Weymouth Panto producer welcomes support for self-employed performers
Lee Redwood gives us his reaction to the budget
Almost all Panto performers at Weymouth Pavilion have come up against hardship in the last year, say producers.
At one point during December, shows started collections for out of work colleagues to help them cope.
Performers are mostly self-employed and have struggled with long waiting times for support during the pandemic.
The Chancellor yesterday announced further grants for the self-employed, allowing them to claim up to 80% of three months average profits, up to ÂŁ7,500. A second grant will be available from May.
But Lee Redwood, one of the pantos producer's says performers have been left waiting a long time between grants.
He told Greatest Hits Radio Dorset:
“The last one we had was November or December, and then applications open for the next one in April, so people are having to go a long time without any kind of support.
“A lot of people in our industry just fall between the gaps. It’s all very well basing it on the last three years, but we’re talking about now, we’re talking about shows that have been cancelled right now.
“People who might be earning a few thousand by doing a panto at Christmas, and they’re not able to do it because their panto was cancelled and they just earn nothing.”
But, Lee says the government’s reduced 5% retail tax rate means their shows have been much more feasible:
That drop from 20% to 5% was an absolute godsend. We just scraped through at Christmas, just on the costs with the ticket sales and obviously the socially distanced.
“If we’d have been paying 20% VAT on those tickets it just wouldn’t have worked. The fact that it’s been extended, it just allows us and companies like us to get back on our feet.”