In the lead-up to 31 October Brexit deadline, UK Theatre and SOLT (Society of London Theatre) will be running a series of open sessions delivered by expert teams to prepare organisations and individuals ahead of the UK’s exit from the EU. They are working with OneDanceUK, the Independent Theatre Council, the Association of British Theatre Technicians and the Federation of Scottish Theatres to reach out to a wide network of theatre professionals, institutions and sole traders across the UK.
Participants will benefit from an overview of the broader impact of exiting the EU and have the opportunity to ask questions of experts and share information with each other. Sessions will be held in Manchester, London, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham.
Attendance is free and available to everyone working across the theatre sector – including those who do not belong to any association or membership body. The aim is to equip practitioners with the skills to plan for their business to exit the EU under a No-Deal.
Key areas to be covered were identified from the results of four Brexit surveys conducted by UK Theatre and SOLT over the last two years. Topics on the schedule are: the movement of people (short term and longer term, including immigration); movement of freight (sets, equipment etc.); supply chain (fast-moving consumer goods); intellectual property (copyright and trademarks) and a data Q&A with a panel.
Additional specialist sessions (preparing for a No-Deal Brexit: touring in and out of the EU – movement of people and equipment) have also been programmed to help companies whose business involves importing and exporting work and workforce to and from the EU.
UK Theatre and SOLT have been working closely with members and with Government on Brexit preparations since the referendum result announcement in 2016 and are recipients of a Government Brexit Business Readiness Grant to be used to assist the sector during the transition.
Booking opens soon via the UK Theatre website.