Shakespeare's Globe Faces Uncertain Future

At NPR, Lynsey Jeffery alerts readers to a stark reality: Shakespeare's Globe theatre may not survive the Covid-19 pandemic without support from the government. Coronavirus-related lockdowns across the U.K. have put to a halt the theatre's primary source of income: ticket sales. A replica of the theatre where Shakespeare's plays were first performed, the Globe has served as a tourist destination and an educational site since it opened in 1997. And yet, as Jeffery explains, "[b]ecause the Globe is not funded by the country's Arts Council England, it has been unable to qualify for any of the 160 million pounds (nearly $200 million) of emergency funding designed to support venues such as it." More: 

…Instead, the theater depends on ticket sales, workshops and other revenue streams that require in-person contact.

"A little bit like every freelancer, it's very hand to mouth," the Globe's artistic director, Michelle Terry, told BBC Radio. "So when that income stops, we have the few reserves we've got in the bank. It's sort of like whatever savings you've got, that's how long you'll last."

In Parliament, Julian Knight, chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, has raised alarm bells about the impact of COVID-19 closures on many of the country's cultural institutions. Knight expressed concern for Shakespeare's Globe in a letter Monday to Oliver Dowden, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport.

Read more at NPR.