More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Furlough payments are to end for casual staff at some theatres, it has been announced, affecting hundreds of people.
Around 600 casual staff — including those at Dartford's Orchard Theatre and Bromley’s Churchill Theatre – will see their payments axed as the hard-hit industry faces a fresh sweep of job losses in the wake of Covid-19.
HQ Theatres said it had made the "sad and incredibly difficult decision" to inform casual staff members they will no longer receive furlough payments after the end of August.
Throughout this month, the company will continue to pay financial contributions for staff on furlough as part of the government's Coronavirus job retention scheme.
However, it has now announced it will no longer be able to keep staff on paid leave after August.
It comes as the scheme, which was rolled out to cover the cost of employees unable to work due to the pandemic, is being gradually phased out, with employers forking out 10% of wages from September and 20% from October.
A statement from HQ Theatre's chief executive Julian Russell said that casual worker agreements will be kept in place for all those affected, in the hope it will be able to bring them back on board in future.
He said: "Today we have made the sad and incredibly difficult decision to inform casual staff-members that they will no longer receive furlough payments after the end of August.
"We have met the costs of retaining casual staff on the scheme until now but, as the job retention scheme tapers away, it is not possible for us to do so moving forwards."
This announcement will impact 600 of its staff working in box office, front-of-house and other roles across 12 venues in the UK.
Mr Russell praised the "value, dedication and commitment" of the casual workforce.
He added: "It is our sincere hope that – on the other side of this awful crisis – we will be in a position to re-engage as many of them as possible."
The theatre boss went on to explain how the enforced closure of venues and the lack of clarity about reopening buildings without social distancing had forced the company to take this "difficult step".
Much like its counterparts across the rest of the UK, the Orchard Theatre in Home Gardens, Dartford, has been closed since the start of lockdown when all performances were shelved.
Across the county, shops, cinemas and pubs have been slowly returning to action since July and it had been thought theatres might – with new measures in place – follow suit.
However, theatres and art spaces and those who operate within them have largely been left in the dark.
And while the government's announcement of a £1.57bn rescue package last month was welcomed by many it was not enough to stem job losses as a result of the closures.
It led hundreds of theatres, including Dartford's Orchard Theatre, to light up red in solidarity with other struggling arts venues across the county last month.
The campaign aims to shine a light on the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on the UK’s events industry and push for greater clarity on when they can reopen.
Will West, technical manager at the Orchard Theatre, lit up the Dartford venue in solidarity with his colleagues again last Tuesday.
Speaking last month, he expressed his concern for the next generation of performers technicians, directors, designers and choreographers who he says will have just graduated after investing many years of their life to the arts.
"Theatre and the arts are all I’ve known my entire working life and I miss it dearly," he said.
"I look forward to one day welcoming them back once again with a smile."
Casual crew member Dave Kerry is among those affected but was keen to stress he had not been as badly impacted as other colleagues, many of whom rely on the work as their main source of income, he says.
"The management there have been really good and communicated well," he said.
"The Orchard isn't just a job for us, it's who we are"
"We can't wait to get back in and putting on shows but sadly that just isn't able to happen at the moment."
He first worked at the Orchard Theatre nearly 30 years ago and counts his colleagues there as his family.
He said: "I guess it's hard for most people to understand how close theatre people are. We look after each other.
"The Orchard isn't just a job for us, it's who we are. The love that we have for one another is quite unique."
Dave also works at Rose Bruford College in Sidcup, teaching the next generation of theatre professionals and says he loves it when he can send them down to the Orchard to progress their career.
However, he hastened to add this was by no means limited to performers, which he is not directly involved in, but also those with budding careers in lighting, sound and stage.
"The Orchard is incredibly supportive of students in technical skills," he said, with students from North Kent College's Miskin Theatre also encouraged.
He said: "Over the time I've been going in and out of the Orchard, hundreds of young people's careers have been launched from there."
The set builder described the light up red protest as "like a reunion", adding "when one of us suffers, we all suffer".
Events at the Orchard Theatre scheduled to take place before and including September 27 have been suspended.
In a further announcement today it was revealed this year's Jack and the Beanstalk Christmas pantomime shows starring Christopher Biggins have had to be moved to next year.
The venue and Box Office will continue to remain closed and the theatre has asked customers to retain their tickets for any rescheduled dates as doing this "is the best way to support them" through to reopening.
