Producer Sonia Friedman Calls on the UK Government to Help Amidst Rising Concerns For the Future of the West End

Producer Sonia Friedman has penned an article for The Telegraph about her fears for the future of the West End.

"I begin this week full of apprehension that the industry I care deeply about, one that plays such an important role in our economic and emotional well-being, is now facing imminent catastrophe," she writes. "In fact, I've never been more worried about what lies ahead for the West End and all commercial touring theatre."

Friedman went on to say that the UK Government must step in and help out in order to save the industry. She notes that her concern is stemmed from her experience opening Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Melbourne in February before being told to shut down with no notice. The production is currently losing AUS$250,000 a week.

"In New York, there are schemes in place to protect producers, such as the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG). As things stand, we've got nothing here to protect us," she writes.

She ends her piece with a message to the Government:

"We can help bring theatre, London and our regions back to life. To do that, we need to reopen safely, with certainty and at full capacity - and don't give us that responsibility without providing the support. Before the pandemic, if producers got thrown off the horse, then we got just back on it again. That's not what I'm talking about. Get this wrong, and we wipe out an entire sector."

Read the full piece on The Telegraph.