Coronavirus: Half of Newcastle Theatre Royal staff facing redundancy

Almost half of Theatre Royal Newcastle’s staff are facing redundancy, as the venue deals with the “devastating” impact of the pandemic.

The theatre, which last week announced it would remain closed until November, said it would be making 44 of its 89 full and part-time staff redundant as it grapples with loss of income since closing in March along with the UK’s other theatres.

It is the latest venue to report redundancy plans, following the likes of Theatre Royal Plymouth, Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake and Wales Millennium Centre.

“The impact of the crisis has been devastating. The Theatre Royal is unable to reopen until social distancing measures are removed and with no income it means it will have to significantly reduce the size of its staff team.

"This week Newcastle Theatre Royal Trust is starting consultation with its staff – it has a permanent team of 89 full and part-time posts and is proposing to make 44 of these positions redundant,” the theatre said in a statement.

It added the majority of the remaining staff would be asked to go on to a retainer until it reopens, with just 13 staff continuing to work on reduced hours and pay.

“There is no current guidance on when audiences can return and this uncertainty has led to the trust making this very hard decision,” the statement added.

As a charity, it said it receives no funding and relies entirely on its share of ticket sales and related income.