Earlier this week, I was undecided whether to make my trip to London on Sunday, given the uncertainty around Coronavirus and my circumstances given me being in one of the “at risk” groups. I weighed everything up, and eventually decided that my disability is isolating enough as is, I wanted to do the thing that brings me joy and light whilst I was still able.

It was an odd feeling, sitting in the auditorium of one of my favourite shows, feeling like it would be the last time I would do so for a while; it was sad and yet was a welcome and much needed tonic for me given some other issues I’ve been dealing with in recent months, as it always has been.

And then, yesterday, the saddest, though not unexpected outcome has happened: theatres across the country here in the UK have gone dark for the foreseeable. Now, of course I’m sad on a personal level about this: I was due to see the transfer of City of Angels in April, and next weekend was so excited to take my mum, who doesn’t get much free time to spend with me due to her other commitments, to see Cursed Child, along with many other shows these next few months.

But this isn’t just affecting my personal enjoyment. It’s bigger than that – every single person who works tirelessly to ensure I, like all theatre fans, have the best experience onstage and behind the scenes, are now out of work for the foreseeable, and some smaller venues face the threat of closure entirely as they are reliant on income from ticket sales and donations to function…

I owe so much to this industry: it has introduced me to some incredible people and forms of art be it musicals, plays and dance, fuelled my own creative energy given how I love writing about it, and most importantly, as someone living with a disability that already found life isolating before all this kicked off, it’s given me my closest friendship, and, accessibility permitting, somewhere I feel like I can belong. I’m so grateful to everyone for that.

In light of that, I want to help give back in any way I can so any creatives or fans like myself who I can help in any way to help keep the creative juices flowing, don’t hesitate to ask me. I’m also looking into ways I can help financially, though I appreciate this may not be an option for other people. I’m personally looking into helping here as a fan of The Show People Podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-arion-productions and into membership at a venue I love. 

A lyric from the show I saw on Sunday has really struck a chord with me over the past few days:

I know that the night must end, and that the sun will rise. When it does, I’ll be back in the theatres to welcome you with open arms. Keep safe, well and happy and I’ll keep my love for your art alive in all the ways I can in the meantime 😉