Theatres and shows with cancelled or rescheduled performances in response to coronavirus
With the uncertainty of public gatherings and coronavirus hanging over theatregoers heads, many venues are taking the decision to postpone and cancel shows, or even to shut down entirely.
The Society of London Theatre is offering free exchanges prior to the performance of any West End theatre, should audience members feel unable to attend their booked date due to illnes, choosing to self-isolate or travel restrictions. In the event of closure, customers will be entitled to a full refund.
We have listed below those venues that have decided to postpone, delay or cancel shows over the next few weeks. If there are any venues, performances or productions that have not been listed, please contact the WhatsOnStage editorial team here and we will update the list.
Venues that have altered their performance schedules
The Watsons – The West End transfer of Laura Wade's play at the Harold Pinter Theatre has been cancelled. The company hopes to find a way to remount The Watsons at a later date.
HQ Theatres – All performances in HQ Theatres have been suspended until 31 May 2020. Venues outside the West End include:
– Southend: Cliffs Pavilion and Palace Theatre
– Bromley: Churchill Theatre
– Dartford: Orchard Theatre
– Guildford: G Live
– Wycombe: Swan Theatre
– Hayes: Beck Theatre
– Crewe: Lyceum Theatre
– Swindon: Wyvern Theatre & Arts Centre
– Hastings: White Rock Theatre
– Watford: Colosseum
Southwark Playhouse – the south London venue will remain closed until 28 June. Some shows have been rescheduled – Indecent Proposal will now run from 25 September, while Straight White Men will run from 16 September. Operation Mincemeat is looking to be rescheduled.
Barbican – The Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production of Evita has been cancelled as the venue has decided to stay closed until 30 June. In a message to customers the Open Air Theatre has said: "In light of the ongoing situation relating to Covid-19, the Barbican will now be closed until the end June. We are therefore sad to confirm that the forthcoming production of Evita has been cancelled.
National Theatre – all further performances at the venue have been cancelled until at least 30 June.
Edinburgh Festivals – all festivals have been cancelled for 2020.
The RSC – all RSC performances and public activities are cancelled up to at least 30 June in line with government advice. All shows in the Swan Theatre have been cancelled until the autumn.
The West End – will remain closed until at least 31 May. A full list of affected venues is at the bottom.
Uncle Vanya – The West End production is hoping to be rescheduled to later in the year but has been postponed.
Identical – The new musical by Stiles and Drew, based on The Parent Trap, will now run in 2021. Dates are tbc.
Hairspray – The West End show with Michael Ball will now begin performances on 1 September.
Whitney – Queen of the Night – the show Whitney has rescheduled its West End date to
7 February 2021 at the Adelphi Theatre.
Opera Holland Park – the company has cancelled its summer season
English Touring Opera – the company has cancelled its remaining spring tour, due to run until 27 June. The company have committed to paying its 67 freelancers their full tour feees.
Longborough Festival Opera – the festival will not proceed with its 2020 season.
The Book of Mormon – the touring production of the award-winning musical has rescheduled its Leeds Grand Theatre dates to 23 March to 20 April 2021.
Waitress – the production has stated that it will not be returning to the Adelphi Theatre and has likely played its final London performance.
Theatre By The Lake – all of the venue's summer season has been cancelled.
Royal Exchange Manchester – the venue has confirmed it will close its doors until autumn 2020. Performances of West Side Story, The Glass Menagerie, Oh Mother and Let The Right One In will be cancelled. You can find out more here, with the venue aiming to capture Winsome Pinnock's Rockets and Blue Lights for film, while promising West Side Story would return.
Hope Mill Theatre – the venue has sadly cancelled its production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.
Yard Theatre – the venue is closed, and has rescheduled the premiere of An unfinished man – it will now run from Wednesday 26 August to Saturday 26 September with an updated cast to be announced.
Wilton's Music Hall – Sasha Regan's show HMS Pinafore at the venue has been cancelled, as have other productions until the end of April. Wilton's is reaching out to ticket holders, with refund information and options for donations that can be made.
