Opening in spring 2021 at the Trafford Centre, the DriveINSIDE Theatre has been designed to be COVID compliant and has been approved for Tier 3 restrictions, the most severe restrictions currently in place in England.
One of the new roles created by the endeavour is a ‘Theatrical Drive Jockey’, a team of whom will welcome the audience in their cars and escort them to their position.
Each vehicle will have its own designated parking space under the 68,000 sq ft marquee. Audience members will then be allowed to exit their cars on the driver’s side only, and sit outside of their cars in a private socially distanced, isolated area.
Created by Beyond Theatre, the venue will be hosting more than 30 productions during a four week run which begins in March.
Paul Levin, creator of the venue, said, ‘We are really an immersive theatre production company, but when COVID shut down our productions we started thinking about how we could put on live performances again. The DriveINSIDE Theatre is our answer, and we cannot wait to bring the thrill and excitement of live events back to the people of Manchester.
‘Our industry has suffered terribly throughout the pandemic. The vast majority of people working in theatre are contract based and usually supplement their income in slow periods by working in hospitality. With both industries being hit so hard we are absolutely thrilled to be able to offer the lifeline of some real work for around 1,000 industry people in Manchester next March.’
Details of the shows in Manchester in March have been announced and can be found online.
DriveINSIDE is set to move around the country with dates in London, Glasgow, and Birmingham.