With the watch in hand the British actors in the theaters: Fears of blackouts and generators that last only three hours

The theaters in Britain they fear possible blackouts from not being able to pay their electricity bills so they are negotiating with energy supply companies, dusting off the old generators.

The problems they face are similar to those faced by a large segment of the population as the war in Ukraine and its impact on energy supplies has exacerbated the cost of living crisis in the country, where inflation rates are among the highest in the developed world.

People need entertainment, perhaps more than ever, and musicals and Christmas shows draw large audiences, but overall ticket sales this year are down from pre-pandemic times.

Steve Mannix, managing director of the Mercury Theater in Colchester, north-east London, says he has asked the cast of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to reverently stick to the script for fear of exceeding the project’s time limit: emergency generators can only run for three hours. “In the 37 years I’ve been in the field, this is the worst period,” he adds.

Excessive bills

Even after a $17 million renovation to install triple glazing, energy-efficient lights and solar panels, which have placed the theater in the top 25% of environmentally friendly public buildings in the country, Mannix says if the government doesn’t help , the theater’s available cash will run out within six months, APE-MPE reported, citing Reuters. The theater’s annual electricity bill is expected to reach £120,000, up from £40,000 last year. It can’t pass on the extra cost, in part because a lot tickets they had sold out months in advance, and in part because theatergoers are cash-strapped.

“We know this is a difficult time for theaters and we stand firmly by their side,” a government spokesman said by email, without specifying whether energy and tax breaks for the arts would be extended. However, no relief is expected before April.

Figures are mixed as some London theaters benefit from tourists lured by sterling weakness, while classical music and more experimental theater suffer the biggest declines in audiences.

Ticket sales are down

However, overall, ticket sales for some of the country’s top theaters fell by 38% in the quarter to August than the average before COVID-19, according to data providers The Audience Agency. A brief improvement at the start of the year disappeared as the cost of living crisis took hold.

Nine out of 10 theaters are worried about their future with eight out of 10 saying they need drastic cost cuts to survive, a survey commissioned by Ecclesiastical Insurance and shared with Reuters showed.

Theaters rely on insurance in the event of cancellation, for example due to blackouts, although premiums have also increased.

Trafalgar Theatres, which operates 13 theaters across Britain, including London, said it has seen a 200% increase in energy costs so far.

In the small independent venues, where the budget has always been marginal, the battle for survival continues.