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My career in UK regional theatre is fairly typical.
In the last month, theatres where I did my first job (Birmingham), my second job (Manchester), directed my last but one play (Plymouth) and played Hamlet on tour for the RSC (Newcastle), have all announced huge redundancies.
In the last month, theatres where I did my first job (Birmingham), my second job (Manchester), directed my last but one play (Plymouth) and played Hamlet on tour for the RSC (Newcastle), have all announced huge redundancies.
The designer of that first job, a one-act play in the Birmingham Rep studio, was Alexandra Byrne; it was her first job too. She has since won an Oscar, and been nominated for four more.
Theatre isn’t perfect, but it works. The talent pipeline for people like Alex is well proven
Theatre isn’t perfect, but it works. The talent pipeline for people like Alex is well proven
Not everyone started at Birmingham, but everyone started somewhere.
British theatrical infrastructure is the result of 70 years of sustained investment. It is collapsing.
Freelancers (like me), the people who largely make the work, have no safety net and cannot be furloughed
British theatrical infrastructure is the result of 70 years of sustained investment. It is collapsing.
Freelancers (like me), the people who largely make the work, have no safety net and cannot be furloughed
Large-scale redundancies are forced on theatres because over the last decade, government arts funding has been cut by 41%.
In the same period, Local Government culture spending - less than 0.5% of their total - has fallen 43%.
Theatres have been living hand to mouth
In the same period, Local Government culture spending - less than 0.5% of their total - has fallen 43%.
Theatres have been living hand to mouth
Encouraged by successive governments to become more ‘entrepreneurial’, they’ve been brought to their knees by COVID-19 because they can’t earn money.
There is no reserve; precious little grant; no fat to cut. But theatres are people, not buildings, & those people are in trouble
There is no reserve; precious little grant; no fat to cut. But theatres are people, not buildings, & those people are in trouble
The bailout announced this week is very welcome, but our catastrophe was avoidable. Arts funding remains a vanishingly small part of Treasury budgets.
Future-proof our great industry by investing in it properly and we will keep making world-class work at every level.
Rant over
Future-proof our great industry by investing in it properly and we will keep making world-class work at every level.
Rant over
