Russian State Ballet company performances have been cancelled at several theatres in the UK following the invasion of Ukraine.
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton, and The New Theatre Peterborough have all announced the cancellation of performances in the coming days and weeks.
It comes after the Royal Opera House announced it was cancelling a tour by the Moscow-based Bolshoi Ballet, which was due to be held in London this summer.
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Wolverhampton Grand Theatre cancels run
In a statement, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre said: “Discussions and consultations between management, producers and agents have been ongoing since last Thursday.
“The decision to cancel is absolutely the right thing to do given the circumstances, however this will have a significant financial impact on the theatre which is still in recovery following the closure forced by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is a charity which works exclusively within the whole community, working with everyone.”
It said all customers who had purchased tickets for the shows from 28 February to 2 March would receive a full refund.
Key developments:
• Ukrainian president says his forces still control Kyiv
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Northampton’s Royal & Derngate Theatre cancels show
The Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton, which was due to stage a performance of The Nutcracker by The Russian State Ballet of Siberia, cancelled the show on 26 February.
In a statement, it said: “Given the situation in Ukraine, Royal & Derngate have taken the decision to cancel today’s performances of The Russian State Ballet.”
The theatre apologised for any inconvenience caused and for the short notice of the announcement. It said those who had purchased tickets would receive a full refund.
The New Theatre Peterborough also confirmed that it has cancelled performances by the Russian State Ballet of Siberia, which were scheduled for 22 and 23 March, “in light of the ongoing situation in the Ukraine”.
The Kremlin has already been stripped of two prestigious events to be held in Russia.
The Champions League final in May has been moved to Paris, and Formula One’s Russian Grand Prix due for September has been cancelled.