More than 500 theatres and cultural centres lit up in red in solidarity with live performance industry

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Zoe Paskett7 July 2020

Hundreds of theatres and arts centres across the country lit up their buildings in red last night to express solidarity and draw attention to the critical condition of the live performance industry.

While most other public spaces have been allowed to resume business, live performance hasn’t been able to safely return due to social distancing.

The #LightItInRed campaign aimed to shine a light on the 25,000 businesses and 500,000 workers whose jobs are at risk as a result of the pandemic, with more than 500 buildings taking part.

The government yesterday delivered an eleventh-hour £1.57bn rescue package, and theatres took to Twitter to share pictures of their illuminated buildings alongside messages of hope and unity.

It has not yet been announced how the money will be distributed, and the industry is waiting to see how freelancers, suppliers and the wider industry outside of arts buildings will be included.

The #LightItInRed campaign was co-created by Clearsound Productions Ltd and Backstage Theatre Jobs, taking inspiration from Germany’s #NightofLight protest, which saw more than 9,000 buildings illuminated in red, grabbing the attention of both the public and government.

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