Why More Support For The Arts Is Essential Post COVID-19

By Sanjana Idnani

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As we went into lockdown, new social distancing rules made it clear that a trip to the theatre, a book event, or a gallery was out of bounds for the foreseeable future, but the arts sector rose to the challenge of keeping us entertained over lockdown. From weekly free screenings of our most cherished National Theatre Live Productions to virtual gallery tours from the Tate, many arts organisations ensured we could fill up our otherwise empty calendars. The World Economic Forum highlighted the value of these online performances, emphasising that ‘the arts help people cope in dark times’ and encourage people to maintain social connections.

However, the continued shutdown of UK theatres and galleries has put the arts sector in a precarious position. The tough task of reconciling social distancing regulations and live performances has particularly affected theatres, leading to key venues such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House being at risk of financial collapse. This raises concerns about whether the Arts and Culture sector will ever be able to recover from this crisis and ultimately, how this might adversely impact Britain’s overall economic recovery

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport reported that Creative Industries contributed £111.7bn to the UK economy in 2018 and accounted for 2m jobs but The Guardian has highlighted that without sustained support, 70% of theatre jobs will be at risk. This threat of significant unemployment undermines the Chancellor’s hope to see the UK economy ‘bounce back’ quickly as things return to normal. Clearly, a full recovery of the UK economy relies significantly on the health of creative industries.

Of course, the Government’s £1.57 billion investment package to support Britain’s Cultural, Arts, and Heritage organisations provides some relief after a period of uncertainty and lack of support during the spring months and this is made better by the fact that the Government has recently given the green light for theatres to open for socially distanced indoor performances from August 1st.

However, while this funding announcement promises to take away some of the immediate pressure facing Arts organisations, industry leaders have reminded audiences and the Government to be mindful that this funding will have to be spread across many regional and local organisations as well as key national venues. With arts organisations having to ‘prove how much they contributed to wider economic growth’ when they apply for grants, there are growing concerns that this program may result in many local theatres and art centres being left behind which brings about long-term worries for the theatre industry. Consequently, they have called for more information about how these funds will be allocated to ensure funds are reaching the places that need them the most and to aid future business planning.

While it is inevitable that not every organisation will be saved, it is important not to misjudge the value of local theatre and the indirect contribution they make to the cultural economy. Talking to The Guardian, Adam Penford, Artistic Director of the Nottingham Playhouse, emphasised that “Theatre in the UK is based on interdependent relationships. Take one part out and the whole thing collapses.” This is because budding actors tend to begin their career at a local and regional level and then national organisations take their pick from this pool of talent. Local theatre provides invaluable experience and training for rising talent and thus vitally contributes to the world-class standard of British national theatre today.

Furthermore, though the prospect of starting indoor performances again brings the long-awaited opportunity for theatres to restart income flows, a report submitted by organisations UK Theatre and the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) highlights that this will still not be enough to fully prop up the sector again. In section 6, which discusses economic damage, SOLT and UK Theatre comment theatres often need to fill 50-70% of occupancy to break-even but social distancing guidelines mean performances will have to be run with 20% of total audience capacity. Consequently, updated government guidance may be difficult for many theatres to implement in practice.

Though the challenges facing the arts are complex and multiple, it is clear that this plan must allow for focussed and specific financial action for the most vulnerable creatives, such as freelancers. Though no one wants to lose the ‘crown jewels’ of theatre, if the vulnerable creatives are left behind, the whole industry will begin to falter.

The current suffering being experienced by the arts has resulted from the fact that many theatres were already in a precarious position due to funding cuts over the last decade despite the sector’s fast growth. The effect of the pandemic was just the final nail in the coffin. These funding cuts largely stem from the public belief that the arts are hobbies and that they are an expendable sector in the grand scheme of things, but Covid-19 has demonstrated that this sector cannot be taken for granted both from a financial and a cultural perspective. As we plan a long-term recovery from this devastating crisis, we must treat our creatives like the legitimate and valuable earners they are and push harder for tangible and sustained Arts funding to ensure they aren’t put into such a dangerous position again.

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Key Takeaways

· The arts have provided an escape for people during the quarantine period

· It provides £11 billion to the UK economy and 2 million jobs

· Continued shutdown of the arts threatens it’s survival