Theatre and music unions have warned of an ‘exodus of talent’ from the cultural sector. Richard Bratby finds that many have enjoyed alternative work, particularly if it comes with a monthly pay cheque, but they do plan to return.
Think back 12 months to when you first felt the pandemic. Not when you first read about Covid-19, but the moment of impact — the lurch in the stomach as it hit you that this time, it really wasn’t going to be OK. For Emma Cook, a freelance stage manager on the John Cleese farce Bang Bang!, the moment came during a rare week off. ‘I was sitting in a restaurant near the Bush Theatre in London, waiting to go and see The High Table, and I got a message from a friend who had just flown back from overseas: “Why are the theatres all closed?”. I thought, no they’re not, I’m about to see a show. So I walked over to the theatre and they told us: “No, sorry. We’ve had to stop everything.” And that was when Covid suddenly became big and real.’
The rest — well, we all know the story, or at least we do now. ‘We got an email from our producer round about the 18 March, saying: “We’ve had to pull the next couple of dates, but we’re hopeful that in a month or two we’ll be back on the road again,”’ says Cook. ‘And then, national lockdown. The world stopped.’ It still hasn’t restarted. As early as last August, Equity and the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) warned of an ‘exodus of talent’ from Britain’s entertainment sector. Equity reports that some 26 per cent of its members are already working outside the industry, with 16 per cent considering quitting altogether. Figures from the ISM suggest that ‘64 per cent of UK musicians are thinking about leaving the sector’.
There’s a difference, of course, between thinking and doing. Certainly, though, freelance arts workers have fallen... Keep reading on The Spectator.
Think back 12 months to when you first felt the pandemic. Not when you first read about Covid-19, but the moment of impact — the lurch in the stomach as it hit you that this time, it really wasn’t going to be OK. For Emma Cook, a freelance stage manager on the John Cleese farce Bang Bang!, the moment came during a rare week off. ‘I was sitting in a restaurant near the Bush Theatre in London, waiting to go and see The High Table, and I got a message from a friend who had just flown back from overseas: “Why are the theatres all closed?”. I thought, no they’re not, I’m about to see a show. So I walked over to the theatre and they told us: “No, sorry. We’ve had to stop everything.” And that was when Covid suddenly became big and real.’
The rest — well, we all know the story, or at least we do now. ‘We got an email from our producer round about the 18 March, saying: “We’ve had to pull the next couple of dates, but we’re hopeful that in a month or two we’ll be back on the road again,”’ says Cook. ‘And then, national lockdown. The world stopped.’ It still hasn’t restarted. As early as last August, Equity and the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) warned of an ‘exodus of talent’ from Britain’s entertainment sector. Equity reports that some 26 per cent of its members are already working outside the industry, with 16 per cent considering quitting altogether. Figures from the ISM suggest that ‘64 per cent of UK musicians are thinking about leaving the sector’.
There’s a difference, of course, between thinking and doing. Certainly, though, freelance arts workers have fallen... Keep reading on The Spectator.