Northampton's Royal & Derngate forced to put more staff on furlough as shutdown continues

Royal & Derngate Theatre has been forced to put more staff on furlough as it continues to tackle the impact of the coronavirus shutdown.

The theatre, which as the Chronicle & Echo reported last month, Royal & Derngate and Northampton Filmhouse launched an emergency fundraising appeal after its income was cut by 90% as a result of the shutdown.

This afternoon, Thursday June 4, the theatre posted a new update on social media.

"Alongside our building reaminig closed, we are reducing the size of our team by putting more of our staff in furlough leave.

"For the coming weeks, only a very small team will remain," the statement said.

"Please be aware that during this time, we won't be as active online or on our social media channels."

The box office will now only be open from Tuesdays to Thursdays from 11am to 2pm. Customers can contact the reduced box office team by emailing [email protected]

The statement added: "We have made these decisions so that we can get through this difficult time successfully and back on our feet when it is safe to do so.

"We want to thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through this unprecedented time.

"We are looking forward to welcoming you back to enjoy the fantastic theatre and film with us."

Last month, the Chronicle & Echo interviewed the chief executive of Royal & Derngate, Jo Gordon, who spoke about the fantastic support they had received from the community.