Theatre News

Plans for 'world's first' Covid-compliant drive-in theatre to open in Manchester

The brand new venue is called “Drive Inside”

The Drive Inside
The Drive Inside

A brand new COVID-safe venue has been designed by immersive theatre company Beyond Theatre, with plans to open in Manchester and feature drive-in performances.

Entitled "Drive Inside", one of the venue's creators Paul Levin said: "People love live music, ballet, opera and theatre, but they need to be completely confident that a venue is absolutely, rather than probably, COVID safe. This virus has affected the future of our creative arts and we are excited that Drive Inside will allow the industry to start getting back to some sort of normality and audiences to begin enjoying live performances again."

Set inside a giant tent covering over 70,000 sq ft, the auditorium will feature a raised stage in the centre. Audiences of up to 800 can use folded chairs and alight from the driver's side of the car to sit and watch shows. Sides of the tent will be opened up to allow air to come in.

While the tent will initially open in Manchester (with dates to be confirmed), there are plans to come to London and Edinburgh at a later date.

Further details about the drive-in venue are to be revealed.

A variety of productions have announced drive-in performances recently while the pandemic continues, including the critical smash-hit Six.