FabSwingers.com forum: Missing the entertainment industry (not just swingers clubs!)

By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

It is only when you can't do something or go somewhere that you realise just how much you used to enjoy certain activities.

I used to be a regular swing club goer and also used to love trips to the theatre.

The pandemic has closed down the whole evening entertainment industry.

No live music. No singing. No dancing. No live comedy shows or festivals & gigs.

Basically the things in life that are enjoyable & fun.

Where no one knows the future of any of the above industries, I sure hope & pray that we won't lose all of these places & activities for good.

Does anyone know of any of the above industries that have adapted to the current covid restrictions?

And if so, how are they doing?

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By *orthern StarsCouple
over a year ago

Durham

Our nearest theatre is going to be showing films instead. Not convinced it will take off.

It's such a shame for these businesses. Hope they can survive.

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By *ove2pleaseseukMan
over a year ago

Hastings

White Light the UK's biggest hire company to the theater and entitanment industry has now made 30% of its staff redundant due to a 95% down turn in income.

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By *ove2pleaseseukMan
over a year ago

Hastings

Above released in the stage new's today

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

i was working security in the entertainment industy and we have moved to covid test sites but its not the same and wiped out an industy that was thriving. without culture and human interaction.. what is left of life?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

The answer, at least for some, is very badly indeed.

I operated two businesses in the entertainment industry - equipment hire and DJ entertainment. Both have done absolutely no business at all since March and there is no sign of that changing.

We had many clients move bookings for Summer into Autumn and then again into 2021. We then lost our entire Christmas season too - that alone cost thousands in lost revenue. Now, on top of all that we are starting to see actual cancellations for 2021 as people give up hope and cancel/drastically downsize events.

Government support has been non-existent. Lost revenue for the year to date runs to over £35,000 and is still climbing. I'm refunding deposits out of my personal savings now.

There is no way I can move online. Nobody has any interest in a socially-distanced party even if such a thing were allowed (it's not!) and the prospect of restrictions continuing for another 6 months or more are in danger of driving a wave of cancellations that will be the final straw.

I know many others in this sector who are in similar or worse positions. One singer I know has had to resort to food banks. Many bands have already given up.

Even the event venues are now struggling. Faced with next to no revenue all summer, no prospect of Christmas revenue and the increasing likelihood of a late start at best to next year's season many are starting to consider whether it's viable to continue at all.

The entertainment industry we knew is in serious jeopardy and will take many years to recover, if it ever does.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

hear hear... no culture.. no life? its so depressing. my God can you imagine this happening if the Internet had not been invented... what would people do?

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By *eneral HysteriaMan
over a year ago

Newcastle

It's a truly dreadful state of affairs.

I've worked in live events and entertainment production for over 25 years as a freelancer and never been out of work. Never. Not 1penny of benefit for anything my whole adult life. Not 1 day off sick.

The younger cohort, those with only a year or two, or even less - those who've left uni/college/ drama school this year are finding it really tough and will for a long time.

A number of guys I know are now doing other things which means they'll be missing from the industry when things pick up.

Worst of all, the govt barely recognise the freelancers. Don't realise they're on a knife edge or sometimes that they exist.

This is a career people love.

It's not like going to work. We love it. It's a family.

Honestly, it's heart-breaking.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

it is heart breaking. abd crowds are life affirming. the whole sector from theatres.. festivals and gig venues has been wiped out.. id have loved to have been involved in those virgin socially distanced gigs they did.. we have to keep going

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By *ove2pleaseseukMan
over a year ago

Hastings

I gave up end of last month made all staff redundant from my hire company only 2 full time 1 programmer and a service eng some equipment has had to go back to ETC as was on there own HP some to a lease company what I Owen out right I'll keep might sell might 're hire at some point but as a lot of it was long term cross hire don't see the money coming back into the industry for some time. And as for PLAZA not going to happen

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By *alandNitaCouple
over a year ago

Scunthorpe

As someone who has played in bands for over 30 years, I can certainly say that the entertainment industry is missing audiences too. Not because of the financial impact (although this is huge), but because the performance is as much a part of what sustains us as the food we eat and the air we breathe. Removing a performer's ability to interact with their audience is like taking away our favourite child...

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Cinemas are open near me, and a few pubs still have live music. I'm not in an area with tighter restrictions though.

All the big bingo clubs are open too, and aside from bingo,they are doing live events - quizzes, comedy shows, showing live sports and have opened their bars for pool, darts etc.

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By *ictoriaathomeTV/TS
over a year ago

Huddersfield

I work in the live events industry, conventions that sort of thing. The industry and its supporting companies is a huge part of commerce that largely goes under the radar.

All work stopped in March with nothing since, we had our first job rebooked for January but this has now been put back to April, even that looks doubtful.

Many thousands of people work on each event, it runs from transport to hotels, catering to security, construction to management, so many now looking and hoping it all picks up soon. It truly is a hard thing for us all to live through.

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By *allySlinkyWoman
over a year ago

Leeds

The West Yorkshire Playhouse reopened on 3 October. They are staging six one person shows with no interval and a socially distanced audience. Although it is small scale I am so looking forward to going back to the theatre.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Ex publican, thanks to the virus. Brewery went under, so out of my pub , my home and my business I had to go!

The industry as a whole, will never come back from this. "Eat out to help out" was majorly flawed, but the entertainment that comes with the licensed industry has almost been wiped out

Just dreadful to see silent venues now, when they were once bustling hives of sound and entertainment

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By *amaraBeaverbankWoman
over a year ago

Benidorm Spain

"As someone who has played in bands for over 30 years, I can certainly say that the entertainment industry is missing audiences too. Not because of the financial impact (although this is huge), but because the performance is as much a part of what sustains us as the food we eat and the air we breathe. Removing a performer's ability to interact with their audience is like taking away our favourite child...

This is in spades. I’d dropped out the industry a couple of times due to family problems and both times ended up back on meds again as fell into clinical depression again due to having no outlet to vent my emotions well (something I always used my work for as a healthy way to express)

It’s not just a job to so many of us. Hope we can pull through this soon as I know I’ll not be the only one feeling it x

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By *eterjamesmcMan
over a year ago

glasgow

I've been a chef in the live music industry for 15 years with some of the biggest names in the world. Those massive tours ain't coming back any time soon, maybe smaller bands who rely hand to mouth on gigging might start up next year but on a much reduced scale. All the people who work in this industry have just been dumped and forgotten about. U.K. Based crew are world class, and on top of brexit, there will be thousands who will lose their homes and livelihoods.

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By *ap d agde coupleCouple
over a year ago

Broadstairs

"I've been a chef in the live music industry for 15 years with some of the biggest names in the world. Those massive tours ain't coming back any time soon, maybe smaller bands who rely hand to mouth on gigging might start up next year but on a much reduced scale. All the people who work in this industry have just been dumped and forgotten about. U.K. Based crew are world class, and on top of brexit, there will be thousands who will lose their homes and livelihoods. "
This is so sad and so unnecessary

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