SATURDAY’S
Pizzafest live music and pizza event at the Fulford Arms, York, has been called
off.
Dan Gott,
from event curators Snakerattlers, says: “Unfortunately, we’ve had to
cancel Pizzafest this coming weekend due to the current Covid-19
situation.
“All the
bands on the line-up will be playing at another Pizzafest in the future, when
things have calmed down. We suggest you keep your ticket for the next
Pizzafest, as it will still be valid.”
Before
Monday’s Government statement on avoiding unnecessary social contact in pubs, Dan
had said, “all being well”, he hoped a Pizzafest could take place in June. Instead,
the date now will be announced in due course.
“Ticket
purchasers for Saturday are entitled to a £10 refund, which can be made by
emailing thefulfordarms@gmail.com,”
he added.
Saturday’s Pizzafest would have been an all-day event with “a wealth of tip-top, dance-til-you-drop, underground garage rock bands from throughout the UK”. Half way through, a truckload of free pizza would have arrived, with the invitation to “eat as much as you like”.
The line-up was to have included York motorpunk rockers Segregates launching their new vinyl single, Preach To Me. On the bill too were Snakerattlers; Thee Girl Fridays; The Strays; The Sleazoids; Surf Muscle; Hellfire Jack; The Bikini Bottoms; What’s Wrong With Homer?; Percy and Gillman.
THE Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, has shut down with immediate effect in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement released today, joint chief executive Caroline Routh said: “Further to current government advice, which stipulates that people should avoid public buildings including theatres to help slow the spread of Coronavirus, our extended management group, including our trustees, has agreed that we will suspend all activities up to and including Sunday (March 22).”
The SJT box office remains open to manage cancellations and will be in touch with customers with bookings that are affected.
“This is a fast-developing situation, and we will be making further announcements over the next few days as things become clearer,” the SJT statement said. “Please take care of yourself and all those around you.”
THURSDAY’S Dementia Friendly Tea Concert at St Chad’s Church, Campleshon
Road, York, has been cancelled, in response to the latest Government advice on
the Coronavirus outbreak.
Husband and wife Robert and Alison Gammon, on piano and clarinet, were to have played a 45-minute programme of classical music at 2.30pm, featuring Camille Saint-Saens’ Clarinet Sonata and Niels Gade’s Fantasy Pieces, to be followed by tea, coffee and homemade cakes.
Organisers Alison Gammon and Nick Nightingale say: “We have lots of
events planned for later in the year and we are looking forward to
welcoming you back as soon as possible. When holding the concerts once
again becomes advisable, we will email everyone and let you know. In
the meantime we send our sincere best wishes to you all.”
The Leeds Grand Theatre auditorium. Picture: Simon Hulme
LEEDS Grand Theatre, Leeds City Varieties Music Hall and Hyde Park Picture House are closing from today “to help slow the spread of Coronavirus”.
The decision was taken with regret following official government advice
issued on Monday, stipulating that people should avoid public buildings,
including theatres.
The three venues under the Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House Ltd umbrella will “remain closed until further notice and will re-open as soon as possible – following government recommendations”.
Leeds City Varieties Music Hall
Chief executive Chris Blythe said: “We are extremely grateful to all of
our audiences who have continued to support us for as long as they can, and to
our staff who have worked tirelessly in recent weeks to ensure the safety and
enjoyment of audiences.
“These are unprecedented times – combined we have been open for over 400
years – and closing our venues is not a decision that has been taken lightly.
In truth, this will have a severe impact on the future of Leeds Grand Theatre
& Opera House Ltd. Our future is now uncertain, but the safety of our
visitors and staff has always been our priority.”
Hyde Park Picture House, Brudenell Road, Leeds
Mr Blythe went on: “We will continue to follow advice from the Government and work closely with the touring companies and artists that are due to visit our venues over the coming months and hope that we will be able to open our doors again very soon. We thank everyone for their continued support and loyalty.”
Audience members for a performance/screening that has been cancelled
will be contacted in due course by staff. “All customers are entitled to a
refund, but as Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House Ltd is a charitable
enterprise, those who can afford to are encouraged to donate the cost of their
ticket to show support for the future of our venues,” today’s statement said.
“Over the coming weeks, we will continue to provide regular updates. Ticket holders are asked to bear in mind that our customer service teams are extremely busy, and we would appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding at this time.”
SELBY
Town Hall is cancelling all public ticketed events from today initially until
the end of April.
