SOLT responds to Apollo ceiling collapse, TKTS offers Curious Incident exchanges

The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) has responded to last night's ceiling collapse at the Apollo Theatre, which left four theatregoers seriously injured.

SOLT, which represents producers, theatre owners and managers of major venues across Theatreland, sent sympathies to those affected by the incident.

The statement in full:

"On behalf of London’s theatre industry, our thoughts and sympathies go out to everyone who was injured and affected by last night’s incident at the Apollo Theatre.

We would like to praise the emergency services for their calm and rapid response and all the theatre staff on Shaftesbury Avenue for their professional and compassionate handling of the situation.

The exact cause of the incident is still being investigated and the theatre owners, Nimax, are working closely with the relevant authorities to establish exactly what happened.

Our theatres entertain over 32,000 people in central London every night and all theatres take the safety of their audience, performers and staff very seriously. Every theatre undergoes rigorous safety checks and inspections by independent experts, and incidents like last night are extremely rare.

At a meeting today all the major theatre owners have confirmed that their safety inspections and certificates are up to date, and will co-operate fully with the authorities to reassure the public that their theatres are safe. All other London theatres remain open for business today and in the coming weeks."

Performances of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which is running at the Apollo, have been cancelled tonight (Friday 20 December) and tomorrow. Customers should contact their point of purchase to arrange exchanges or refunds.

The National Theatre, which produces the award-winning production, and Apollo Theatre will confirm details regarding the future status of performances soon.

Ticket holders for either of the cancelled performances can visit the SOLT-run ticket booth TKTS in the clock tower at Leicester Square and choose another show for free on presentation of their ticket for The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time.

UPDATE: According to the Nimax website The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time has been cancelled up to and including Saturday 4 January 2014