UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 01 APRIL 2021
The Attic Theatre, a professional independent theatre based in Stratford-upon-Avon, has been closed throughout Covid-19, but is planning to reopen in July with an outdoor Shakespeare festival.
The festival, which will run over four weekends, will be a celebration of the return of UK theatres in July and will feature local actors alongside RBC Acting students in the productions. The festival will also support Acting students who have had their studies disrupted and a number of creatives.
Theatres are a key part of tourism in Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of Shakespeare, which has been hit badly by the pandemic. The programme for the festival includes three performances a day, which will last up to 90 minutes each and will be rehearsed in three days.
Due to the Attic Theatre’s forced closure and lack of income, RBC Visiting Tutor and Acting alumnus John Partridge, who manages the venue, is trying to raise £5,000 for the festival.
John said: “It has been a very difficult and challenging time for all venues and theatre companies throughout the pandemic. A lot of difficult financial discussions have been had, and many companies have sadly fallen away due to the length of the pandemic. The Attic Theatre has been incredibly fortunate to have survived for so long. We were lucky enough to receive some small financial grants from the local council along with £10,000 being raised by our loyal supporters to cover the overheads of the theatre over the past year. That money has sustained us this far and we are optimistic that we can make it through this year if audiences come out. That being said, the entirety of our reserve funds has gone towards rental payments and overheads, so even though we can survive, we have no capital to invest in such a project. We have applied for various grants and we hope with our fundraising campaign we will be able to produce this wonderful event.”