Norwich Theatre borrows big-top tent for six-week outdoor 'Interlude'

The show will go on for Norwich Theatre Royal - but it will have to be staged in a big-top tent next door.

Venues and theatre bosses in the city have come together to plan a six-week programme of Covid-secure outdoor performances.

Titled 'Interlude', the tent in Chapelfield Gardens will host socially-distant audiences of up to 248 for everything from music and comedy to cabaret and circus.

Stephen Crocker, Chief Executive of Norwich Theatre, said people would be seated in social bubbles - with a series of safety measures in place.

"It will be different," he said. "But I don't think the magic of being in a space seeing performance will be lost.

"The reason why buildings like the Theatre Royal and the Playhouse exist is that experience of bringing people together - to laugh together, to smile together, to cry together. That's what's been missing.

"This challenge for arts and culture is not about buildings versus artists or large versus small, it's about going back to the core thing: bringing people together for performance.

Interlude has been produced by Norwich Theatre in partnership with Lost in Translation Circus, whose tent has been borrowed for the temporary performance venue. It has also been supported by Norwich City Council and Norwich BID.

The event will open with Norfolk comedian Karl Minns and will include the transfer of many shows originally intended for the Playhouse summer season, including Mark Watson, Arabella Weir, Round the Horne, Ben Hart and Graffiti Classics.

There will be circus performances for all ages from Lost in Translation Circus with international guests.

The National Centre for Writing, Norwich Puppet Theatre, The Garage and Norwich Arts Centre will also be involved in performances.

Last month, Norwich Theatre announced a "major restructure" as it struggled with the "huge financial losses" caused by the coronavirus pandemic. More than half of its 217 staff were put at risk of redundancy.

"The whole world is fighting coronavirus and we've lost some battles along the way," said Mr Crocker. "I didn't want us to have restructure but we had to.

"What I'm really keen to do is to make sure audiences come back to us. What worries me most is that the longer our buildings remain closed, the more people remain concerned and fearful about coming back to us. That's why Interlude is so important."