10 points for people arguing the “he’s rich, he should pay” line against Cameron Mackintosh.
1. His estimated billion isn’t cash in the bank. Much of it is in theatre buildings and rights.
2. His shows generally cost around £400k per WEEK to run. He’s currently got 4 in London.

...That’s £1.5m ish a month, for an indefinite time, x4 shows. And that’s just London.
3. He’s got dozens more productions running all over the world with similar economics, identical sizes of staffs, and almost all unable to run at present.

4. He owns 8 London theatres, which SF said last week cost £30k a week each to keep closed. That’s £2.5m a week, £10m a month. All have large staffs.
5. If the “he can afford it, he can pay” argument is around: how much? Should he assume all the shows/theatres would have been...

...open all year? Does it only include actors and stage managers or all ancillary staffs (advertising companies, contractors)?
6. In sum, he’s already haemorrhaging money.
7. More broadly, is “the west end Theatre is fine, we’ve got Cameron” really the best negotiating point...

...re demanding the U.K. govt do something to help the arts and entertainment sector, large portions of which are on freelance contracts and therefore needing help.
8. If Cameron’s businesses go down/into debt that will vastly damage the commercial theatre ecology throughout U.K.

9. His philanthropy inside and outside the theatre business is very well known. It’s not his job, even if he could, to manage the arts response to a pandemic which our govt has handled demonstrably worse than almost anywhere in the world.

10. If you’re a theatre person and you think Cameron Mackintosh is the enemy, you don’t know what you’re talking about.