Reading theatre group say they face £35,000 loss over cancelled play
Rabble theatre cancel 'who killed Alfred Oliver?' after two company members test positive for covid
Rabble theatre say they are in a "perilous" position after having to cancel a production in Reading.
In a statement last night they said "two key members" of their company had tested positive for Covid-19 and it was not possible to replace them.
The theatre group said they'd had to cancel 'Who Killed Alfred Oliver?' with a "heavy heart".
Artistic and Executive Directors Toby and Dani Davies said in an email to theatre supporters:
"We hate to say it, but this puts RABBLE in a perilous position. We had successfully navigated our way though the last 2 years (& the 7 before the pandemic) under immense pressure and had felt so optimistic after the success of The Last Abbot, the development of our education and community work and the lovely responses that we have been getting from the first few nights of this show. The people involved - cast, crew, suppliers, sponsors, Minster team, Reading library, museum and station - are just incredible and the extra work that they have all contributed to make this show successful is staggering, so it is deeply upsetting that so many good people will lose income because of this.
"RABBLE Theatre does not receive any core funding, from Reading Borough Council or the Arts Council, so this really is a challenging time and the financial success of this production was dependent on ticket sales alone. That is very rare in regional theatre."
"We are looking at the option of postponing the show until next year, but nothing more can be said at this stage."
The theatre group has appealed to people who had already booked tickets to consider donating the money instead.
The play had opened on 4 Nov and was due to run until 20 Nov, it had received strong reviews and its subject matter, an unsolved murder that took place in Reading in 1929, had sparked considerable interest within the town.