With life gradually beginning to restart in many ways following what has to have been the strangest time most of us will ever have experienced, we wanted to update you on all things SMTC. Throughout the various stages of lockdown your committee has been meeting regularly (we’re all Zoom pros now!) planning for what comes next.
When we were forced to postpone Annie in March our hope had been that we’d be able to put it on in November. Whilst the government has set out a roadmap for returning to live performances and have advised that indoor performances can resume on 1 August, there are still too many restrictions around rehearsals and performances in place to make it feasible for us to safely, financially and legally go ahead with Annie, specifically;
· Limiting singing in groups or in front of audiences to professionals only (i.e. for work purposes only)
· Reduced venue capacity and limited ticket sales to ensure social distancing can be maintained [That would reduce Stratford Play House’s capacity to around 100-150]
· Social distancing applies to all parts of a premises or venue, not just the place where people spend most of their time, but also entrances and exits, break rooms, dressing rooms, canteens, foyers and bars, and similar settings
As there is currently no indication of when rehearsals and live performance without social distancing will be able to take place, and even if the rules were to change before November we now would not have the time to rehearse safely to get the show ready, sadly we have no choice but to cancel our production of Annie. As we have lost several cast members due to their changing circumstances, this also means there are no plans for a future run of the show.
So much hard work went in to nearly getting this show on the stage and we'd like to thank each and every one of you for the hard work and dedication you put in to it.
We've invited the young Annie cast to take part in SMTC's first online youth concert on Friday 28 August. Full details of how to watch will be shared at a later date.
As mentioned we’ve been working really hard on plans for the future for adult and child performers, and while the only thing announced so far is the adult production of Legally Blonde in November 2021, we have some other very exciting plans being cooked up. As soon as we safely can, we’ll be getting Choir back up and running; we’re looking in to the possibility of an outdoor concert; there’s a new youth opportunity in the pipelines for 2021; and on top of Legally Blondein November we’re exploring a small-scale adult show for earlier in the year and planning a social event for once meeting in larger numbers is possible. We look forward to sharing more information about all of this with you as soon as we can.
Thank you again for all of your hard work, enthusiasm and dedication, and know that we share in your disappointment at this outcome. However, the sun will come out tomorrow and we’ll share full details of our exciting future plans with you as soon as we can. We can’t wait to see you all again soon!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Ticket Refunds
All tickets will be refunded by the box office at Stratford Play House who will get in contact with bookers as quickly as they can. You do not need to do anything to request a refund. Please allow them 14 days to contact you confirming your refund before getting in touch with them. SMTC has no control over the ticketing system, so any queries (after 14 days) should be directed to Stratford Play House.
Rehearsal Photos
Our photographer Dave Fawbert took some lovely rehearsal photos, if you are interested in purchasing those and your headshot, you can download them all for £10 here https://www.davidfawbertphotography.co.uk/product-page/annie-smtc-digital-download. Not only are these a wonderful keepsake, but it’s also a great way to support a fantastic local business.
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