The
decision has been taken “in light of the Prime Minister’s announcement
yesterday and the UK government’s instructions regarding social distancing”.
A
statement from Selby Town Council arts officer Chris Jones said: “This is a
fast-changing situation, and we will be monitoring advice from the Government
and Public Health England on a day-by-day basis to inform our course of action
from May onwards.
“Rest assured that the health of our customers, performers,
volunteers and staff is our highest priority.”
The Selby Town Hall auditorium
Selby Town Hall will be contacting all ticket holders “as soon as
we can”. “It may be possible to rearrange some performances either for later in
the year or early 2021, while others will sadly be cancelled altogether,” said
Chris.
“To all our customers, you are fantastic. We are incredibly grateful for the support you have given, and continue to give, to the venue. We ask for your patience while our small team deal with what is an unprecedented situation.
“It will take us a few days to establish new dates for shows or confirm full cancellations. The most important message for the moment is not to travel to shows here in the near future, to stay safe, and to look after one another. We will be in touch with you all individually in due course.”
The brochure cover for the now cancelled 2020 York Open Studios
NEXT month’s 20th anniversary York Open Studios has been called off and will not be rearranged for later in the year under the ever-darkening shadow of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Launched in 2001, when only 20 artists took part, Britain’s longest-running Open Studios event was to have showcased 144 artists and makers in 100 studios and workplaces over two weekends, April 18 and 19 and April 25 and 26.
The York Open Studios logo
Event chair Beccy Ridsdel says: “It’s been a very difficult decision to make, but the safety of visitors and participating artists is our priority, and with Coronavirus advice currently changing daily, we have sadly decided we are unable to proceed with this year’s event. However, York Open Studios will be running in 2021.”
Now the focus turns to still highlighting the work of the 144 artists, makers and designers, whose full details can be found at yorkopenstudios.co.uk and in the newly redundant 2020 brochure that can be found around the city.
“It’s been a very difficult decision to make,” says York Open Studios chair Beccy Ridsdel after Coronavirus forced the cancellation of next month’s event
“These small creative businesses are in
need of support during these volatile times, so please take time to take a look
at their work, websites and social media pages and contact them directly to
purchase works,” advise the event organisers.
On show and for sale would have been
ceramics, collages, digital works, illustrations, jewellery, mixed media, paintings,
prints, photography, sculpture, textiles and wood works.
YORK Theatre Royal is cancelling all
public performances and events until April 11 after Prime Minister Boris
Johnson’s Coronavirus briefing on avoiding unnecessary social contact.
Ticket holders are being asked to consider donating the price of their tickets to the theatre, Britain’s oldest playhouse outside London.
Shows at theatres nationwide have been cancelled in response to yesterday’s Government advice on the Coronavirus pandemic, asking the public not to go to theatres, pubs and clubs.
The Theatre Royal box office will be in touch with ticket holders for the next four weeks of performances, covering March 17 to April 11, and they are being requested not to contact the box office directly but wait to be called.
Executive director Tom Bird said: “The closure of theatres in the UK puts York Theatre Royal, along with hundreds of other theatres, into a critical situation. We are asking that people consider donating their ticket purchase to the theatre at this time. As a charity, their support is crucial to our survival.
“If they cannot do this, we’d ask that
they consider a credit to their account. If none of this is satisfactory, they
can choose a refund.”
York Theatre Royal further advises: “If
the closure period is extended, we will be in touch with bookers for future
performances in good time, and we’ll also post updates to our website and
social media channels.
“It’s with enormous sadness that we
take these measures, but the safety of our audiences, staff and community is of
utmost importance.
“We are looking at ways we can be of
use to the wider York community during this time. More details regarding these
plans will follow.”
The theatre building, in St Leonard’s
Place, is remaining open at present, including the café and box office.
POCKLINGTON Arts Centre is closing its doors to the public with effect from today in response to the Government’s Coronavirus measures, but vows to re-emerge “stronger and more vibrant than ever” in its 20th anniversary year.
A statement released by director Janet Farmer and venue manager James Duffy this morning said: “In the light of the Government’s latest advice for people to avoid non-essential contact, we have taken the decision to close PAC to the public as of today (Tuesday, March 17).
“The health and safety of our staff, visitors, artists and volunteers is of utmost importance to us and therefore we do not feel it is prudent to remain open to the public at this time.”
