National Theatre Director Rufus Norris Discusses the Impact of the Shutdown on the Industry

National Theatre Director Rufus Norris chatted with Variety recently about the impact of the current health crisis on the theatre community as a whole.

Norris said The National Theatre is hoping to reopen in July, but they are preparing for a later opening if necessary.

"Every organization like ours is running numerous scenarios...The one thing that you just can't afford to do at the moment is rest on optimism," he said.

On the theatre industry, he noted, "It will take us longer to get back on our feet than other things simply because we depend on audiences gathering in large numbers."

Norris also commented on the economic impact of the shutdown, mentioning that some organizations have already shut down or gone bankrupt.

"All of us, to one degree or another, have got a ticking clock underneath us," he said. "Those ticket sales are just irreplaceable...The casualties will get more significant as time goes on."

Finally, Norris talked about the National's initiative to stream past productions online for free. He said that he hopes the content offers some entertainment and relief from stress during the difficult time.

"A lot of a lot of people in this country and around the world are having a very, very difficult time," he said. "If can we can give people some relief or some balm for their stresses, some entertainment distraction, that's great."

Read the full interview on Variety.