Julian Bird News

The announcement of this year's Olivier winners will be broadcast on ITV this Sunday, the 25th October at 10.20pm.

The  Society of London Theatre (SOLT) & UK Theatre have launched a new  scheme called See It Safely, to support venues as they navigate the challenges of re-opening, and to give audiences the confidence that venues are consistent in their approach and implementation of the latest guidelines.

An anti-racism conference for the UK's theatre and dance sectors is taking place in November 2020, presented by Inc Arts UK in partnership with Society of London Theatre (SOLT) & UK Theatre. 'Speak - Listen - Reset - Heal' will be a fully accessible online series, taking place on Tuesday 3rd, 10th and 24th November.

The winners of this year's Oliver Awards 2020 with Mastercard will be announced on Sunday 25 October in a special programme hosted by Jason Manford and broadcast on ITV and Magic Radio. 

The London Palladium has hosted the world's biggest stars over the course of its history. Today, like all theatres across the UK, it is dark. On Thursday, September 17, Magic Radio will bring together over 70 leading figures from across musical theatre at the venue, united for the first time, to shine a spotlight on theatre at a time when its very existence is under threat.

Theatre Artist Fund today announces that thanks to significant investment from Arts Council England, the fund is now open for its next round of applications. The Arts Council has contributed £1 million to the Theatre Artist Fund, following on from the £4 million distributed to benevolent funds earlier in the year as part of its Covid-19 Emergency Response Package. 

Theatre Artist Fund today announces that it received almost 4000 applications in just one week, from out of work theatre practitioners who have found themselves at breaking point since theatres closed in March. 

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has announced on Twitter that U.K. theatres and music halls will be allowed to reopen on August 1, with socially distanced audiences. 

UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced further lockdown easing measures for sport and culture. Among the new rules: outdoor theatres, opera and music venues can reopen from 11 July - with live performances in front of outdoor, socially distanced audiences. This is a big 'milestone', notes Dowden, for those who have been 'waiting in the wings' since March.

The UK Government has announced a £1.57 billion rescue package to help the nation's cultural, arts and heritage institutions weather the impact of Coronavirus. It follows weeks of lobbying from arts leaders of impending disaster, and the closure of venues like Nuffield Southampton Theatres. 

UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden has revealed a five-step program which 'provides a clear pathway back' to reopening theaters. 

Leaders in the creative arts industry in the UK say that half of all music venues and 70% of theatres in the UK could be facing permanent closure due to the health crisis.

OfficialLondonTheatre.com has reported that Julian Bird, Chief Executive of Society Of London Theatre and UK Theatre gave oral evidence to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) as part of the inquiry into the impact of COVID on DCMS sectors. 

In a new video, Cities of London & Westminster MP Nickie Aiken outlines the importance of the West End to the wider UK economy, and explores ways to counter the impact of Covid-19 on the theatres, cultural venues - and the hotels, bars and restaurants which rely on them.

The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre welcome the latest announcement from DCMS to set up a new Entertainment and Events Working Group.

Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and Equity have come to an agreement to support actors during the current suspension of West End shows due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Yesterday (Thursday 26 March), Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced government aid for self-employed workers, who can now apply for a grant worth 80% of their average monthly profits over three months, made as a single payment from the beginning of June.

ITV will broadcast a special Olivier Awards with Mastercard programme on Sunday 5 April at 10:15pm, in place of the 2020 Royal Albert Hall awards show which was cancelled due to coronavirus.

Following official government advice issued today (Monday 16 March), which stipulates that people should avoid public buildings including theatres, we regret to announce that SOLT and UK Theatre member venues will be closed from tonight, to help slow the spread of coronavirus.

Julian Bird is the Chief Executive of the Society of London Theatre. 2020 marks 10 years since he joined SOLT and took over the running of the Olivier Awards. Bird spoke to BroadwayWorld about his career and this year's award ceremony, which takes place on 5 April.