Protect Institutions: Support non-profit theatres through additional grants to the Arts Council to provide relief.

2.6.5.       Boost Regional Touring: Provide funding through Arts Council grants to encourage regional touring.

2.6.6.       Reduce Unemployment: Continue funding the Job Retention Scheme[26] and the SEISS[27] for the theatre sector at least until the sector is fully operational so that employees maintain a connection with their job.

3. Impact of Theatre.

3.1.        Economic Value. According to DCMS, in 2018 the Creative Industries contributed £111.7 billion to the UK economy of which the Cultural Sector contributed £32.3 billion,[28] employing 659,000 people, being 2% of all UK jobs.[29]

3.2.        In 2018, venues represented by The Society of London Theatre[30] and UK Theatre[31] generated ticket revenue of £1.28 billion and VAT for the Treasury of £213 million, reaching an audience of 34 million people.[32]

3.3.        Cultural Value. As the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak MP, noted in the House of Commons on 12 May 2020:

“The creative industries play an incredibly important part of our economy in this country, and they are also one of our great exports around the world and add to our soft power.”[33]

3.4.        This is reflected in the Portland Soft Power Index, where the value and importance of culture is attributed as being directly responsible for the UK maintaining its position as a global leader.[34]

3.5.       
Theatrical productions produced by League members that originated in the UK in recent years before travelling the world include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Girl From The North Country, The Lehman Trilogy, Six The Musical, and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.

3.6.        Value to the Wider Arts Sector. Theatre exists within and is integral to the ecosystem of the wider arts sector. Many of the UK’s biggest stars of film and television first made their start in theatre, from Judi Dench[35] and Ian McKellen,[36] to Jude Law[37] and John Boyega.[38]

3.7.        This influence continues behind the scenes. During the lockdown, 5.8 million people in the UK watched the final episode in real-time of the three-part limited television series, Quiz.[39] It was written by James Graham, whose first play was produced at age 22 at the Finborough Theatre in 2005,[40] and Quiz itself was an adaptation of Graham’s own play by the same name.

3.8.        Other examples include writers Phoebe Waller-Bridge – known for Fleabag, Killing Eve, the upcoming James Bond film, No Time To Die – and Chris Chibnall, whose first play was presented as part of Contact Theatres’ Young Playwright’s Festival and who later went on to create the award-winning ITV drama, Broadchurch, and is currently the writer and executive producer of Doctor Who.[41]

3.9.        Following their hugely successful tenure at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre, League members Sam Mendes and Caro Newling set up Neal Street Productions with film and television producer Pippa Harris. Alongside their many stage productions produced under the Neal Street banner, they are responsible for producing numerous hit British films and television series, including Call The Midwife, The Hollow Crown, Penny Dreadful, and the BAFTA, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning film, 1917.

3.10.    League members Robert Fox and Matthew Byam Shaw are among the producers responsible for the hit Netflix series, The Crown, as a direct result of their collaboration with writer Peter Morgan on the stage play, The Audience.

3.11.    Health and Wellbeing. The arts make a significant contribution to the health and wellbeing of society as a whole. It can aid recovery, support longer lives better lived and help meet major challenges facing health and social care.[42]

3.12.    As Matthew Hancock MP noted in his first major speech as Health Secretary:

“We know what the NHS does is life-saving. But what the arts and social activities do is life-enhancing. You might get by in a world without the arts, but it isn’t a world that any of us would choose to live in.

We shouldn’t only value them for the role they play in bringing meaning and dignity to our lives. We should value the arts and social activities because they’re essential to our health and wellbeing.

It’s scientifically proven. Access to the arts and social activities improves people’s mental and physical health.”[43]

3.13.    In 2018/19 in England, 77% of adults (aged 16+) engaged with the arts[44], and 29% of adults attended a theatre production.[45]

3.14.    A key finding of DCMS’ annual Taking Part survey was that people who “have attended arts events in the last 12 months are significantly happier than those who have not, even when other factors influencing happiness are controlled for”.[46]

4. The Role of Independent Producers within the Theatre Sector.

4.1.        Commercial theatre in the UK is generally produced by an independent producer or production company. The setup of a new production is funded entirely through private investment, and the weekly operating costs are paid for from the income derived from ticket sales.

4.2.        It is a producer who takes the risk and is responsible for creating a stage production; not the theatre, which is the venue. It is the producer who raises the capital and pays the fees and salaries of all personnel involved, pays rent and all operating costs to the theatre – including the cost of venue staff salaries – and pays fees and hire charges to third-party companies. A single production may support the salaries of over 200 people.

4.3.        In the West End most commercial theatre owners are also producers, but very often the majority of the content that is presented at their theatres is produced by independent producers.

