Many UK theatres affected by Microsoft bug

Theatres across the country have been affected by this morning’s Microsoft glitch, which has impacted IT systems around the world.

The National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Young Vic, Almeida Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, Old Vic and Jermyn Street Theatre are among those experiencing disruption to their box office services.

Some have now been partially restored, but others are continuing to experience issues. At 12.15pm the Mayflower tweeted: “We are pleased to say that ticket sales are now back up and running on our website. We are still unable to sell tickets through our phone lines or in-person due to the global mass IT outage. Please bear with us as we work to resolve the issue.”

Others have not reported issues via their social media channels but are displaying error messages on their websites.

The bug was caused by cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike, which sent out a software update across the Microsoft Windows network. The firm has apologised and said it has now resolved the issue.

Hospitals, airlines and schools are among just some of the many organisations affected.

Customers hoping to book theatre tickets should check for any issues with their point of sale.

Update: echoing many venues, the Birmingham Hippodrome said today: “Due to technical issues, our booking platform and e-tickets in the Account section are not available online tonight. Confirmation emails, or pre-visit emails with seat numbers on for entry will be accepted. Please leave plenty of time for your visit this evening.”