English National Opera Plans Socially Distanced Season of 'Stripped-Back' Productions

According to The Stage, UK's theatres have been given the green light to reopen on 4 July, but many have ruled out the possibility.

Venues including Curve in Leicester, Birmingham Hippodrome, the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House have all said they will remain closed.

Others, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, and English National Opera have said they are exploring ways to reopen.

The Stage reports that English National Opera is planning a socially distanced season of "stripped-back" productions.

To abide by social distancing measures, every other row will be empty and audiences will be spaced with a two-seat gap between them. Patrons will be required to wear masks and gloves, and will arrive at staggered times.

Chief executive Stuart Murphy said that this is now possible due to the recent reducing of social distancing to 1-metre. This allows the venue to open at 48% capacity.

The company also plans to perform a socially distanced opera festival later this year, with a cut down number of singers and musicians.

The London Coliseum is set to host an already postponed production of Hairspray in September, which may need to be pushed back again.

"If we have to move that, we have a plan B, which is a pretty carefully thought out socially distanced opera season," Murphy said. "We'll use our emergency exits and entrances, so we'll have three or four. We'll have staggered arrival times, we'll insist people wear masks and gloves, we'll have front of house behind visors and gloves... and we'll have socially distanced seating, probably with every other row empty and two seats spare [between each person]."

Read more on The Stage.

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