4.4.        Some key regional producing theatres – such as the Bristol Old Vic, Sheffield Theatre, and Chichester Festival Theatre – produce shows for their own theatres; however, they also hire out their venue as a “receiving house” for touring productions presented by independent producers, and are dependent on venue hire or a share of box office income as a major source of revenue. Other regional theatres – especially those owned by commercial entities – are solely dependent on the revenue they receive from touring productions presented by independent producers.

4.5.        The League was established to represent the interests of independent theatre producers – entrepreneurs who are responsible for the commercial success of hit shows that make British theatre the envy of the world.

4.6.        In addition to shows that originate in the commercial sector, League members work with non-profit venues to develop and transfer shows to the commercial sector for the benefit of both parties. For example:

4.6.1.  Girl From The North Country, featuring the music of Bob Dylan, was commissioned by a League member and staged at the Old Vic Theatre in London. Following its run at the Old Vic, League members transferred it for two successive West End runs prior to its current run on Broadway.

4.6.2.  League members were responsible for producing the West End and Broadway transfer of The Lehman Trilogy following its initial run at the National Theatre.

4.6.3.  League members were also responsible for the acclaimed West End season of Touching The Void which was originally developed at Bristol Old Vic and Edinburgh Lyceum.

5. What has been the immediate impact of Covid-19 on the theatre sector?

5.1.        The Closure of Theatres and Productions. Since Monday 16 March 2020, theatres and theatrical productions throughout the UK have been closed.[47] The closure of theatres was in the public interest and the right course of action.

5.2.        This has caused some shows to close permanently prior to the end of their scheduled run.[48] Others have cancelled their run entirely.[49] Many more shows have been postponed without knowing whether or not they will ever be rescheduled.[50] [51] [52]

5.3.        In the West End alone, League members had 21 shows suspended, of which two have subsequently announced the decision to close and others are unsure if they will return. This does not include the many other productions suspended or cancelled throughout the UK or those productions due to commence rehearsals and performances in 2020 which have now been postponed or cancelled.

5.4.        In addition, theatre producers have had to pause workshops and rehearsals for new productions. This affects not just productions in the UK but also international touring productions that were scheduled to rehearse in the UK using UK-based actors and crew.

5.5.        Loss of Income. Producers and all the businesses and individuals that rely on the revenue they generate will receive zero income unless and until theatres re-open and performances resume.

5.6.        This has resulted in financial insecurity across the sector, including but not limited to: actors, musicians, writers, directors, designers – most of whom are freelancers or self-employed – their agents, technicians and all the other vendors reliant on live theatre including set and costumer makers, rehearsal studios, marketing and press agencies, and sound and lighting hire companies.

5.7.        Financial Damage. Productions are reliant on ticket revenue both for immediate operating payments and the building of advance sales for future performances. Covid-19 has caused significant financial damage to productions currently performing in the West End.

5.8.        In order to resume performances, productions will incur considerable expenses to re-rehearse and advertise their productions in the order of £250,000 or more for a play and £1,000,000 for a musical. Depending on how long until it is safe for performances to resume and audiences feel comfortable attending, many shows may not resume without significant financial assistance.

5.9.        Advance ticket sales for future performances – vital for assuring a production’s viability – have been effectively wiped out. Whilst some theatre owners have converted such advance tickets sales into credit vouchers – in lieu refunding the monies to consumers – these have no value to producers and to individual productions until such credit voucher are used to re-purchase tickets.

5.10.    Loss of Consumer Confidence. Theatre owners traditionally operate the ticketing for productions. As such, decisions regarding ticket refunds, exchanges and rescheduling is most often not in the control of producers, although it is the production which suffers reputational loss rather than the theatre owner.

5.11.    Where this has not been conducted in a timely and transparent manner, the negative effects on goodwill have been detrimental to the relationship between shows and the audiences who we work hard to entertain and attract to future productions.

5.12.    The Effect on Development: Flagship industry events such as the annual Edinburgh Festivals have been cancelled which has grave implications for the development of new talent and productions that will fill the West End, television screens and cinemas of tomorrow.

5.13.    From the premiere of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead in 1966 to the more recent examples of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag and the hit musical Six, events such as the Edinburgh Festivals are vitally important to the health of the UK arts and entertainment sector, and its global exports.

5.14.    Continued Uncertainty. The government’s Plan to Rebuild the UK specifically notes that even in Step Three “Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may provide difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to re-open safely at this point.”[53]

5.15.    Producers and theatres plan and programme productions up to a year or more in advance. Until social distancing no longer exists, it is impossible for producers to plan for reopening in an orderly fashion.