Opera North – the company has cancelled or postponed all public-facing activity until at least the end of April
Leeds Playhouse – the venue has cancelled or postponed productions scheduled to begin before 9 May, including A Little Night Music. The building will be closed to the public from 23 March for the foreseeable future and audiences can donate the price of their ticket to the charity if they wish.
Battersea Arts Centre – the venue is now temporarily closed to the public and perfoamcesn in the Going Global season are no longer going ahead.
LIFT Festival – the festival has cancelled its 2020 event, which was scheduled to run from 2 June to 11 July, following government advice. The company has asked ticketholders to donate the price of their ticket in support.
Greenwich and Docklands International Festival – the event has been rescheduled and will now take place from 28 August to 12 September.
Talawa Theatre Company – the company has postponed scheduled performances of Run it Back and associated activities for the foreseeable future.
Royal Albert Halll – after the announcement that the Oliviers Awards are cancelled for this year, it's no surprise that the venue itself is closing its doors until at least 30 April.
Wales Millennium Centre – All performances are cancelled until further notice, with the venue asking for donations.
Shakespeare's Globe – the venue has closed "until further notice", cancelling performances in both the Globe Theatre and Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. It has asked for donations whenever possible.
The Theatre Café – Has closed until further notice alongside LTB stores across the UK. The company will still continue its digital output.
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre – The venue's 101 Dalmations musical will now run in 2021, with the 2020 season now opening with Romeo and Juliet at the end of June.
Liverpool Royal Court – all performances are cancelled until 5 June at the venue, with rescheduled shows including Pete Price Is Dead (October 2020), YNWA (June 2020) and Macca and Beth (February 2021).
Norfolk and Norwich Festival – the festival has sadly been cancelled. It was due to run from 8 to 24 May.
Brighton Festival – the festival has been cancelled for the first time in its 53-year history, with the Fringe hoping to postpone to later in the year.
Southbank Centre – the venue will close with immediate effect, including the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Hayward Gallery and Purcell Room.
Chichester Festival Theatre – the theatre has cancelled the following performances and closed the building to the public, with The Life of Galileo and The Real Thing being rescheduled to the autumn. South Pacific (6 July – 29 August) and The Unfriend (17 July – 22 August) are expected to go ahead as usual.
– The Life of Galileo (Festival Theatre, 24 April to 16 May)
– The Real Thing (Minerva Theatre, 7 May to 6 June)
– The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Festival Theatre, 29 May to 20 June)
– The Village Bike (Minerva Theatre, 12 June to 4 July)
Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre – the organisastion behind these two venues has announced their closure with immediate effect.
Omnibus Theatre – all scheduled performances have been postponed, with the aim to reschedule them into future seasons wherever possible. The venue has asked for donations of the cost of a ticket and have fofered a year of free membership to those who do.
Theatre503 – the venue is closed to the public, with the production of Paper Cut cancelled and Foxes and In That Short Space both delayed. The company are aiming to film and share Paper Cut and have asked ticket holders to donate the cost of their ticket.
Birmingham Rep – All productions in March and April will no longer be happening as planned. The autumn and winter season is currently unaffected.
Eastbourne Theatres – the theatre has suspended all performances until 19 April.
Theatr Clwyd – the venue has suspended three productions – Milky Peaks, For the Grace of You I Go and The Contingency Plan.
Little Angel Theatre – the venue will close with immediate effect and cancel all productions, including The Paper Dolls, The Wolves in the Walls and The Bed. The theatre currently plans to remain closed until the start of May and has asked for donations as a show of support via this link.
Orange Tree Theatre – the venue will close "until further notice", and is asking for donations in a very trying time. Productions affected include Last Easter (scheduled from 3 April to 9 May).
Traverse Theatre – The venue will close "until further notice".
