Coronavirus in Scotland: Royal Lyceum and Dundee Rep go into lockdown

Dundee Rep's announcement said it did not anticipate any of its spring season shows would go ahead now.

Both venues announced an immediate suspension of shows following the latest advice from the UK and Scottish governments to limit social contact, stay at home as much ass possible and avoid going to shows.

The two governments have stopped short of ordering the closure of theatres amid claims they have been left in a precarious financial situation because they will be unable to make insurance claims.

Other venues which have gone dark in the last couple of days include the Playhouse, Festival and King’s theatres in Edinburgh, the Theatre Royal and King’s Theatre in Glasgow and the Byre in St Andrews.

The Royal Lyceum today said it had cancelled or postponed all productions at the venue this month, including remaining performances of Mrs Puntilla and Her Man Matti, as well as singer-songwriter Karine Polwart’s production Wind Resistance, and Castle Lennox, a co-production with the theatre company Lung Ha.

Shows due to be staged over the next couple of months, including Barefoot in the Park and Life is a Dream, are remaining on sale in the hope they can either go ahead as planned or be rescheduled for a future date.

An official statement said: “We have been closely monitoring the situation regarding

coronavirus and adhering to all guidance issued.

“The latest advice of the Scottish Government and Health Protection Scotland is that events for over 500 people should not take place from this week and the UK government yesterday advised an end to non-essential contact with others, specifically including theatres in that advice.

“We continue to be grateful to our audiences for their patience and understanding at this time.”

Dundee Rep said it did not anticipate any further shows in its spring season taking place due to the impact of the pandemic.

An official statement said: “We take the health and safety of our audiences, staff, freelance colleagues and partners very seriously and as part of the temporary closure, we have suspended all our public activities as an organisation.”

“This is an incredibly complex and fast-moving situation and it is with a heavy heart that we have taken this decision but the safety of all the people we work with is our number one priority.

“We would like to thank our audiences and supporters for all the messages of support we have received during these uncertain times. As an arts charity, we depend on this support.”

The Glasgow Film Theatre announced it would be closing for at least a month, while the Cameo in Edinburgh is to close until further notice from tomorrow.

Two of Edinburgh’s leading independent galleries – the Collective and Ingleby – also announced their closure today.

Collective director Kate Gray said: “In light of recent government advice on limiting the escalation of the coronavirus threat, we have taken the decision to close Collective until further notice.

“We feel this is the appropriate action to take in these difficult circumstances and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

“Collective has a resilience plan and our principal funders have advised that this action will be supported.

“Many of our staff team will be working remotely and our aim is to create as much continuity as we can over the next few days and weeks.”

The Ingleby Gallery in the New Town said it was closing down to the public immediately, but was still viewable by appointment only.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra have all cancelled forthcoming concerts due to be held over the next month.