6. How effectively has the support provided by DCMS, other Government departments and arms-length bodies address the sector’s needs?

6.1.        Job Retention Scheme (JRS).[54] As of 5 April, businesses in the sector reported furloughing 68% of their workforce,[55] a figure which has since increased. This has been helpful in avoiding redundancies amongst the immediate personnel working for theatre producers.

6.2.        There is a grave concern in the sector that the JRS will not be extended until such time as theatres re-open and performances resume.

6.3.        Until such time as theatres re-open and performances resume, the theatre sector has effectively zero income. Any changes to, or winding down of, the JRS would result in extensive redundancies – negating the purpose of the scheme – and would further delay the recovery of the sector due to the need for new hiring and training.

6.4.        Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).[56] According to DCMS, 73% of the arts workforce is self-employed or a freelancer,[57] which includes actors, musicians, directors, designers and other creative team members.

6.5.        Due to the mixed nature of their employment and the requirements of the SEISS, many of these individuals have been unable to take full advantage of the scheme, leading to genuine hardship in many cases. The SEISS will also not reflect the scale of lost income from those involved in productions due to commence this financial year which have subsequently been cancelled or postponed.

6.6.        There is serious concern in the sector that no announcement has yet been made regarding the extension of the SEISS and whether such extension will continue until theatres re-open and performances resume.

6.7.        Business Rates. [58] The business rates’ relief for the sector has only benefited theatre owners and operators. It has not provided relief to the wide range of exclusively theatrical concerns including but not limited to: producers, literary and talent agents, casting directors, equipment suppliers, rehearsal studios, and set building workshops.

6.8.        This oversight has led to substantial costs being incurred by businesses in the sector at a time when all forms of income have been eliminated by the government-mandated closure of theatres.

6.9.        The League views it as essential that this type of omission of significant parts of the sector is not repeated when any recovery packages are devised.

6.10.    Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).[59] Producers and theatres have seen income drop to zero. Similar to airlines, theatre tickets are a perishable good, therefore any loan scheme will simply increase the debt load of the borrower with no possibility that increased levels of future income will compensate for lost income during the current period. Furthermore, theatre productions are a high-risk venture that rely on private investment rather than loans to fund.

6.11.    As such, this scheme has had limited value to many producers whose companies and productions generate revenue for the rest of the industry.

6.12.    Arts Council England Bailout Fund.[60] Emergency funding from Arts Council England is rightly and necessarily focused on the non-commercial theatre sector. As such, this fund has not provided any benefit to our membership, nor any of the thousands of workers employed by their commercial productions.

6.13.    Furthermore, there is concern by the League that the existing bailout funding to the Arts Council will not be enough to support non-profit theatres until such time as performances resume, as noted by warnings by Rufus Norris, Artistic Director of the National Theatre, and others. [insert reference]

6.14.    Due to the close relationship between the commercial and subsidised sectors, the failure of one will impact on the other. For instance, should non-commercial regional theatres fail, commercial producers will no longer be able to tour to those regions.

7. What will the likely long-term impacts of Covid-19 be on the sector?

7.1.        Lockdown. Given the likelihood of transmission in theatres consistent with any confined public space, it is anticipated that the sector will (rightly) be one of the last businesses to return to normal.[61] During the lockdown, productions are closed and will receive zero income.

7.2.        The creative industries will likely be more impacted than manufacturing or construction irrespective of the length of the lockdown,[62] and PWC anticipates that the leisure and hospitality sectors will be depressed for a period of three to five months following the lifting of the lockdown.[63] Given the effects of social distancing measures outlined below, it is likely to be an even longer road to recovery for the theatre sector.

7.3.        Social Distancing. Social distancing is rightly recommended by scientists as a powerful and practical tool in reducing the spread of Covid-19 and may be a required practice at least until the end of the year[64], and potentially until either a vaccine or treatment is developed.[65] Social distancing is not possible in a theatre, either for patrons or employees, onstage or backstage.[66] [67] [68] [i]

7.4.        So long as social distancing is necessary for public health, theatres need to remain closed. The UK government’s published guidelines for safe working currently do not address the sector as they are simply not possible in a theatre setting.[69] As employers, producers cannot risk such liability with respect to their duty of care for employees.