Rose Theatre Kingston – the venue has suspended all performances (including the revival of Steel Magnolias) until further notice. The autumn season of shows is currently scheduled to run as planned, including SIX, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Merchant of Venice and the Christmas production of Beauty and the Beast.
Donmar Warehouse – will shut immediately, with three major shows – Far Away (currently playing), In The Blood and The Contingency Plan postponed. The venue's late-night Donmar Lates have also been cancelled. The theatre has asked for donations as it is a charity.
Lighthouse Theatre – the Poole venue will close from 17.30 17 March until 14 April, suspending all public events, including cinema screenings. Ticket holders are being asked to consider donating the cost of their ticket rather than requesting a credit or refund.
Stephen Joseph Theatre – the Scarborough venue has suspended all activities until notice further. The company is asking audiences who have purchased tickets to consider donating the value of that ticket to the theatre or to have the value credited to their account, rather than refunded.
Tron Theatre – the Glasgow venue and bar has closed in light of the most recent guidelines issued by the UK and Scottish Government, with all scheduled performances, events, classes and workshops cancelled or postponed until further notice. The charity has asked for ticket holders to donate the value of their ticket to help the venue in the immediate future and is not at present cancelling Underwood Lane or The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
COLAB Factory – performances of Category Is… Romeo and Juliet have been postponed, including the open auditions that were originally scheduled for 21 March.
Theatre Royal Nottingham – the Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall have closed following official government advice.
Theatre Royal Stratford East – The venue has cancelled its performances and closed the building until further notice. Donations to the venue will be greatfully received.
Hampstead Theatre – the venue has suspended the Hampstead Classics and Downstairs season and closed the building to the public until further notice. The charity has asked for donations of support. Affected shows include:
– The Dumb Waiter, scheduled from 19 March to 18 April
– Sleepwalking, scheduled from 26 March to 2 May
– The Two Character Play,scheduled from 24 April to 23 May
– The Death of a Black Man, scheduled from 28 May to 27 June
– ‘night, Mother, schedule from 2 July to 1 August
Bristol Old Vic – the venue has suspended all April performances and will reschedule them in the coming year where possible. The venue is also asking its audiences to donate the price of their ticket in support of its staff and companies. Cancelled and affected shows include:
– Faustus: That Damned Woman, scheduled until 21 March
– The Red Lion, scheduled until 28 March
– Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), scheduled from 7 to 11 April
– Zog scheduled from 14 to 18 April
– The Last of the Pelican Daughters, scheduled from 21 to 25 April
– I Think We Are Alone, scheduled from 28 April to 2 May
Belgrade Theatre – the Coventry venue has cancelled the week's run of Blood Brothers and is asking for donations of the cost of the ticket to assist during this difficult time.
New Vic Theatre – the venue, based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, has cancelled its remaining performances of The 39 Steps and has rescheduled its production of The Company of Wolves until 2021.
Sherman Theatre – the Cardiff venue has stopped all further performances until further notice, following the government's advice about coronavirus and in line with all other UK Theatre members.
Sheffield Theatres – following the recommendation from the UK government, Sheffield Lyceum, Crucible Theatre and the Crucible Studio will close to the public.
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh – the venue has released a statement announcing its closure for this month, adhering to the latest advice of the Scottish Government and Health Protection Scotland. Performances Mrs Puntila and Her Man Matti, Wind Resistance and Castle Lennox will no longer run as scheduled, the latter due to cancelling rehearsals after consultation with co-producers Lung Ha Theatre Company. Performances of Barefoot in the Park in April or
Life is a Dream in May and June will remain on sale at this time.
King's Head Theatre – the venue has announced closure until 11 April, with the cancellation of its current show Iolanthe. The company will stream online Q&A sessions, skills sessions, opportunities to ask creatives and voice concerns and company takeovers. It is asking those who have purchased a ticket to donate the cost back to help keep the unsubsidised venue running.
