THE Theatre Royal Bath is backing a national campaign to promote support for the creative and entertainment industry.

On Monday July 6, the Theatre Royal Bath will join theatres and entertainment venues across the UK to take part in the Light It In Red campaign.

Venues across the country will be lit in red to draw attention to the difficulties facing the industry.

Light It In Red is a joint project created and managed by Clearsound Productions Ltd and the Backstage Theatre Jobs online forum.

A Theatre Royal Bath spokesman said: “The purpose of this event is to get the message out about the dire situation that the industry and fellow industry professionals are facing.

“With no timeline attached to the government’s latest roadmap for re-opening theatres, concert halls and other venues, many organisations will continue to face difficulties in the coming months, even as lockdown is eased and much of country begins to return to normality.”

The Light It In Red organisers said: “Since early March, the events industry has been mostly without work. All kinds of major events are currently prohibited due to the COVID-19 crisis.

“Corporate events, conferences, concerts, festivals, weddings, trade shows and theatrical performances are no longer able to go ahead.

“This is leaving an entire industry dormant, with over 25,000 businesses and over half a million workers throughout the UK directly suffering the ill effects.

“By lighting buildings red in order to draw attention to the dramatic situation in the event industry, we can make a statement that can't be ignored.”

The colour red has been chosen as it traditionally represents ‘Standby’ backstage - at present, the entire industry is being kept on standby, waiting for further guidance, and crucially financial support, to get through the months ahead.

More than 400 venues around the UK and in London’s West End have already committed to taking part on Monday evening, with everyone being encouraged to share photos of the lit-up venues across social media with the hashtag #LightItInRedMore details at www.lightitinred.co.uk