The Everyman’s celebrated Rock n Roll Panto: Robin Hood finished on Saturday to a standing ovation and rapturous applause, triumphing over a delayed start to the season and multiple cancellations.

Christmas is a critical period for theatres across the UK, and we were not alone in having to cancel shows and lose income as a direct result of the Covid pandemic. Robin Hood’s first week was cancelled due to supply chain delays, with an additional 15 shows lost due to cast and crew illness. At the Playhouse, injury and illness meant that Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World performed less than half of their planned shows.

Despite adversity, the two shows entertained over 25,000 people of all ages (approximately 60% of anticipated attendance). Fortunately, the VAT reduction and support from Arts Council’s England Culture Recovery Fund will go some way to easing the loss in ticket income. As CEO, Mark Da Vanzo explained:

“Our Christmas shows underpin the rest of our artistic programme through the year, so any loss is challenging. We’re grateful for the support from Arts Council England and DCMS, and we couldn’t have delivered as many shows as we did without the hard work and dedication of our cast, crew and staff. Their flexibility to adapt to constant change and their good humour with it, demonstrated their resilience and dedication to ensure we could keep as many audiences as possible safe and entertained this Christmas.

“We’re thankful too for the understanding and generosity of our audiences. Many swapped their tickets, kept credit on their account or donated. We hope those who didn’t get the chance to join us at the Playhouse over Christmas will be pleased to know that we’re bringing back Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World in March.”

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World will return to the Playhouse from 25 March to 2 April 2022. Tickets priced £10 to £25 are available to book now.