I've been asked recently if I had any thoughts on what the theatre industry could or should do to change the way they operate.

There's loads but here's a few which I think could provide an almost immediate transformation to the theatre landscape.

A thread of random thoughts...

1. Salary Caps.

Senior management and artist salaries should be capped at seven times (just an arbitrary number but feels about right) the lowest earning employee.

It's outrageous that Rufus Norris takes home close to £200,000 while @NationalTheatre employees are on zero hours.

2. Local Employment Schemes.

A commitment to employ from the local area in a representative manner. It's disgusting that venues like the @oldvictheatre are overwhelming white while based in Lambeth. Theatres should represent the community they are based in.

3. Main Stage "Community" Theatre.

Theatres should make a commitment to put community work on the main stage. This provides opportunity and engagement to new audiences that may not otherwise engage with theatres while providing representative work.

4. Become Living Wage Employers.

Each year @LivingWageUK independently sets the Living Wage for London and outside of London. It is currently £10.75/hour. All theatres should commit to paying at least this amount to all employees rather than the National Minimum Wage.

5. End No Benefit Employment.

Many theatres utilise zero hour and self-employed contracts which should be eliminated or altered to include full employment benefits including sick pay, holiday leave and pensions. These contracts are exploitative and avoid statutory rights.

6a. Accessibility.

All theatres should have gender-inclusive bathrooms.

100% relaxed performances. This makes work accessible to neurodivergent peeps, parents and children and those with tiny bladders. Imagine being told you can't return to the cinema because you need to piss.

6b. Accessibility.

All performances should be captioned and audio described.

A perfect example of this in practice was the amazing Midnight Movie by @EevLee. I can't think of one reason why every show couldn't be like this. Integrated from Day 1 not an afterthought.

6c. Accessibility.

Theatres that receive public funding should be entirely wheelchair accessible. Venues that are unable to be wheelchair accessible should provide ways to access theatre for those who cannot get to physical spaces, e.g. live streaming.

6d. Accessibility (a caveat).

I'm not expert on access. I know very little about the subject, there are so many amazing people who know more than me. But for too long theatre has done one captioned show and one audio described show in a six week run. That is not good enough.

7. Rotating Senior Management.

Artistic Directors and other theatre leaders should change every five years.

We don't need the same dead white men in charge of public funding for 15 years refusing to relinquish power because they think they've got "vision".

8. Rotating and Representative Boards.

"I've got a board to answer to" is an unacceptable response that we hear too often.

Boards, like ADs, need to understand what the world they are supposed to represent which means they need to be representative themselves.

9. Hold a Diversity Panel.

Only joking. Stop fucking doing this.

Panels are bullshit. We've had loads, what are you doing more for? What? You didn't get answers the first 3,000 times, nah?

This is like a Labour party inquiry, it looks like action but goes no where. Dead it.

10a. Funding Changes.

"In kind support" for funding means people have to rely on free labour from individuals or hope they know someone in an institution.

It's inaccessible.

Theatres should push against this model. This needs a much longer thread (some day).

10b. Funding Changes (a caveat).

I recognise funding is not entirely the responsibility of theatres but they should be fighting to make theatre more accessible to everyone. The current funding model is anything but accessible. It's neoliberal box ticking bullshit.

11. Trade Unions.

Empower your employees to join trade unions. @TUpsetters offer a Trade Union Access Fund on our projects where we will contribute to money to people joining trade unions. This is written into every budget. I see no reason why theatres cannot do the same.

I could go on and on and on. I think all of this ideas are brief and could be fleshed out, interrogated and challenged way more.

But most of these could be implemented tomorrow and would immediately help to begin a transformation within the industry.

Some of them need people with bigger brains than mine to sit down and look at how they might work long term and what the pitfalls may be.

Regardless, theatres have done fuck all for too long and it's about time they did something... or, you know, hold another diversity panel.