Park Theatre’s Jez Bond: ‘It would be absolutely catastrophic to London if the fringe scene were to disappear’

FRINGE theatres in the borough have warned of the “catastrophic” consequences coronavirus poses for the arts industry, as directors scramble to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds to survive the lockdown.

Award-winning small, independent theatres in Islington have long supplied the West End with fresh talent and new ideas. But with many run as small charities totally reliant on ticket sales, they have seen their income wiped out overnight by the coronavirus lockdown.

Many have taken to creating new online content to help people through the lockdown and maintain a connection with the community and the industry – but it’s not bringing enough ­money to survive on.

The King’s Head Theatre in Upper Street recently celebrated its 50th birthday and had been looking to the future with a move to a new venue in the Islington Square development.

But its artistic director, Adam Spreadbury Maher, said: “We don’t receive any regular funding. That means that 80 per cent of our total income disappeared overnight. We had a really poignant moment where we wondered whether the charity would even survive to make the planned move.”

King’s Head Theatre’s Adam Spreadbury Maher. PHOTO: NICK RUTTER

He added: “There’s a lot at risk here, not just us but for the industry. There is no commercial theatre without the fringe. This is where the talent comes from.”

Mr Maher said the King’s Head needed to raise at least £100,000 to survive, and with stiff competition for emergency funding the venue has launched a crowd funding and ticket-return donation campaign to try to hit that target.

Jez Bond, artistic director of the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park, said the uncertainty of when lockdown would end makes planning almost impossible.

It scrambled to raise £300,000 to cover its costs during the lockdown, but  now needs at least another £100,000 to ensure it reopens.

“No one has a crystal ball,” said Mr Bond. “We don’t know how long lockdown is going to last. At one stage we didn’t know how much longer we could survive this.

“I got on the phones and somehow managed to raise £300,000 over two days. It was incredibly generous from our donors, at a time when everyone is asking for help. Despite that, we still need at least £100,000.

“We will survive to the end of the year, but our funds will be down to zero, as well as all our charity’s reserves.”

He added: “There’s a lot of running costs. We need time to mobilise, rehearse and run marketing campaigns. It’s impossible for us just to turn the lights back on the next day.

“It would be absolutely catastrophic to London if the fringe scene were to disappear. It would sap the fresh creativity and new talent right out of the industry.”

Ian Nicholson performing I Want My Hat Back as part of the Little Angel Theatre’s online offering

Directors are also facing up to the possibility of behaviour change after the lockdown ends.

Samantha Lane, artistic director of the Little Angel Theatre, said it was hard to plan for reopening when the willingness of audiences to gather in tightly packed spaces was far from guaranteed.

“We’re an organisation entirely based on people gathering in a space,” said Ms Lane.

“There needs to be some sort of ongoing support to the arts that looks beyond lockdown. We won’t be able to just re-employ everybody and reopen if the level of income isn’t there that was there before. This will have repercussions for the arts industry that are quite vast.”

Ms Lane said the Little Angel, which produces puppet theatre from its Dagmar Passage home, needs to raise £75,000 to maintain its new online focus for three months

She said she wanted to use the opportunity to create fresh online content, rather than simply posting filmed live performances. Online viewers can now access stories read by puppeteers and craft activities for children linked to those stories.

With tens of thousands of online views across their website and social media, Ms Lane said she could have never predicted the level of engagement, but warned the online content would not on its own secure the theatre’s future.

“You can’t monetise digital content in the same way you can tickets,” she said. “It will never replace the live art.”

Mr Spreadbury Maher added: “We put on shows the other theatres lean away from.

“We are the place where you can see the future. If you want to know what will be going on in five years’ time in the large theatre houses, it’s happening in Islington right now. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever, and it’s not coming back.”

To support your local theatre visit:

• littleangeltheatre.com/support-us/donate/
• www.kingsheadtheatre.com/donate
• www.parktheatre.co.uk/support-us/park-life-fund