Their statement continues: “We don’t know yet how long this closure will last, but this will be at least until Easter 2020 [mid-April]. Further updates will be announced in due course.
“During this period, it is critical that we continue to support our staff, artists and creative partners. We will be working closely with our peers across the region and indeed the country, and we are determined that PAC will emerge from this challenge stronger and more vibrant than ever. We will be publishing more on this in the coming days.”
Anyone who has booked a ticket or is due to attend a public event at PAC will be contacted by the box-office team over the next few days to organise a refund and/or discuss the cancellation.
Robert Plant: booked to headline this summer’s Platform Festival with his new band Saving Grace
“Tickets can be refunded but we would ask you to consider supporting the
venue and artists by not accepting a refund, if you are able to afford to,” suggested
the statement. “We will of course try to reschedule events, but this may take
some time, so please bear with us in these very challenging times.”
Pocklington Arts Centre will be setting up a crowdfunding page later
this week. “We’ll publish details of this on our social media accounts,” said
Janet and James. “If you feel able to donate to this, your support would be
most welcome to help secure the long-term future of the venue.”
The statement concluded: “Please visit our social media channels and
website [pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk] for daily/weekly updates and as to when
PAC will reopen.
“Many thanks for your understanding. We very much appreciate your patience in
this unprecedented situation. Take care and keep safe.”
Pocklington Arts Centre’s spring and summer programme to mark the East
Yorkshire venue’s 20th anniversary was launched on March 6 with a
party night of New Orleans Mardi Gras jazz by the New York Brass Band.
Planned as the epicentre of the celebrations is the fifth Platform
Festival of music and comedy, hosted by PAC at The Old Station, with the
headline attraction of Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant’s new project, Saving
Grace, on July 10.
Full details can be found at platformfestival.net and
pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
HAS there ever been a more cynical, anti-arts, pro-insurance industry posh pals statement from Prime Minister Johnson than yesterday’s first Coronavirus daily briefing?
For one so notoriously careless with words, despite his love of a luxuriant lexicon, his careful avoidance of enforcing a shutdown of pubs, clubs, theatres etc, in favour of merely recommending “avoiding unnecessary social” interaction, effectively amounts to washing his and his Government’s hands of the future of one of the power houses of British life: the entertainment industry.
No formal closures means no chance of insurance pay-outs. In an already increasingly intolerant, Right-veering Britain, with its Brexit V-sign to Europe, could it be this is another way to try to suffocate and stifle our potent, provocative, influential, politically challenging, counter-thinking, all-embracing, anti-divisive, collective-spirited, often radical, always relevant, life-enriching, rather than rich-enriching, font of free expression, protest and empowerment?
Was this the day the music died?
History shows that the arts, the pubs, the theatres, the counter-culture, has always found a way to bite back, to fight back, often at times of greatest repression and depression. No Margaret Thatcher, no Specials’ Ghost Town.
We and our very necessary social interactions shall be back, hopefully after only a short break. Meanwhile, we are all in the hands of science, that equally progressive bedfellow to the arts.
The Joseph Rowntree Theatre: York’s Art Deco community theatre
THE Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, is closing until “further instruction that it is safe to re-open”, as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement issued late last night, chair of trustees Dan Shrimpton said: “Today (March 16), the Government announced that unnecessary social contact should be avoided, including visits to social venues such as theatres.
“The
safety of our community is paramount, and in light of this announcement, it is
with a heavy heart that we will be closing the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, until
we receive further instruction that it is safe to reopen.
“Needless
to say, this is desperately disappointing for the producing companies, our
audiences, volunteers, indeed everyone who forms part of the Joseph Rowntree Theatre’s
community.”
The statement on behalf of the Haxby Road theatre continued: “We will be issuing further advice in the coming days on how we are going to manage ticket refunds and exchanges. We appreciate that you will have questions about bookings and refunds; however, we would ask that you please bear with us and wait for us to contact you.
“Thank
you in advance for your support. We appreciate that this is a very worrying
time for everyone in our community.”
Among the upcoming shows in the diary at York’s community theatre are: York St John University MPS’s Guys And Dolls, March 19 to 21; The Bev Jones Music Company’s Guys And Dolls, March 25 to 28; Flying Ducks Youth Theatre’s Crush: The Musical, April 2 to 4; Jessa Liversidge’s Songbirds, April 5, and Rowntree Players’ premiere of Ian Donaghy’s The Missing Peace, April 17 and 18.
