The head of Arts Council England said the 海角视频’s cultural sector will face a tough time as it emerges from Covid restrictions with staff shortages, financial issues and the uncertainty caused by the pandemic likely to cause problems.
Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of ACE, said there are questions about whether audiences will feel safe returning to theatres and concert halls, in addition to the financial health of the sector and whether a combination of redundancies and Covid will mean there are enough workers for venues to even stay open.
But he is hopeful the appetite for live music and drama will return and that the Government will continue to provide a financial lifeline, having already given more than £1bn to more than 5,000 organisations under the Cultural Recovery Fund.
But Mr Sertota, speaking while in Plymouth to open the 海角视频’s first immersive video dome, stressed: “It's going to be difficult, I’m not going to suggest it won’t. The recovery will take time.
“The biggest difficulty is that no one wants to, or can afford to, assume the pandemic is over. It will take time to establish the stability of the arts sector.”
Mr Serota, chair of ACE since 2017 and also a BBC governor, said venues had worked hard to ensure they were safe during the times they could open between lockdowns.
But they had been working with reduced capacity and now face having to reassure audiences once restrictions are lifted on “freedom day” July 19.
“Full recovery is dependent on encouraging audiences to return to enclosed spaces where they were either told they should not go or it was dangerous to go,” he said. “So we have to build confidence, but I feel people will come back.
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“A lot depends on what happens with the pandemic, but I hope that during Autumn theatres will steadily reopen and will go from 50% to 70% or 90% of audiences and regain financial viability.”
However, Mr Serota said smaller buildings, such as tiny gig venues, would face even greater challenges, not least because they rely on small teams of workers.
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He said loss of staff due to economic factors, and potentially with a surge in Covid cases meaning staff have to isolate, will be an issue. He said cultural businesses may have to rely even more on freelance staff, which could make them susceptible to having to shut due to lack of workers.
“Small venues face particular challenges, as they are run by small teams of people,” he said, “And if you lose two or three because of redundancies, or health, or funding, or lose regular contact with freelancers, it will be difficult to rebuild that sense of momentum.
“At the end of September, with furlough coming to an end it will be difficult, there is no doubt. They will move cautiously and many will return to hiring freelancers, but these freelancers will be on short-term contracts."
Mr Serota was in Plymouth to officially open the £7.6m Market Hall development, in Devonport. Community interest company Real Ideas has transformed the abandoned Grade II listed Victorian pile into a tech business hub, containing the 海角视频’s first immersive dome.
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Mr Serota told Business Live: “There is nothing like this anywhere in Europe. It’s so exciting and important for Plymouth”
He said it had potential to prevent a brain drain in the creative industries, by providing a space for growing businesses and start-ups, ensuring those trained at the city’s universities do not have to leave for cities such as London, Bristol or Manchester. He said it would also encourage businesses to relocate to Plymouth and added: “We want people to come here, this is world leading.”