7.5.        Our employees and audiences need to be safe, and to feel safe.

7.6.        Audience Reluctance. Polling by Ipsos MORI found that only 17% of Britons say they would be comfortable attending large public gatherings (such as theatre) following the lockdown.[70] A separate survey of 86,000 theatregoers in the UK found that only 19% of theatregoers would return to venues “just because they open again”.[71]

7.7.        What is even more worrying is a U.S. survey of theatregoers in the Washington, D.C. area which found that 27% would attend the theatre less often after this crisis.[72] This is reflected in the UK, where some theatres anticipate a persistent drop in audience levels of 20-30% at least until the end of the 2021/22 financial year.[73]

7.8.        The core audience for theatre is aged 55 and older and are likely to be encouraged to continue social distancing unless and until a vaccine programme is widely implemented. It is therefore uncertain when people will feel safe enough to attend theatre in large enough numbers to cover weekly operating costs (let alone recoup capital expenditure) for some time once performances resume.

7.9.        Reduced Levels of Tourism. A study conducted by Ipsos MORI found that 28% of visitors to the West End came from abroad, with the number of visitors from the USA rising to 17% of all theatregoers.[74]

7.10.    As of mid-April, Visit Britain anticipates an annual decline of inbound tourism spend of 54% and a decline in domestic tourism spend of 24%.[75] The announcement by the Prime Minister of a 14-day quarantine measure for anyone entering the UK will reduce inbound tourist income for theatre to near zero.[76]

7.11.    West End shows are also a major driver for the regions. Most of the large-scale touring productions are initially produced in the West End and only tour if they have been financially successful in London. The Ipsos MORI study found that 43% of all visitors to the West End come from the UK outside of London. Any anticipated fall in domestic tourism will have a devastating effect on West End shows, and will significantly decrease the likelihood that producers will be willing to take the risk of sending out such large-scale productions on tour to regional UK.

7.12.    Recession. The UK economy is “plunging into a deeper recession than the 2008-09 financial crisis”[77] with a global decline in GDP “twice as severe as the 2009 recession”.[78] The leisure and hospitality sector has been “the worst hit and will be the slowest to recover”[79] with a drop in GVA of between 15% to 28%.[80] Even the UK’s Office of Budget Responsibility’s reference scenario anticipates a rise in unemployment to 10% which will decline more slowly than the anticipated GDP recovery.[81]

7.13.    As a discretionary purchase, the demand for theatre tickets will be reduced significantly during a time of recession.

7.14.    Insurance Risk. Productions will be unable to obtain cancellation insurance should any of the personnel employed on a production contract Covid-19. Such insurance would normally apply, for instance, should a star and/or multiple personnel become ill and cover the operating costs and potential box office losses for a limited period.

7.15.    Without such insurance – and with the risk that a single employee of the production or theatre testing positive for Covid-19 will cause a show to be shut down – producers cannot afford to take such risk. Without insurance, the show does not go on.

7.16.    Difficulty Raising Investment. Commercial productions are largely financed by investment from individual investors. It is considered a high-risk investment; on average, only one-in-five shows recoup their initial capital investment.

7.17.    As a result of the financial damage incurred (see 5.7, 5.8, 5.9) and factors outlined above as a result of Covid-19, and due to an increase in real and perceived risk by investors as reported to the League by members, raising capital to present new productions in London and throughout the UK will be significantly more difficult.

8. What support is needed to deal with the long-term impacts of Covid-19 on the sector?

8.1.        Mitigate Risk. Government to provide or underwrite the additional cost of cancellation insurance for productions with respect to Covid-19 and other communicable diseases on the terms normally provided for such cancellation insurance as purchased by theatrical productions.

8.2.        Given the likelihood that Covid-19 will present an ongoing threat to community health in the absence of the vaccine, without such insurance, producers and investors are unlikely to resume performances or proceed with new productions due to the catastrophic financial risk it presents.

8.3.        It has also been indicated to League members that insurance providers will no longer cover risk associated with any communicable disease in the future.

8.4.        Encourage Private Investment. Increase the rate of Theatre Tax Relief to 50% of 80% of total expenditure for a period of three (3) years to include any productions that commenced rehearsals or performances from 1 January 2020 that have been affected by Covid-19, and any new expenditure for productions associated with resuming performances once theatres can safely re-open.

8.5.        This would mitigate losses already sustained by the sector such that productions that were affected by Covid-19 are more likely resume performances once theatres re-open. It would also provide producers and investors with greater confidence to ensure that new and larger-scale productions are greenlit whilst the sector rebuilds its audience, thus ensuring greater employment.

8.6.        The eligible expenditure should include marketing costs in the calculation of such capital expenditure for theatre productions. Such expenditure is a core part of a theatre production’s capital expenditure, but was previously excluded to mirror the tax relief provided to the film industry where marketing costs are divorced from the physical production of making the film.

8.7.        The relief should also be structured to allow productions to claim such relief prior to the financial year end, and to make relief claimable against operating costs which also are currently excluded.

