Live sector heads for Survival in the Square
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With the introduction of tier systems and the continued local lockdowns, hosting live events has become even more difficult than before. The campaign is therefore continuing to make its voice heard with the next stage of its protest action - Survival in the Square.
Gary White, lead producer of #WeMakeEvents, comments: “The latest government support packages, although welcome, are not reaching those who need them the most and will only benefit a small group. Larger, more meaningful action needs to be taken and, until it does, we will still be here campaigning.”
From 26 October (Monday), Survival in the Square will comprise a series of creative activities set to take place each day in Parliament Square. The activations will be socially distanced and COVID-compliant and will engage a variety of genres from across the performing arts spectrum.
Supporting the Survival in the Square initiative will be West End Waiting. “The West End Waiting Facebook group was created to bring people in the performing arts and events industry together,” says Lee Durnford, founder of the group. “The original idea was for us to be able to discuss relevant topics and give each other support. The group has grown to just over 12,000 members and we have a collective of West End musical directors, stage managers and choreographers who meet on a regular basis to place and create peaceful activations to create awareness of the plight of the performing arts.”
“With Survival in the Square, we truly want to showcase the diversity of performance and just how far the live events industry stretches,” adds White. “We want to display to Parliament the spectrum of skills and talent involved with live events, which cross over into the hospitality sector yet aren’t eligible for any of the hospitality funds recently announced by the government. We need to ensure that the government realises what we bring to the UK economically and culturally. We will be a good return on investment for the future, and that we will continue to campaign until there is sufficient support for everyone involved in our industry.”
Over the past several months, #WeMakeEvents has lead a range of activities which have made headlines across the globe. After supporting the first #LightItInRed day on 6 July, the campaign’s own first day of action took place on 11 August when a boat sailed down the Thames and thousands lined the river’s banks in support, with UK towns and cities joining the protest activities locally.
Having gathered pace, the campaign organised a Global Day of Action in September, which saw more than 25 countries light landmark buildings in red in show of solidarity.
To find out how you can support #WeMakeEvents, visit: www.wemakeevents.com
