With lockdown measures being eased steadily as we enter the summer months, more and more of Sheffield’s independents are setting their own roadmaps out of lockdown.
Whilst the hospitality industry has been working tirelessly to adapt to takeout and delivery rules, there still remains a big part of Sheffield’s make up that has had to stay closed. Institutions like the Leadmill, the Crucible Theatre and the Showroom Cinema have had to close up all together and rely on the good will of the people of the Steel City to bide their time.
News is still to come for gig-goers and theatre-lovers but at least for now, the Showroom’s CEO Ian Wild has provided a much welcomed update on the future of the cinema.
“We’ve been working hard devising seating plans, queuing systems and additional staffing rotas to increase cleaning routines. However, until we are sure we can operate safely, not only within the Government guidelines, but also to a standard that we are confident will keep everyone visiting and working in the building safely, our doors will sadly remain closed. We also need to make sure that when we open, we remain open. The costs to implement everything we want and need, are currently beyond our means. The last few months have hit us hard, and over the next few weeks we will be taking time to review our offer and operating costs.
“At the moment, we have penciled mid-September as a date to re-open, and are in discussions with film distributors to make sure we have some fantastic films to show. We pride ourselves on being an independent cinema, bringing you the best indie films from around the world, and we don’t want this to change. We can’t put into words how grateful we are of the support we’ve received. Every nice message, membership upgrade, and donation is helping us to remain positive and look forwards.”
Head over to showroomworkstation.org.uk to keep up to date.
