You can locate the full DCMS Select Committee report here.

Alongside many of your submissions UK Theatre and SOLT made two written and one oral submission to this. As a result of sector-wide submissions, theatre and the performing arts are a priority in this important report.

UK Theatre and SOLT have issued this statement:

“We welcome this new report from the DCMS, especially their key recommendations. We wholeheartedly support the report’s call for Government to publish a “no earlier than” date now for stage five of the plan to reopen performing arts venues. Telling venues they can reopen with just a few days’ or weeks’ notice does not address the lead times for performance, the challenges of social distancing or the concerns about audience behaviours.

We also support the report’s recommendation to cut VAT on ticket sales for theatre beyond January 2021 and for Government to extend Theatre Tax Relief to 50% for the next three years. We continue to work collaboratively with the Cultural Renewal Taskforce to co-ordinate cross-sector work and find technological solutions to enable the safe return of ticket holders to events. There is still time to save this valued sector but we need to move fast.”