LOOKING TO THE FUTURE - STATEMENT FROM HULL TRUCK THEATRE CEOS ANNOUNCING CLOSURE UNTIL 31 JULY AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Hull Truck Theatre continues to follow Government guidelines about coronavirus and today announces the further closure until 31 July 2020 and postponement of all performances that are part of the current spring/summer season, including the planned community production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

H.T.T  are working with partners and visiting companies to reschedule all shows so that audiences who have missed performances during the closure period still get to enjoy the great programme of entertainment that had been planned.

The Box Office team are working hard to contact all audiences who have tickets booked for shows affected by the closure and bookers do not need to do anything at this time.  Details of individual shows and information about rescheduled dates can be found on the theatre’s website.

The theatre is looking to the future, developing flexible plans for when we can reopen, including a programme of inspiring and joyful entertainment that will celebrate the very best of theatre, bringing people together in a safe and positive environment to enjoy and share a unique collective experience.

In the meantime, Hull Truck at Home offers a programme of great drama and creative activities to keep audiences and communities entertained and inspired whilst we are all at home. On Wednesday 8 April, over 700 people watched a screening of Paragon Dreams on the theatre’s You Tube channel. Written and performed by Hester Ullyart and directed by Mark Babych, the show was originally presented in April/May 2019 as part of the theatre’s 10 years on Ferensway anniversary celebrations.

Further exciting announcements for the HTT at Home programme will follow next week.

Statement from Janthi Mills-Ward, Executive Director and Joint CEO & Mark Babych, Artistic Director and Joint CEO:

“Protecting our team, audiences and communities is our upmost priority during this period., The theatre building may be closed except for a security team, but a small core team continue to work from home to ensure when it is safe  for us to reopen we are able to bring you the very best theatre. We miss the wider team who have been furloughed as part of the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, but we look forward to welcoming them and you back.

We want to take this opportunity to thank EVERYBODY, from staff and audiences, to artists, partners and donors, for their continued and invaluable support during this time.

We are deeply disappointed to have postponed our community production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which would have seen up to 100 members of our local community come together to create, perform and have fun. We are determined that this project will happen in the future, celebrating our fantastic community and the collaborative art of theatre.

Financially, we can reassure everyone that we have a sustainable financial plan in place for the closure period. We are now looking to the future and how we can continue to play a vital role in the cultural landscape of our city and the lives of our communities, as we all emerge from this challenge. We are exploring all financial and funding options open to us to ensure we continue to present great theatre, to work with and support talented artists at all stages of their career and offer creative opportunities to local communities, for generations to come.

We are hugely grateful to those Hull Truck heroes who have either donated the cost of their tickets or made independent donations to support the work we want to continue to do when we reopen, via the Hull Truck Theatre Future Fund.”