Tavistock Musical Theatre Company plans to raise the curtain once again
Little did we know as the final curtain fell on our very successful production of ‘The Sound of Music’ in late October 2019 that the (metaphorical) footlights would be dimmed for more than two years hence. Of course, TMTC is just one of many community theatre companies across the land that has found itself grounded by the Covid pandemic and sadly, there are those who haven’t survived. We at TMTC were due to stage ‘My Fair Lady’ in Tavistock Town Hall in late 2020 and ‘Elf -The Musical’ in late 2021. Both of these productions have had to be postponed until 2023 and 2022 respectively, until it is hoped that amateur theatre will be able to perform with all restrictions lifted.
Whilst live theatre in the professional sector is now beginning to emerge from the enforced ‘hibernation’, amateur and community theatre companies are facing a long wait until confidence has been restored in the viability of staging large productions. There needs to be reassurance that a show which can cost anything between £10,000 - £15,000 would not have to be stopped midway through the rehearsal period due to further restrictions, and that the opportunity to play to capacity audiences is not diminished. There is no insurance that will cover Covid.
TMTC has provided Tavistock with high calibre musical theatre for over sixty years and we hope to continue to do so in the future. We pride ourselves on having an inclusive and multi-generational membership. We are a self-funding company, relying on membership fees, fundraising efforts and occasional local grant funding which we have been fortunate to have secured. But since March 2020, our income has dwindled significantly; however, our outgoings have not, and storage and insurance costs run into quadruple figures annually. Our committee has stayed active during the pandemic, meeting monthly via Zoom. Through much ‘head scratching’ and long discussions, plans are being formulated for a comeback to the Tavistock scene with the possibility of a low budget entertainment later this year, or in early 2022.
A programme of fundraising events is being planned and we hope to access some recovery grant funding and maybe some local patronage or sponsorship in the coming months. To that end, we are inviting anyone with a genuine wish to see live community theatre resurrected, and the means to help us by contributing ideas, time, or financial aid, to join us in this effort. If you think you may be able to help, we would love to hear from you at tmtc@hotmail.co.uk. As a long-established community theatre group, we are confident that with support, we can rise from the Covid ashes to deliver once again what we are good at – musical theatre – starting with ‘Elf -The Musical’ in November 2022!
By Tavistock Musical Theatre Company