By Marie-Louise Gumuchian
LONDON – Andrew Lloyd Webber and other impresarios said on Thursday they had started legal action to press Britain’s government to publish research into the safety of holding indoor events during the pandemic.
A joint statement from concert managers and theater producers, also including Cameron Mackintosh and Sonia Friedman, said the industry had repeatedly urged the government to spell out its reasons for keeping restrictions on audiences in place.
“We simply must now see the data that is being used to strangle our industry so unfairly,” said Lloyd Webber
“The Government’s actions are forcing theater and music companies off a cliff as the summer wears on, whilst cherry-picking high-profile sporting events to go ahead. The situation is beyond urgent,” the theater entrepreneur added.
British authorities have conducted a pilot scheme in recent months, testing audiences at live events from soccer matches to the Brit Awards, to see if they can be held with full crowds.
The producers said reports suggested the pilot events had gone well, but the government had “refused to publish the results from the first phase of the Events Research Programme, despite saying that it would do so on numerous occasions.”
A government spokesman said the research programme was still running. “(The ERP) is gathering important evidence to help get all live events, including theater shows, festivals and gigs, fully back up and running once it is safe to do so,” he added.
The joint statement from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group, the LIVE music industry body and others also called for a government-backed insurance scheme to cover any cancellations of live shows over the summer and beyond.
“A joint insurance scheme to protect us against another enforced closure is vital,” Mackintosh said.
“Opening without any sort of protection is impossible for many producers, live event organisers and theater buildings across the country.”
