Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Official London Theatre and SOLT have continued to champion the creativity and innovation of our world-leading theatres. This week saw SOLT Chief Executive Julian Bird and former SOLT President Kenny Wax recognised in The Stage 100 list for their tireless lobbying and advocacy, liaising with Government and bringing industry leaders together to find a way through the devastation wreaked on our sector.
As theatres and theatre professionals everywhere struggle to survive, Official London Theatre highlights ways that theatre fans can support the art form they love. Examples include donating to a charity like the Theatre Artists Fund which gives emergency financial aid to freelance arts professionals, or buying tickets and Theatre Tokens through Official London Theatre, which helps support our outreach and access programmes – so you get the joy of something to look forward to and the satisfaction of giving something back.
Theatre as a shared experience is hugely important for mental wellbeing, and Official London Theatre aims to help theatre lovers stay connected during the current lockdown. From 12 January, a brand new weekly series of live Theatre Chats will take place on the Official London Theatre Instagram, every Tuesday at 6.00pm. The series will bring together theatre fans and industry professionals to share their love of theatre.
The Official London Theatre YouTube channel, one of the biggest theatre-focused YouTube channels in the world with over 166,000 subscribers, hosts a wide range of behind-the-scenes content, exclusive performances, interviews and show trailers. In 2020, we partnered with Sky VIP on a series of ‘Behind The Curtain With…’ videos in collaboration with top West End shows, and look forward to continuing this partnership in 2021.
Official London Theatre also continues to promote online shows and events, with comprehensive theatre streaming listings on our Virtual Theatre Fix page, created last year in response to the pandemic. A new Family Theatre Fun page will be providing free theatre-based quizzes, games, storytimes and educational resources to help keep children entertained while schools are closed.
Emma De Souza, Head of Marketing and Communications for SOLT, said:
‘We recognise what a difficult time this is for everyone and are dedicated to supporting our producers, theatre owners and audiences in whatever way we can – collaboration is the key to getting through this period of uncertainty. As the official online home of London theatre, we are uniquely positioned to be able to share the joy and creativity of theatre in all its forms, and will continue to do this as we work towards reopening.’