Covid-19: Getting back on stage will 'feel like Christmas'

Sophie McGibbon, centre, will play Mina in The Lyric Theatre's performance of Dracula with (from left) Maryann Maguire and Holly Demaine

Belfast's Lyric Theatre will reopen to its first live audience on Tuesday evening - just 90 minutes after coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

The Northern Ireland Executive agreed on Monday that theatres and concert venues could reopen at 18:00.

A young cast of actors will be among the first to take to the stage for Tuesday's production of Dracula.

Sophie McGibbon and Dylan Breen said their first live performance since lockdown would "feel like Christmas".

Julie McKegney, head of customer services at the Lyric Theatre, said the industry had "been waiting for this news since March 2020".

She said the theatre would be operating at a third of its overall capacity.

Dylan Breen will play Renfield in Tuesday's performance

Dylan, a full-time actor from Portadown, said it would be his first on-stage performance since February 2020.

The 20-year-old said the last few days had felt like an emotional rollercoaster for the cast, aged between 19 and 25, as they awaited confirmation from the Northern Ireland Executive that theatres and concert venues could reopen.

"It felt like Christmas on Monday, we were constantly checking our phones and couldn't relax," he said.

"The last time I was on stage feels like a lifetime ago.

"I am definitely more excited than normal to have an audience. There is not time for nerves, I will just enjoy it."

• Executive agrees theatre and concert reopening

• What can I do as NI's Covid restrictions ease?

Sophie McGibbon, also 20, said they were delighted to be back before a live audience.

She said remote and socially-distanced rehearsals, which began in January, had been very different to the norm.

"For me, it is a mix between being nervous and excited," she said.

"We are relieved to get the audience in and to have live theatre back will be amazing."

Philip Crawford says actors are leaning to "live in the day" due to the uncertainties of Covid-19

Philip Crawford, head of creative learning at the Lyric Theatre, said Tuesday night's performance would be a "landmark".

However, after "half an hour of joy and delight" at the news the live show could go ahead, he remembered it may not all be plain-sailing.

"It has been a rollercoaster and it could still all go at the drop of a hat," he said.

"'Two metres apart' has been my cry at rehearsals.

"Any of the actors phones could be pinged by the [Covid-19] app. They are working in a bubble now so if one goes down they all go down.

"I suppose we have got used to living in the day."