The nation’s theatres are due to turn red tonight as part of a national day of action calling on the Government for financial help to prevent “catastrophic” job losses across the events industry.

Theatres and events venues will be lit up on the evening of Tuesday, August 11, as part of the “throw us a line” campaign, which is begging for help for the beleaguered live entertainment industry.

The idea of the red lighting to to impress on ministers that there is a “red alert” for the sector, with 1,000 UK venues backing the scheme, and music industry giants such as Peter Gabriel and The Cure.

They claim that if help is not forthcoming soon there will be a “nationwide cultural catastrophe” which would see 70% of events businesses such as theatres and music venues run out of cash reserves in the next two months.

That would mean that more than a million people in the industry are at risk of losing their jobs in the next few weeks – 72% of whom are self-employed freelancers, while 600,000 of those affected deliver outdoor events.

With no Government support on the horizon for the event supply chain, redundancies have already begun, and research indicates that 25% of companies will have served redundancy notices by end of August, this rises to 70% by the end of December.

In Plymouth, already more than 100 jobs are under threat at the Theatre Royal, the UK's largest regional theatre, after it saw income wiped out during the coronavirus lockdown.

The theatre’s fly tower, and the TR2 production workshop at Cattedown, will turn red during the campaign and the city’s other large events space, Plymouth Pavilions, is also backing the initiative.

Unlike other industries, events, festivals, and performances have been unable to safely reopen due to social distancing guidance and may not reopen until early 2021 – and opening times keep being pushed back, according to the Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA).

That trade association is behind the call to action with support from more than 17 other trade bodies, all wanting to save the UK’s live events industry.

On Tuesday, August 11, venues across the UK will be joining the nationwide campaign, the finale of of which will be taking place on London’s South Bank where a boat will carry industry players and journalists along The Thames to witness the capital turn red.

The Plymouth Theatre Royal's production and education centre TR2

Hundreds of venues are expected to turn their lights red, including those in Plymouth, along with other creative activities being staged in more than 20 cities across the UK to symbolise the industry going into red alert, and a final call to action titled “throw us a line”.

The capital’s finale will begin on a boat at 8.30pm, as it makes it way down the Thames - passing Royal Festival Hall, the National Theatre and the Tate, and more, all illuminated red.

As the boat reaches key locations, such as Westminster Bridge and Jubilee Bridge, hundreds of volunteers will symbolise the “throw us a line” theme creatively.

The socially-distanced call to action will “shine a light on the collaborative nature of the industry”, PLASA said, showcasing a creative experience and live displays containing messages from established figures.

Platinum-selling artists Peter Gabriel, The Cure, and Imogen Heap are a few of the many voices giving their support to this cause, with others expected to join.

Gabriel, singer, songwriter, activist and former leader of prog-rock titan Genesis, said: “The live events sector employs over 600,000 highly skilled people in the UK - event production, audio, lighting, video, logistics, planning, transportation, and technology - over 70% of which are freelancers. All of whom have had no work for the past four months, with little likelihood of restarting until Spring 2021 at the earliest.”

He added: “A lot of high arts have now been given some support, but people working on the festival side of things and in live events have been forgotten about, and I hope they are not forgotten about any longer. Around the UK they’ve created something which I think is the best in the world.

“Many of these people are freelancers, so don’t fall under furlough schemes. So right now, they are feeling the pinch very badly and if we want live events and festivals to stay an important British business then it needs to be supported."

Post-punk/goth outfit The Cure, led by Robert Smith (left), are supporting theatres and gig venues in their campaign to seek Government financial support

A statement from post-punk/goth chart-toppers The Cure said: “The events sector urgently needs Government support to survive the COVID-19 crisis. Without major, immediate support from the Government, the entire live events sector supply chain is at risk of collapse.

“The aim is to have financial support extended for the people and companies in this sector, until they can return to work. “

How to contact William Telford and Business Live

Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.

To contact William: Email: william.telford@reachplc.com - Phone: 01752 293116 - Mob: 07584 594052 - Twitter: @WTelfordHerald - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com - Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473

Stay in touch: BusinessLive newsletters have been re-designed to make them even better. We send morning bulletins straight to your inbox on the latest news, views and opinion in the South West. Get our breaking news alerts and weekly sector reviews too. Sign up now - it's free and it only takes a minute. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click here.

And visit the Business Live South West LinkedIn page here


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.

“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. The whole industry is coming together to ask the government to ‘throw us a line.’”

Andy Dockerty, managing director of Adlib, said: “The events sector has been absolutely devastated by the COVID-19 crisis, and there are few signs of any significant restart in the near future.

“Without immediate support, the entire live events supply chain is at risk of collapse, and some 1 million highly skilled professionals face many more months of financial uncertainty.

“We need the Government to understand the urgency of the situation, and so we call on industry members to make their voices heard and join us on the evening of August 11.”