Actors Hugo Weaving and Wayne Blair will lead the Sydney Theatre Company's return to the stage after the state government allocated rescue funding to help the premiere arts company stay afloat.will open September 21, the STC joining the Belvoir Theatre in announcing a COVID-19-safe restart.
In June, auditors tagged the STC's latest financial report with a warning casting "significant doubt" over its ability to stay afloat due to the sudden loss of income.The KPMG auditor's warning noted: "The conditions disclosed. . . indicate a material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on the group's ability to continue as a going concern."
As of last week, Create NSW had received 82 applications for emergency funding and organisations in critical need due to the impact of COVID-19.Acknowledging the extreme hardships facing the sector, the government arts agency had prioritised applicants in the first stage, with funding to be allocated based on these assessments.
"While the theatre industry has consistently maintained that the economics of socially distanced theatre do not stack up, in the case of"The show already has very strong pre-sales and a relatively modest weekly running budget.