SO, theatres are back at last. It is a difficult situation – it’s an industry that has been hit harder than most and is desperate to get back to normal.

The Government, in its infinite wisdom, has said that wearing of masks and social distancing is now voluntary. However, it strongly recommends that people attending indoor events still socially distance and wear masks.

In other words, the responsibility has shifted from Government to individual arts venues.

Most theatres and arts venues are both registered companies and charities and have trustees who are responsible for the governance and finance of the venue. They now must make difficult decisions.

Many of the big supermarkets have said they will still make masks compulsory. So what if theatres do that?

It’s pretty tough wearing a mask for two to three hours during a show and there are many people who will not buy tickets with that rule in place.

And if theatres decide to keep social distancing, it vastly reduces their capacities and the ability to at least break even on shows.

So they either have to hugely reduce what they can book, or go back to pre-Covid normal in which case they may well be putting their customers at risk.

It’s a real dilemma and I fear that theatres are not yet out of crisis.