Titchfield Festival Theatre: COVID secure and continuing to entertain the South Coast
The award of significant funding to Titchfield Festival Theatre (TFT) as part of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) is a huge step forward, according to Kevin Fraser, Artistic Director and Chair of the Trustees. The money, which will fund stage and other equipment, enables TFT to continue to provide the community with an eclectic range of shows, from the popular, through experimental to brand new plays written by aspiring playwrights; indoors or outdoors, no matter what happens in future.
In September, TFT reopened to the public as a COVID secure venue, one of the first in the region to be certified under the See it Safely banner administered by The Theatres Trust and Society of London Theatres. Extensive measures have been put into place, to protect patrons, cast members, stage crew and volunteers Since then, TFT has performed several shows including Sweeney Todd and 84 Charing Cross Road, with Up Pompeii based on the Frankie Howard TV farce in November and an all singing, dancing Christmas Panto Sleeping Beauty in December.
Kevin Fraser said:
“We are truly delighted with the news that we have been successful in applying for the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund and I would like to thank the Arts Council for their support, too.
“TFT is a safe and secure place for all our visitors, be they patrons, staff, cast members or volunteers. We are the only theatre in the UK to have an ozone sanitiser, which sanitises all auditoria, public spaces and stage areas, killing 'all known germs' bugs and viruses including Covid19. It is applied after every show once audiences and cast have left the building and ensures that the building is completely sanitised and safe. We also have a smaller ozone sanitiser for use with our wardrobe department, enabling us to reopen this service for hires.
“All our venues have thermal imaging on entry to the venue and hand sanitising stations, together with social distancing measures. For example, we operate with three metres distancing from the stage to the audience when musicals are on. This is on top of the increased cleaning and sanitising regime we have put in place. Patrons do have to wear face coverings whilst in the building and we do have an in-house app to order drinks and have them delivered direct to patrons seats.
“Furthermore, we have invested in over £60,000 worth of camera, sound and vision mixing equipment to stream our shows live and are currently FREE to view. This is a major step forward and allows us to give broadcast HD TV quality streaming year-round.”
Despite the continuing epidemic TFT have invested in a new brochure with productions for 2021 which will soon be released, with a huge amount of new shows, comedies, dramas and musicals, something for everyone. Look out for it coming through your letterbox.
For more information on Titchfield Festival Theatre including booking tickets for forthcoming productions, please go to http://titchfieldfestivaltheatre.com/or contact our Box Office on 0333 666 3366.
Notes for the Editor
Titchfield Festival Theatre is one of the UK’s largest amateur theatre groups, with three venues situated along the south coast of Hampshire.
The main theatre The Oak - (seating 200 people) and a new studio theatre - The Acorn (seating 100 people) are both located in St Margarets Lane, Titchfield. The theatre company also owns the historic Great Barn, reputed to be the third largest medieval barn in Europe. The Great Barn hosts an annual Shakespearean festival and is available for events. The barn also has its own theatre which seats 175.
Titchfield Festival Theatre will produce some 30 shows in 2020 with a varied programme of productions to suit all tastes, including the New Play Season which runs between January – March. Details of the forthcoming productions are on the website below.
The site at St Margarets Lane has recently undergone extensive renovations including a refurbished bar, new seating and other facilities, as well as uniquely becoming the only ‘green’ fully sustainable theatre in Europe. The Oak Theatre is also home to a historic 1930’s theatre organ, which has performed at recent productions including Spamalot.
Tickets for upcoming shows can be booked online via the website http://titchfieldfestivaltheatre.com/or please contact our Box Office on 0333 666 3366. For more information or to request complimentary tickets for press reviews please contact Simon Frost at LCM, simon@lcm.co.uk or 01489 891870.
