We are delighted to share this exciting news from The Grange Festival and send this statement from Artistic Director Michael Chance:
“We are delighted to announce that The Grange Festival has been chosen to be one of the few selected venues for the UK Government’s Events Research Programme pilot scheme. This means we are now able to run performances from Thursday 1st July to Sunday 18th July inclusive at full capacity. Everyone attending will be required to provide proof of either a double vaccination, a negative Lateral Flow Test or natural immunity.
The pilot events will gather evidence on coronavirus transmission, the characteristics of events and surrounding activities and the extent to which mitigation measures can effectively address risks. We would like to underline how safe we feel the whole site at The Grange is. All sensible precautions will continue to be in place. We are confident that our new theatre ventilation, our multiple exits from the theatre onto open parkland, and all the measures we have in place to test our staff three times a week ensure a safe environment for all.
This is a wonderful opportunity for The Grange Festival against the context of the multiple challenges which all performance venues have faced for the last 16 months. We realize that we are just a relatively small performing arts venue, but I hope that the evidence gained from our pilot scheme will assist the rapid unlocking of all theatres, and concert halls and cinemas and clubs and related venues across the country. We are privileged to have been chosen to be a guinea-pig. We all passionately hope for an open and thriving future for the arts in the UK, celebrated as they are across the world."
Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage said: "I am delighted that the Grange Festival will go ahead this summer as part of our Events Research Programme. This year's event will not only be a celebration of opera but also an important piece of scientific research which will help us get audiences back at full capacity across the country."