Northampton theatre boss has 'best night's sleep in last 100'

The Derngate auditorium (pictured) has a capacity of 1,500, while the Royal theatre can seat 450

A theatre boss says she had the "best night's sleep I've had in the last 100" following the government's promise of £1.57bn for the arts.

Northampton's Royal and Derngate said it had been losing £1m a month since closing on 18 March for lockdown.

Chief executive Jo Gordon said there was "no sense yet how it will be distributed" but it was a "very vital step in the right direction".

"Theatre has a huge part to play when life restarts," she said.

Ms Gordon said there was "lots to still work through" and not enough detail to know when the theatre could reopen.

"But as one of my colleagues said, this 'doesn't make it easy but it does make it possible' and we'll take that at the moment," she said.

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She said about 90% of their income was from ticket and bar sales and it was surviving due to Arts Council and local authority funding.

About 90% of staff at the Royal and Derngate had been furloughed

But with a lack of guidance on social distancing in venues, Ms Gordon said it was "unable to fully plan when and how we can welcome people back".

A two-metre rule meant its auditorium would fill about 18% of its capacity, rising to 25%-30% with a one-metre rule, so it would not be financially viable to reopen in the usual way.

A recent survey found 17% of people would feel comfortable returning to events, so theatres need a "careful balance of everything" as they would "not only be dealing with a reduced capacity, but a reduced appetite to attend", she said.

"But with a rise of localism in the future, more home working and less commuting, regional theatres will have a big role economically in rebuilding our towns and also in providing a key place for the community to come together, tell stories, rebuild and gain confidence."

A government spokesman said: "We want to get the performing arts fully back up and running safely as soon as possible and are working closely with the sector on a phased approach, guided by public health and medical experts."