Fin Kennedy argues that we need to complement lobbying with long-term community theatre projects that are of demonstrable public value – the sort the free market could never come up with.
In 2013 I wrote a research-led report, In Battalions, about the effect of government cuts to Arts Council England on the theatre industry's capacity to take risks on developing new work for the stage. It found theatres across England curtailing a host of creative research and development including new writers' groups, education projects and community work, in the face of plummeting public investment in arts and culture. Austerity creates a climate of fear around creative risk-taking.
The report took on a life of its own – it's been downloaded more than 25,000 times and had questions tabled in parliament. We had a minor breakthrough in December when culture minister Ed Vaizey said in a speech that In Battalions had been an influence on the Chancellor's decision to offer a tax break to new plays and regional touring. That's great, but as culture professionals across England wait for decisions in the Arts Council's next round of funding on 1 July – in which more cuts are expected – there is more we could be doing for ourselves... Keep reading on The Guardian
In 2013 I wrote a research-led report, In Battalions, about the effect of government cuts to Arts Council England on the theatre industry's capacity to take risks on developing new work for the stage. It found theatres across England curtailing a host of creative research and development including new writers' groups, education projects and community work, in the face of plummeting public investment in arts and culture. Austerity creates a climate of fear around creative risk-taking.
The report took on a life of its own – it's been downloaded more than 25,000 times and had questions tabled in parliament. We had a minor breakthrough in December when culture minister Ed Vaizey said in a speech that In Battalions had been an influence on the Chancellor's decision to offer a tax break to new plays and regional touring. That's great, but as culture professionals across England wait for decisions in the Arts Council's next round of funding on 1 July – in which more cuts are expected – there is more we could be doing for ourselves... Keep reading on The Guardian