Mayflower Theatre in Southampton to remain closed until December and will shut its local restaurant
© Claire Kelson
The Mayflower Theatre in Southampton has said it will remain closed until 10 December.
In a new statement today, chief executive Michael Ockwell also announced that the venue's in-house restaurant, Ovation, will not be reopening when the venue does, as, according to Ockwell, "we are making some very tough decisions with our own operation".
He went on: "I am working with producers to reschedule as many shows as possible into future dates. However, it is inevitable that some tours will not be able to survive the break."
"As a charitable organisation Mayflower Theatre is reliant on sales to generate income, receiving no direct income from Arts Council England or the Government. Ninety-six per cent of our income comes from ticket and ancillary sales and we contribute around £75 million to the local economy on an annual basis."
The Southampton venue's pantomime, Cinderella with Craig Revel Horwood and Debbie McGee, is still scheduled to go ahead with tickets on sale now.
The news will be a blow for the Southampton community, with the city's other main venue, Nuffield Southampton Theatres, announcing earlier in the pandemic that they had gone into administration.
