The Royal Court has become the latest theatre to suspend productions because of the coronavirus. It announced on Monday afternoon that due to the “exponential escalation of this public health emergency” it was no longer viable to be “creating theatre and inviting the public in to share in it”. The theatre has cancelled its current production of Shoe Lady, starring Katherine Parkinson, ceased rehearsals and postponed its spring season of work.

The suspension came shortly before Boris Johnson said people should avoid pubs, clubs and theatres as he set out the need for “drastic action” to tackle the fast growth of coronavirus across the UK.

On Sunday, the Old Vic announced that Endgame, its major Beckett revival starring Daniel Radcliffe and Alan Cumming, would close two weeks early. In an email to Endgame ticket holders, the theatre stated that offering a full refund would be “financially devastating” and asked customers to consider donating the cost of the ticket rather than requesting a refund. For those who donate, the theatre promised to provide a video link to see a full recording of the production, captured earlier in the run for archive purposes, and a “friends” membership enabling priority booking for one year.

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The theatre stated it had “no reason to disagree with current scientific and government advice on coping with coronavirus”, but explained that “it is becoming increasingly impractical to sustain business as usual”. The theatre receives no support from Arts Council England and depends on ticket sales, sponsorship and philanthropic donations. All other upcoming Old Vic productions, including 4000 Miles, starring Timothée Chalamet, remain scheduled to go ahead.

Unlike other European capitals, such as Paris and Berlin, where major theatres closed last week under government orders, the majority of the UK’s theatres are still welcoming visitors. However, on Sunday night, several other venues announced cancellations.

The Arcola, in east London, suspended all public performances until further notice and said the impact of Covid-19 was a critical threat “to the livelihoods of all those who work in the arts”. The theatre announced that “we do not believe that it is practical or responsible for us to stage shows while people’s lives are at risk”.

The Arcola said the majority of its income came from theatregoers, and it appealed for donations to ensure that it “stays thriving long after this crisis is past”.

The Turbine theatre, which opened at Battersea Power Station last summer, has cancelled all performances until 18 April. It had been scheduled to present #HonestAmy, Amy Booth-Steel’s solo performance. The director, Kathy Burke, said they were “hoping to relaunch [the show] later in the year”.

The Bunker, housed in a former underground car park at London Bridge, cancelled a week of performances that featured almost 100 artists and was due to start on Monday.

“This is not a decision taken lightly,” it said. “We have spent months organising this week; at the last count we had 94 people involved in our week and to have to cancel the day before we begin is soul-destroying. But we have to put our artists’ safety first.”

The Finborough theatre, at Earl’s Court, south-west London, postponed two forthcoming productions. Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad, originally scheduled to open on 31 March, will now begin performances on 2 February 2021. Women Without Men, which had been due to open on 28 April, will be delayed until 11 August. Its current production, Not Quite Jerusalem, will continue its planned run this month.

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The Menier Chocolate Factory has suspended all performances of Paula Vogel’s play Indecent up to and including 12 April. In a statement, the theatre said that, as an unsubsidised venue, “this will impact on us greatly” and that if ticket holders would donate the cost of their tickets, it “would be hugely appreciated”.

At the Park theatre in north London, the remaining performances of Simon Callow’s new translation of La Cage Aux Folles have been cancelled due to members of the company self-isolating as a precautionary measure. On Saturday, the Young Vic in London cancelled two performances of Nora: A Doll’s House for the same reason. On Monday morning the Young Vic announced it was cancelling all remaining performances of the production.

In Edinburgh, the Festival theatre, Kings theatre and the Studio have all cancelled or postponed performances until the end of April. St Andrews’ Byre theatre, which has two stages, cancelled all performances and public events until the end of May.