Northern Ireland

Belfast's Lyric Theatre will not reopen this year for performances

The Lyric Theatre in Belfast is not expected to open until next year
The Lyric Theatre in Belfast is not expected to open until next year The Lyric Theatre in Belfast is not expected to open until next year

BELFAST'S Lyric Theatre will not reopen this year for plays or performances.

Staff at the south Belfast venue have been told it "will not produce any work on our stages until 2021" - including its popular Christmas programme.

The arts sector has been hit particularly hard by Covid restrictions and there have been repeated calls for the Stormont Executive to release £33m earmarked to support theatres, arts and music venues, museums and heritage site.

The funds were allocated in July as part of a UK government package for the arts industry.

In an email to staff, reported by the BBC, management of the Lyric said it had hoped that "clarity around the level of financial support to venues and production companies would have come much sooner".

As a consequence of the continued uncertainty, it had "reluctantly come to the conclusion that this year, for the first time in our history, we will not be presenting our hugely popular and unique Christmas offerings".

"Therefore, we will not produce any work on our stages until 2021.

"This has implications for our staff, both permanent and casual workers, our audiences and, as the single largest employer of arts workers in NI, for hundreds of freelance artists we would normally employ."

The email said that at "every stage of this pandemic, we have been working towards reopening the theatre in a safe and Covid-compliant way for our wonderful audiences and brilliant artists".

"But each carefully thought-out plan has collapsed like dominoes in the howl of the ill-wind of this pandemic.

"Times are indeed tough for everyone, and this sort of staggered planning is no longer possible or fiscally prudent."