Sadler's Wells – the venue has announced a full closure for the next 12 weeks "following government, NHS and Public Health England guidance". Performances at Sadler's Wells theatre, the Lilian Baylis Studio and the Peacock Theatrehave all ceased, with the aim to reopen on 9 June. As a charity, the company are asking for donations of some or all of the ticket price to support commission artists, produce new work and deliver future programmes.
The Coronet Theatre – all performances of Afterplay (originally scheduled until 4 April) have been cancelled and the building will remain closed until the Autumn season, which sees performances of How It Is (Part Two) and The Italian Theatre Festival no longer playing. The venue hopes to reschedule as much of this outstanding work as possible.
The Courtyard – the building has closed its doors and postponed all events until further notice to help slow the spread of the virus. As a charity and community venue, the company are asking customers to consider donating the cost of the ticket, or ask for a credit to use at a later date, rather than requesting a refund where possible to show support for the organisation.
The Barn Theatre – the Cirencester venue will temporarily close the theatre in response to the Prime Minister's statement, including the current production of Ben Hur. It has launched a SAVE OUR BARN donations campaign via the website.
The Great Gatsby – the immersive show has cancelled all performances with immediate effect at the London venue until 28 June. The production company, Immersive LDN, hopes to reopen in the summer and has asked if audiences would consider exchanging tickets for a future performance rather than requesting a refund.
All Ambassador Theatre Group venues have suspended performances with immediate effect until 31 May. Venues outside of the West End include:
– The Alexandra, Birmingham
– Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
– Bristol Hippodrome
– Edinburgh Playhouse
– Grand Opera House, York
– King's Theatre, Glasgow
– Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone
– Liverpool Empire
– Milton Keynes Theatre
– New Theatre, Oxford
– New Victoria Theatre, Woking
– New Wimbledon Theatre
– Opera House, Manchester
– Palace Theatre, Manchester
– Princess Theatre, Torquay
– Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent
– Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking
– Richmond Theatre
– Stockton Globe
– Sunderland Empire
– Swansea Arena
– Theatre Royal Brighton
– Theatre Royal Glasgow
– Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent
Chiswick Playhouse – the venue has suspended all productions and activity until 24 April, which includes the venue's current showDelivery.
Unicorn Theatre – will close its doors, and has asked for donations as "without income from ticket sales we are facing an incredibly challenging time". The venue's productions of Wild, Gulliver's Travels and Robotology have been cancelled.
Bridge Theatre – will close until July, it has announced, when the production of La Belle Sauvage opens. The upcoming productions of I Remember It Well with Judi Dench and Gyles Brandreth and The Southbury Child have been cancelled.
Boulevard Theatre – the theatre will be closed and "all performances for the foreseeable future are postponed".
Gate Theatre – the venue has cancelled its remaining performances of Trainers, which was set to play until 21 March, due to the ongoing concerns over COVID-19. It is also taking steps to postpone the upcoming run of Omeros, due to play from 7 to 30 May.
Royal Opera House – the central London venue, which is home to the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet in addition to numerous visiting companies, has shut the building to the public and cancelled all performances.
Bush Theatre – the venue has cancelled its performances until further notice.
Soho Theatre – the venue has closed its theatre and bar after the government COBRA announcement and has announced it is looking at "alternative ways in which we can work with those in our industry, support their wellbeing and livelihood".
Watford Palace Theatre – the venue has cancelled its current run of Talking Heads, which was scheduled to run until 29 March. It has additionally postponed its April run of Abigail's Party, scheduled for 29 April to 23 May, until 2021.
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre – the venue cancelled its performances of Love, Love, Love and Sophocles' Antigone: The Burial at Thebes, due to run from 17 April to 16 May, based on the government's advice to the public and has subsequently shut the venue to the public until 17 April. The charity is asking for any support to its Lyric Recovery Fund here.
Royal Court – the venue has postponed performances and rehearsals for all of its shows, as well as its spring work. Shows Shoe Lady, Rare Earth Mettle, two Palestinians go dogging and others will be remodelled into future programming.
