Fifteen theatres have sent a letter to the Northern three Provinces asking for help
Four theaters in the province of Drenthe are in serious financial difficulties due to the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak, reports RTV Drenthe. De Nieuwe Kolk in Assen, the Atlas Theater in Emmen, Theater de Winsinghhof in Roden; and Theater Ogterop in Meppel have, together with eleven other theaters in the North, sent a letter to the provinces of Drenthe, Friesland and Groningen, asking for support.
In the letter, the theaters request financial help now that they have to be closed until at least June 1.
“A great financial injection is needed to help the cultural sector in the North through this difficult time and to ensure that it will be able to restore its high level in the coming years”, says Leo Hegge from Tynaarlo, chairman of the Northern Theater Boards, in the letter.
Some theaters already have problems with paying their fixed costs in June, Hegge added. The theaters cannot say how much is in support, “because we still don’t know where we stand. How long should we stay closed?”
The directors of the cultural institutions say they understand the measures brought in to try and tackle to Coronavirus outbreak, “but we also want to be able to get through this time. Any further extension will have irreparable consequences for cultural infrastructure in the region.”
Hegge explains that there is a vulnerable cultural infrastructure in the Northern provinces. “We have little of everything and where there are shrinking areas, the continuity of cultural life is now more crucial than ever.”
“Normally, the presale for the new season now starts. Because we do not know whether we can start in the new season at all, that presale has not started. Therefore, we must immediately deal with money problems,” said Hegge.
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