‘There is a version of us after this’: Derngate boss reassures that essential part of Northampton will bounce back

Bosses at a theatre that is imperative to the local economy in Northampton are planning for all scenarios as they look ahead to the future.

The Royal & Derngate has been closed for nearly two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, forcing more than 40 shows to be rescheduled.

The theatre contributes £28 million to the local economy every year so has been hit hard by the closure, as it has estimated that more than 40,000 tickets have been cancelled or postponed.

But with the help of loyal customers, chief executive Jo Gordon, is confident about the future of the business.

Jo said: “There is so much uncertainty so we are having to plan for the best case and worst case, but it’s hard to know what they are at the moment.

“We have a version that if social distancing measures are relaxed we could get back to a version of ourselves quite quickly. But it does depend on what shows can tour.

“If social distancing is extended, we’re trying to imagine what the spaces could look like.

“It’s really challenging commercially, especially trying to imagine running any shows with smaller audiences.

“We need to know what will be possible and what the guidelines will look like for mass gatherings.

“But our absolute priority is keeping audiences, cast members and staff safe and we will not do anything without that safety.”

Although Jo is unsure when the theatre will reopen and is aware that changes will need to be made, she knows the business and the team will adapt.

Jo added: “We know it will not be back to business as usual, we know we will have to change and figure out what our community needs.

“We have a lot of work to do to understand what the future will look like.

“It might be that we have to do less for a little while, but it’s about rebuilding.

“The audience appetite might change too, they might not want to rush back out to theatres, so it’s figuring out how we can adapt.

“I want everyone to understand that there is a version of us that goes forward from this.

“It’s going to be challenging but we understand what the town needs and it’s about trying to keep upbeat about it.

“There are theatres up and down the country that will not survive this. We are lucky that we have support from audiences and funders who know how important Royal & Derngate is to the regeneration of the town centre.”

While Jo and the team wait to hear when and how they can move forward, the theatre is in talks with Delapre Abbey about hosting drive-in film sessions in the summer and has also launched ‘Royal and Derngate at Home’.

“We are working hard to make sure we keep connected with our audiences in various ways," Jo said.

“We have 20,000 young people we work with every year and we cannot bear the thought of that stopping, so we have most of our workshops online now.

“We also try to keep as much contact with traditional audiences too, so we stream previous performances and have watching sessions.

“We have around 300 people who engage, as we sit down and watch it with a glass of wine and talk about the film.”

The other newly launched scheme, ‘Bring us Back Together’, focuses on fundraising.

“We have had brilliant support from customers accepting we are having to reschedule shows and that some shows have had to be cancelled, “ Jo added.

“They’ve been taking tickets for moved shows rather than refunds or taking gift vouchers so we can welcome them back in the future.

“We are now taking that fundraising a step further as an important part of the town to help us reopen whenever that may be.

“We’ve received great financial support, but it has also been great to see people reminiscing about what they love about us and what they miss and just celebrating us on social media.

“I’m sending out handwritten thank you cards to people who are donating from home to express our thanks.”

To find out more about the ‘Bring us Back Together’ scheme and get involved with Royal & Derngate at Home, visit the theatre’s website.

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