Frazer seeks theatre ‘power shift’ from US to UK

Government intends to work with the sector to make London the pre-eminent destination in the world for theatre, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has said.

Speaking at the Society of London Theatre's Theatre and Touring Summit yesterday (26 June), Frazer praised theatre's unique ability to "educate, to entertain, and to connect".

She added that there is no doubt in her mind that the government understands the importance of the arts.

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Frazer said the recently announced Creative Industries Sector Vision, which outlines plans to create an additional million jobs in the creative industries, adding £50bn to the sector's value within the next seven years, signals the "starting gun" on efforts to boost theatre.

Referencing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s essay in The New York Times, about the closure of Phantom of the Opera due to the "punishing economics" of putting on a Broadway show on, she emphasised how she thinks the West End is "stronger than ever".

"And that is not to say the situation is perfect in the West End. But the mix of theatre you find in London looks stronger than ever at the moment," she added.

"[The Creative Industries Sector Vision] is a vision for how our entire creative industries – of which theatres are an indispensable part – can thrive not just in 2023 or 2024, but for decades to come."

Skills shortage

In her keynote, she touched on several other points troubling the theatre industry, such as the ongoing skill shortage and talent drain.

Frazer said: "It is about maximising the potential of these industries, about shaping a pipeline of talent.

"We want children at school to be given the freedom and the opportunity to explore their creativity. To find out for themselves, that ‘all the world’s a stage'."

Frazer continued: “When people discuss success they rightly invoke drive, work ethic, wealth. But they rarely mention imagination. A crucial measurement of success, a determinant of success, is your sense of the possible and theatres are one of the places that give this to young people.

“Taken together, we want the Creative Industries Vision to be something that paves the way for a shift in the balance of power from Broadway to the West End.”

She said government wants to "make the West End a magnet" for the best in the industry and that the government intends to develop the skills base to give auditoriums the "gravitational pull needed to draw in that talent".

"There is no doubt in my mind that this government really understands the importance of theatre, of opera and of music," she added.