Kiln Theatre – the venue has cancelled all performances of Pass Over and will be closed until further notice, asking for donations of the price of any already purchased tickets to help support the company.
Oxford Playhouse – the venue has cancelled all performances at Oxford Playhouse and the Burton Taylor Studio until 2 May. Performances for The Flower, previously scheduled for 8 to 19 April, have been postponed to spring 2021.
Park Theatre – The venue will close for a minimum of six weeks from 17 March.
Capital Theatres, Edinburgh – the King's Theatre, Festival Theatre and The Studio have cancelled all performances for March and April under advice from the Scottish Government to cease all events with more than 500 people. The venues are aiming to reschedule any cancelled shows into the autumn season
Young Vic – while the venue itself remains open, the remaining performances of Nora: A Doll's House, schedued to run until 21 March, have been cancelled.
Menier Chocolate Factory – the venue has suspended performances of its current show Indecent until 13 April.
Finborough Theatre – two upcoming productions have been postponed. Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad will no longer run from 31 March to 25 April and will instead play from 2 to 27 February 2021. Women Without Men will no longer run from 28 April to 23 May and will instead run from 11 August to 5 September. The current run of Not Quite Jerusalem has been cancelled.
Arcola Theatre – the venue has suspended all public performances for the foreseeable future. It was playing the final week of The Cutting Edge (due to end on 21 March), with Gentlemen and Pipeline set to begin later in March.
Bunker Theatre – the venue has cancelled its current Power Share takeover week of performances, which were scheduled to run until 21 March. The venue's final week on 24 to 28 March is still set to run as scheduled.
The Turbine Theatre – the venue announced over Twitter that all performances have been cancelled.
Old Vic Theatre – Endgame starring Daniel Radcliffe and Alan Cumming has been suspended. They are postponing their production of Amy Herzog's 4000 Miles (starring Eileen Atkins and Timothée Chalamet) until they are able to re-open.
Charing Cross Theatre – the London premiere of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike has been postponed. The show was due to open at the Charing Cross Theatre on 21 March and run as part of the London Climate Change Festival until 16 May.
Storyhouse – the Chester venue has delayed two of its summer productions amid health concerns until the autumn. Antigone and new musical Brewster's Millions will now run in the autumn instead of in May as originally planned.
You can see a list of the SOLT West End venues and ongoing shows that have been affected, with return dates currently unconfirmed:
Tina – Aldwych
All shows – Ambassadors
Everybody's Talking About Jamie – Apollo
Wicked – Apollo Victoria
Various – Barbican
Various – The London Coliseum
Matilda – Cambridge
The Comedy about a Bank Robbery – Criterion
The Prince of Egypt – The Dominion
The Play That Goes Wrong – Duchess
All shows – Duke of York's
The Woman in Black – Fortune
City of Angels – Garrick
All shows – Gielgud
Uncle Vanya – Harold Pinter Theatre
The Phantom of the Opera – Her Majesty's
The Lion King – Lyceum
Thriller Live – Lyric
Various – National Theatre
Witness for the Prosecution – London County Hall
Dear Evan Hansen – Noël Coward
Mamma Mia! – Novello
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Palace
Come From Away – Phoenix
Pretty Woman – Piccadilly
The Seagull – Playhouse
Mary Poppins – Prince Edward
The Book of Mormon – Prince of Wales
Various – Royal Court (Jerwood Theatre Downstairs)
Various – Royal Opera House
Various – Sadler's Wells
9 to 5 the Musical – Savoy
& Juliet – Shaftesbury Theatre
Various – Shakespeare's Globe
Les Misérables – Sondheim (formerly Queen's)
The Mousetrap – St Martin's
On Blueberry Hill – Trafalgar Studios 1
Various – The Old Vic
Only Fools and Horses the Musical – Theatre Royal Haymarket
Sleepless – Troubadour Wembley Park
Magic Goes Wrong – Vaudeville
Hamilton – Victoria Palace
Leopoldstadt – Wyndham's
