PERFORMANCES at Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre are to be rescheduled after Government guidelines aimed at halting the spread of coronavirus.

During a briefing on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the public to avoid social contact with others as he unveiled unprecedented peacetime measures to try to control the spread of COVID-19.

The announcement has affected theatres in Merseyside and across the country.

Three shows in the Royal Court's main house will be affected with Pete Price Is Dead moving to October, YNWA moving into June and Macca & Beth being rescheduled for February 2021.

Studio shows between now and June 5 will also be either postponed or cancelled.

Box office staff will contact all ticket holders to offer them replacement tickets for new dates or a voucher that can be used for any show in the next two years.

A theatre spokesperson said: "Most will be contacted by email but the bookers for the theatre’s Variety Lunch Clubs will receive a phone call.

"They are the people who are most likely to be in the 'at risk' groups and the staff, led by actor Angela Simms, want to check in on them. 

"We will also be offering a follow up call every couple of weeks from the theatre's staff and actors to help to combat that group's social isolation.

"We like to think of the Royal Court: its staff, the actors and importantly the audience, as a family.

"This is a time to look after family.

"We are also using the next couple of days to understand how we can best help our staff get through this difficult period both financially and emotionally.

"Whilst we understand the need for people to be sensible about social distancing and isolation, we also believe that some social contact may be necessary for some people to get through this.

"Until we are told otherwise we will be keeping the theatre's Foyer Cafe open as an option for people who need to know and feel that they are not on their own."

Kevin Fearon, executive Producer at Liverpool's Royal Court added: "This is a very challenging time for the country in general and for the Royal Court.

"The support our audience have already shown for us online is heartening and encourages us to do everything we can to come through this.

"We will make sure that every single person who has booked with us has a replacement ticket and we want to see them all back here once life has got back to normal.

"I know that this is a difficult time for everybody but for theatres like ours, the lack of clear leadership from the government on whether we should close or not has made for some difficult soul-searching.

"Do we risk the future of the building and all that we have achieved over the past 15 years or do we risk the health of our audience?

"That decision should not be left to individual organisations.

"Do the government not realise the seriousness of the situation in which we we are in?

"Now is a time for clear leadership.

"Like a lot of our staff, thousands of hard working people in the hospitality industry will be struggling to pay their bills.

"We will do our best for our staff but I would call on the government to move quickly to support those who have been affected by these latest closures."