Guest Blog: Jason Gale On The Importance of Theatre in The London Lifestyle Awards

When I first created the London Lifestyle Awards® back in 2009, one of the initial categories that I wrote on my A4 sheet of paper was 'Theatre Show of the Year'.

There were several reasons for doing this and, from the first awards in 2010 right up until this year, it has remained one of the most nominated and most voted for categories across the entire awards.

My inspiration for the London Lifestyle Awards® was born from my passion for London and my deeply held belief that London is the greatest city in the world. Currently, the LLAs represent an average of 18 categories every year. These categories focus on hospitality, health, beauty and, of course, theatre.

These are the areas that make London, and are sectors that we lead the world in. Of course, theatre in London has led the world for a long time and our excellence long predates the inaugural awards in 2010. I have always believed this to be the case when considering the role of London's theatre scene in terms of the wider world.

I first fell in love with theatre before I fell in love with London. Brought up in Hull, enjoying the writing talents of John Godber, watching productions, such as Teachers and Up and Under, I was fixated by this medium of storytelling.

Upon moving to London in 1998, my theatre-going experiences were upgraded when the glamourous West End became my stomping ground. A small area of the capital, yet the West End makes its impact felt across the whole city.

While sitting in theatres, watching stories play out in front of me, I was struck by the way that the art and passion of writers, actors and musicians feed large audiences. However, what also became apparent was how these full theatre houses also had huge effect on the localised economies. Their contribution is more than simply filling the bars and restaurants nearby; the energy that the theatre-goers brought to venues across the West End before curtains-up injects a sense of occasion in the early evening in venues across the West End.

We were obliquely reminded of this when bars and restaurants emerged from lockdown while theatres remained shut. Not only did our great bars, restaurants and clubs miss the revenue from theatre goers, but they also missed the aforementioned energy that fuels the West End buzz from about 5pm most evenings.

In 2020, the London Lifestyle Awards® received a huge boost when Alpha Solutions, a long-time investor, celebrator and producer of London theatre, such as Sunset Boulevard at the Royal Albert Hall, joined the awards as the headline sponsor. This was a hugely welcome boost, especially at a time when all of London was still grappling with the impact of the pandemic.

Alpha Solution also produced Best of the West End. Featuring such leading lights as Ben Forster, Mazz Murray, Kerry Ellis and Ruthie Henshall (to name but a few), Best of the West End bore testament to the importance of theatre to both the city and the people who live in it. One of the first shows to be held at the Royal Albert Hall after lockdown, 5000 theatre-lovers came together after being starved of live theatre for months on end.

I took a moment to look around this beautiful auditorium at the end of the stunning performances. Most of the audience was on their feet applauding and many, many people had tears rolling down their faces. This was not merely an appreciation but rather an outpouring of emotion; an instinctive reaction to the fantastic performances they had just witnessed. Their response demonstrated just how much their very souls had missed performance and how much we all need it in our lives.

London lifestyle businesses need London theatre, but - most of all - Londoners need London theatre. If I didn't know that already, the pandemic certainly taught me that.

You can vote for London Best Theatre Show until 14^th June 2022.

Simply visit https://www.britishlifestyleawards.com/londonvote

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