Please note that updates are being made to this announcement as they come through. Patrons with tickets for upcoming events will be contacted by box office directly should there be any change in our schedule.Monday 16th March -
In light of the escalating situation with the coronavirus/ COVID-19 pandemic we're working with our team and visiting companies to make the best decisions for our audiences and therefore are cancelling a number of upcoming shows:
- The Lyric Theatre and Greenshoot Productions have decided to cancel the scheduled performances of In the Name of the Son, due to run at the theatre until from 17th to 29th March 2020. The rescheduled date has not been confirmed, but hopefully will be later in the year.
The Lyric Theatre and visiting companies have also decided to cancel the following productions:
- Kids in Control on 17th - 18th March .
- Catalyst Dance festival on 22nd March.
- Ensemble Voices on 25th - 26th March.
- Sauce on 27th - 28th March.
- Keep Telling Me Lieson 7th-12th April.
- Capcon on 14th-15th May.
Our box-office team will contact any patrons who hold tickets for these events who will be offered a full refund on your tickets. There are some patrons who have decided not to take a refund, in which case this money will go towards supporting the visiting companies and our artists.
These are unprecedented times and we apologise for the inconvenience caused. We are very grateful to you for your ongoing support.
For now, all other performances are currently scheduled to go ahead as planned but the health of our patrons and our staff is our upmost priority, and we will continue to monitor the situation on an ongoing basis and will update accordingly.
Friday 13th March - In light of the announcement from the Executive yesterday all people with even mild flu-like symptoms - a fever above 37.8C or a persistent cough for up to four hours - should self-isolate for seven days and therefore not attend the theatre. In this instance as outlined below please contact our box office and we can offer you a credit to your account to be used at a future date. This will be applicable for all Lyric productions.
We currently are not able to offer a credit note for your ticket if it is for a visiting company production.
Thurs 12th March - The Lyric Theatre continues to operate as a theatre and venue. We are following Public Health Authority and WHO guidelines to help prevent the spread of any virus. We have introduced further cleaning to our daily schedule, have introduced a “meeting with people” policy amongst staff and will be reducing seating capacity after this week to help minimise close contact within the building.
As per PHA guidelines, patrons with symptoms of illness have a responsibility to seek advice and self-isolate and should not attend the theatre. If you are unable to attend the theatre due to illness or worries over Covid-19 the Lyric will not refund tickets in this instance. Our current exchange policy states that we can only exchange tickets for an alternative performance of the same show – however, in this instance we can offer you a credit to your account to be used at a future date. This will be applicable for all Lyric productions.
We currently are not able to offer a credit note for your ticket if it is for a visiting company production.
Notice to PatronsThe Lyric are following the advice of the UK government and UK Theatre in regards to our response to COVID-19
- At the moment, our understanding is that there is no clear rationale for ‘closing events’ or cancelling shows and unless a specific scenario develops within our organisation, we will continue business as usual.
- Therefore our policy on exchanges or refunds remains – we will not offer refunds if patrons wish to cancel their ticket due to self-isolation or a family member being ill.
- Where possible, we will offer to exchange tickets for Lyric productions to a future date.
We are currently speaking to all visiting companies to understand their policy, as we cannot currently exchange tickets for visiting productions. - If current government advice changes, then we may review our ticket policy at that time.
- We encourage ALL people in the building to take care to prevent catching and spreading the virus:
- People are being required to self-isolate in certain circumstances following return from an affected area, or having been in close contact with an infected person.
- If you feel ill with suspected COVID-19 symptoms*, you/they should stay home, isolate and visit https://111.nhs.uk/service/covid-19or call 111 for advice.
- Similarly, there is no official government advice to postpone travel to/from the UK – there is some specific advice about a few countries and territories of the world in terms of travel, and at any time the current advice is at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
*Recognise the symptomsBased on current evidence, the main symptoms of COVID-19 are a cough, a high temperature and, in severe cases, shortness of breath.
How serious is the coronavirus?- it can cause flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough & difficulty breathing
- the infection is not serious for most people, including children
- there is currently no vaccine
- most people get better with enough rest, water to drink and medicine for pain
How likely are you to catch the virus?- you can only catch it if you have been close to a person who has the virus
- the chance of being in contact with the virus is currently low in the UK
- if you have travelled to areas where many people are infected, your chance of catching the virus is higher, i.e. China and any affected areas
What should you do if you feel unwell?- Keep away from others and stay at home to stop the infection spreading.
- Avoid public transport if you think you have symptoms of coronavirus.
- If you become unwell at the Lyric, tell a member of staff and let them know if you have travelled to any other countries in the last 14 days.
- If you think you have symptoms of coronavirus, they should call NHS 111 for advice.
- Staff or patrons who have returned from Iran, specific lockdown areas in northern Italy, special care zones in South Korea or Hubei province China (returned in the past 14 days) should self isolate, and NOT attend any public building for 14 days.