Coronavirus: More than 100 jobs at risk as Norwich Theatre begins redundancy talks

“The coronavirus lockdown saw us immediately lose 95% of our income and this scale of ongoing financial loss is no longer sustainable. With no large-scale productions able to go ahead until next year, no clear date for when we will be able to operate at full scale again and no public funding intervention forthcoming, we have been forced to mandate the chief executive to begin a major restructuring project to reduce our costs,” he said.

He added: “We know that this is a devastating decision for our staff and every trustee wishes that we had a different way forward… Without government support, we have been left with no other option if we are to make a guarantee to our audiences that we will survive this crisis and welcome them back to our buildings next year.”

Chief executive Stephen Crocker described the staff as the lifeblood of the organisation, and added that his team had done “all we can to support and protect them over these past few months and will continue to do so as we explore all options through this consultation process”.

“On their behalf, I remain shocked and angry that the government is standing idle as an industry that has delivered so much to this country and is so vital to its recovery is being allowed to fade into dust. I will continue to fight hard for our staff, our theatres and our whole industry but this is an incredibly dark day for us and for arts and culture in Norwich, Norfolk and the East of England. I am simply heartbroken,” he said.

The company’s Theatre Royal is the largest stage in the East of England, and hosts companies such as English Touring Opera and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, as well as the Royal Shakespeare Company.

It said that Les Misérables, which had been performing when lockdown happened, expected to bring in £5 million to the local economy during its five-week run.