Building bridges over troubled waters
No one is an island. After a year of living mostly in isolation from each other, it may feel like our individual worlds have become very small. Many of us have been living digitally and online; and others have not even had that luxury. We must never forget how interconnected and intertwined our lives really are. We are a human world wide web of interactions and connections, and we need each other; after all, there can be no actors without an audience.
This isn’t the first time our theatres have closed. History is littered with occasions when the doors were shut as a result of plague, political intervention or war. Theatre is also the place people have flocked to following tough times, hungry for escapism and to be entertained and uplifted.
As the country rebuilds and reshapes itself to life in a post-Covid world, theatre-makers must help bring us back together as a society and as a community; and each of us has our part to play.
Theatre is a collaborative process; it thrives on people coming together. When we do finally take up ours seats in a theatre, think of everyone involved in making that simple, magical moment happen. Think of the actors, the stage managers, the director and designers; think of the set builders and costume makers, the builder’s yard and fabric shop; think of the ushers, the cleaners, the bar and box office staff; think of the copywriter, the photographer, the graphic designer and print company that produced our souvenir programme; think of the driver of the bus, tube, train or taxi who got us there; think of the insurer who ensured our experience was safe; think of the road sweepers and refuge collectors who made the walk a pleasant one; think of the teachers who trained and inspired the actors entertaining us; think of their families who encouraged them; and think of everyone who has ever encouraged and supported us.
As we repair and build bridges between our personal islands, let’s not forget the role culture has in looking after our mental and physical wellbeing. If you’re reading this, the likelihood is you already have an interest in theatre. For others, the return of live performance may be very low on a list of priorities when compared to the stresses placed on the NHS. But we must make room for both. If we want to be entertained, moved, inspired, uplifted, educated, provoked, celebrated and nurtured, then we need to show our theatres some love when their doors are allowed to open safely again. Buy a ticket, drink in their bars, share and like their posts. “Nothing will come of nothing.” So, let’s do something to bring people back together again and make 2021 the year we rescue our theatres.