After President Hage Geingob’s announcement to suspend all public gatherings recently, the National Theatre of Namibia (NTN) was left to either cancel or postpone at least six shows, including rehearsals and auditions.

Entertainment Now! spoke to NTN’s Public Relations Officer Desiree Mentor, who narrated how the suspension would affect artists. “It’s very devastating, as some of the artists’ livelihoods are directly affected,’’ she expressed.

The office is, however, closed off to public, while staff members still come to work to use this time for administration and to creatively refocus themselves, deliberating on strategies to find their way back, as their website has been temporarily shut down.

In regards to the monetary loss NTN would incur in the said period, she said ‘’Well, I won’t be able to give a set round figure, as some of the productions cancelled/postponed were rentals. With NTN’s own productions, we are postponing rather than totally cancelling events, a way of mitigating the situation’’ she explained.

The state theatre is funded through donations, government grants and entrance fees. The cost of venue rental varies and is entirely dependent on the type of event and venue. Some events are small scale; others bigger, with some requiring more technical items than others. Some events have a longer run in the theatre, whereas others last a day or hours.

She further urged everyone to follow the necessary hygiene steps, keep healthy and practice social distancing to curb the spread. ‘’To the artists out there, be rest assured no matter how you feel at the moment, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps we can use this time to creatively refocus yourselves and work on strategies to find your feet again, because you should never give up on what brings you joy,’’ she ended.

– slunyangwe@nepc.com.na