Weeks of live performances with star names have been announced by Norwich Theatre Royal as it begins to fight back from coronavirus.
Jimmy Carr and Karl Minns are among acts who will perform in a six-week programme, called Interlude, presented by Norfolk’s flagship theatre and Lost In Translation Circus.
The events will be hosted in a temporary venue in Chapelfield Gardens, in Norwich, and run from Monday August, 10 until Sunday September, 20.
Alongside new shows from Joe Ringer Band and other big names, many of the shows intended for the Playhouse summer season, including Mark Watson, Arabella Weir and Round the Horne, will run.
There will also be morning and afternoon activities and cabaret and circus performances from Lost In Translation.
It comes after Norwich Theatre Royal axed more than half their staff due to the pandemic, while the government revealed a £1.57 billion package for the struggling arts and culture industries.
Stephen Crocker, chief executive of the Theatre Royal, said: “After a prolonged period of closure, we are delighted to be able to bring live performance back to Norwich and to be working together with some of the city’s other much-loved cultural organisations to do so.
“The return to attending live performance still feels out-of-reach but, through Interlude, we hope to bridge that gap in a unique and, most importantly, Covid-secure way that not only delights our regular audiences but sees our city centre come alive over the summer, generating important visitors and footfall for the benefit of the whole economy.”
Measures put in place to ensure safety during shows include audiences seated in ‘bubbles’ and bars operating a pre-ordering and dispense system via the Norwich Theatre app.
Tickets, meanwhile, can only be purchased over the phone or online to avoid physical contact.
Alan Waters, leader of Norwich City Council, said: “This is really welcome news and testament to the excellent collaborative working we have in Norwich. Arts and culture play an incredibly important part in the life of the city, not just economically but also in terms of how we feel about ourselves.”
All tickets will be available online at norwichtheatre.org or via Norwich Theatre Box Office on 01603 630 000.
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