London’s West End is sleepwalking into oblivion – the Government must wake up Our commercial theatres need government-backed insurance – many livelihoods are under existential threat if Step Four is delayed 14 June 2021 • 5:00am Sonia Friedman's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is shut in London, and has faced closures in Melbourne Credit: Geoff Pugh As a theatre producer with a track record in putting together major critical and popular successes – from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to Dreamgirls – it’s in my nature to be resilient and optimistic. But after enduring 16 months of relentless challenges since the closure of the theatres last March, I begin this week full of apprehension that the industry I care deeply about, one that plays such an important role in our economic and emotional well-being, is now facing imminent catastrophe.