Covid: How does one town's theatre scene recover?

KOS Musical Theatre Company has not been able to put on a show for months

For the past year-and-a-half, curtains have lowered at theatres up and down the UK, with coronavirus restrictions causing them to shut completely or making them unviable to open due to capacity limits.

As restrictions on numbers indoors are lifted from Monday, how has one town's art scene coped during the pandemic and will hitting the lights once more be enough to get the punters back?

'Show cancelled at 11th hour'

Mike and Melanie Balderson have been members of KOS Musical Theatre Company since 1991

"The show must go on and we intend for it to go on," says Mike Balderson, 53, who shares his passion for the theatre with his wife, Melanie, and his children, Max, Ross and Alice.

He has been the chairman of KOS Musical Theatre Company in Kettering for 17 years.

The not-for-profit amateur community group has been going since 1919 and there are only two reasons why shows have not been put on every year - for the Second World War and when Covid-19 struck.

The society was due to showcase Shrek The Musical from 31 March to 4 April 2020, but "at the 11th hour", when the first lockdown started, it was moved to August, before being eventually cancelled.

The company was due to put on Shrek the Musical in March 2020, but it had to be cancelled

He says he was "devastated" when he had to tell his society the show would not go on.

"We all understood the lockdown situation but it doesn't stop the pain when you have put in all that effort and time," he says, explaining they had been rehearsing for seven months.

He is now busy putting plans in place for two shows in April 2022 and 2023, but cannot reveal what they are yet.

"The worry we have is, have people gone off and done other things, can we take it forward, or have people got used to not attending, performing and getting involved?

"When we do get going again, are we going to have people who want to do it?

"Not all things Covid have been negative for us. We're proud to say that Hazel Gilbert, the mother of Dame Sarah Gilbert [who designed the Oxford vaccine], was with us for many years as a member.

"It's fantastic we've played a significant part in the history of the town."

The musical show Sister Act, an adaptation of the Whoopi Goldberg film, was presented at the Lighthouse Theatre in 2019

The venue where KOS was due to perform, The Lighthouse Theatre, has been closed for on-stage performances since March.

Its manager, David Corbishley, says it will not reopen for a further seven months, but they "very much look forward to welcoming everyone back" next year.

'We're in need of a good laugh'

Tom Houston started his dual role at St Andrew's Church and Kettering Arts Centre in January 2021

Reverend Tom Houston, 31, is the vicar of St Andrew's Church and manager of Kettering Arts Centre.

Since 2011, the church has been transformed into a comedy, theatre and music venue, one night a week, and has hosted the comedian James Acaster, who comes from the town.

He says turning the building into an arts venue when it is not used for services is "a great way for the building to be used", and is preparing to start productions again in September.

Comedian and local boy James Acaster has performed gigs at Kettering Arts Centre - the last one in 2019

Opening with socially-distanced measures was never possible he says, as it would have reduced the audience from 300 to 70.

"We've met as a team, including our sound engineer and bar staff, and everyone is so excited to get going again," he says.

"We had an instant response from volunteers wanting to help.

"I think everyone can't wait to be back in a venue sitting next to somebody and laughing with other people. We're all in need of a good laugh."

He is thankful to his congregation to get through the lockdowns, saying it was hard to get grants for the arts venue, but due to the generosity of the church's followers "we were able to stay afloat".

Rev Tom Houston says St Andrew's Church has a "very active and healthy congregation" in terms of numbers

'I had to take another job'

Mark Walker has been involved in the Northamptonshire theatrical scene since the age of nine

Since 2009, Mark Walker has run Bonkers Theatrical, putting on plays and small scale musicals. In 2018, he opened Bonkers Playhouse Theatre on Kettering's Victoria Street.

It is a family business that he runs with his wife and two daughters, taking just a small salary from it.

Theatre is in his blood, being involved in productions since the age of nine.

The first lockdown was "the worst part of my theatrical career", he says.

"Luckily we've managed to get through it, but I had to take another job delivering parcels as it was the only way I could keep the theatre going."

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He was also able to secure some grants along with "supporters dipping into their purses".

The 40-seater venue will reopen with The Great Big Comedy Show from 19 to 24 July, albeit with a 50% capacity.

"We didn't open prior to now because we didn't feel it was safe for our audiences.

"I am concerned about the future, especially as Covid numbers continue to go up.

"Live theatre is only live once. All we can do is hope. The shows will go on."

To celebrate the company's 10th anniversary in 2019, they performed the play version of Blood Brothers