8.8.        Back Businesses. Extend retrospectively the business rates holiday – currently only available to theatres – to all businesses in the sector, including but not limited to: producers, casting directors, press and marketing agencies, design studios, and rehearsal studios.

8.9.        The ongoing financial harm caused to these businesses in the sector whilst theatres are closed will result in further unemployment and a slower recovery for the sector once performances resume.

8.10.    Protect Institutions. Support non-profit theatres through additional grants to Arts Council England and the equivalent bodies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (the “Arts Councils”) to provide relief.

8.11.    The significant risk to the non-profit sector during this period is just as great as the commercial sector, and the current grant to the Arts Council is unlikely to be sufficient to support such institutions until such time as performances can resume. The failure or delay in recovery by either sector will affect both.

8.12.    Boost Regional Touring. Provide funding through grants to the Arts Councils to encourage regional touring.

8.13.    This should be made available to both non-profit and commercial touring productions to ensure the health of regional theatres and communities as part of the government’s “levelling up” agenda.

8.14.    Reduce Unemployment. Continue funding the Job Retention Scheme[82] and the SEISS[83] for the theatre sector at least until the sector is fully operational so that employees maintain a connection with their job.

8.15.    Both schemes are necessary to support the health of the sector until such times as performances resume. Without them, widespread job losses are likely. Where this includes formal redundancies, some companies – especially regional non-profit theatres – may be forced into administration.

9. What lessons can be learnt from how DCMS, arms-length bodies and the sector have dealt with Covid-19?

9.1.        Closure Advice. The government should have been more explicit and ordered theatres to close, rather than just advising people not to attend. The advice left the sector uncertain as to whether this constituted force majeure circumstances for contractual purposes and whether their insurance would cover the period of closure.

9.2.        Government Support. Additional support specific to the sector and its unique challenges – including the large proportion of self-employed individuals – was necessary immediately following closure. The delays and continued gaps in coverage will have lasting negative effects on the sector.

9.3.        Period of Closure. Industry-wide consultation and advice from government is required to properly plan for an extended closure period, including any government-mandated requirements after re-opening. Widespread consultation and stakeholder engagement with all parts of the sector are necessary for any recovery.

9.4.        Future Planning. Theatre is an inherently social artform which is necessarily threatened with extinction at a time when social distancing is essential to public health. The government and sector should work together to ensure that the sector is better equipped to deal with future events that may lead to its work being interrupted for unexpected or unprecedented reasons that result in the closure of live entertainment venues for any extended period. Given the value of the sector to the UK economy, this should also include an exploration of the financial support specific to the sector necessary to mitigate any long-term damage and ensure its swift recovery.

9.5.        Consumer Confidence. It is worth noting that the venue operators in the sector who have been least efficient in managing ticket refunds have also been the largest organisations, responsible for running multiple venues. We believe that DCMS, in partnership with the CMA, should look carefully at whether the business and its consumers are well-served by such conglomerates dominating the sector in the way that they currently do.

9.6.        Skills Development. The development of on-stage and off-stage talent in the industry has been frozen by the pandemic, both in terms of those in training and the professional progression of skilled workers across all areas from acting to prop, costume and wig making. The creation of training bursaries and the reduction of student fees would be essential measures in restarting this essential backbone of what makes our shows successful.

10. How might the sector evolve after Covid-19, and how can DCMS support such innovation to deal with future challenges?

10.1.    Digital Theatre. Live theatre is an essential part of the wider entertainment business and its absence from the cultural landscape has been greatly missed. Substitutes for theatre have been wildly popular during the period of lockdown through free access to digital screenings of previously filmed productions. This has been best exemplified by the National Theatre at Home[84] – which to date has garnered over 10M views globally[85] – and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s catalogue of musicals.

10.2.    This has been a wonderful stop-gap measure but does not and cannot replace live theatre. Income from digital theatre may supplement income to a given production from regular theatregoers, but the business model relies on the production already being staged with the inherent associated costs. Whilst additional financial incentives could be provided to encourage such filming in future, they would not replace traditional sources of income should a similar challenge re-occur in the future.[86]

10.3.    Investment in the expensive process of capturing productions would be welcome; indeed, the digital preservation of key cultural highlights should be a matter of national pride and not something that should be left to be conducted at the expense of individual producers.

10.4.    Furthermore, additional innovation in the monetisation and distribution of such digital theatre could be explored and supported to mitigate the effects of an event that produces a similar outcome occur in future.

May 2020 (Updated)

Schedule 1

Members of The League of Independent Producers include:

Schedule 2

Productions represented by The League of Independent Producers in 2019 include:

West End & London:

Tours

One Night Performances: