From music halls, to the Albert Hall, to abandoned warehouses, theatre can always be created and performed.
Give a group of actors just one light, excellent writing and space to perform and theatre is there on your doorstep. Theatre provides a medium through which the mysteries of life can be explored and commented on.
With the aid of the Arts Council, contemporary performance has become more daring and creative. In 1995 the Arts Council spent over £240m investing in the building of new theatres and the restoration of old ones. The assistance of the Arts Council has not only helped to give a platform to lesser known theatre groups but has also shaped British theatre into a new and dynamic medium. No longer are the theatrical interpretations confined within plush auditoriums and on grand stages. Theatre is now equally identified as being intimate and somewhat rugged in style.
The Arts Council’s aim is to “get more art to more people in more places because the arts have the power to change lives and communities. Through the arts, opportunities become available for people throughout the country”. The Council gives various grants for the arts which fund activities that benefit people in England, or that help artists and arts organisations. There are around 880 ‘regularly funded’ arts organisations who receive funding on a three-year basis, and aim to bring high-quality work to a wide range of people – as both audience and participants.
However, as promising as all of this sounds, last year it was announced that £675m of lottery funding would be diverted from the arts in order to pay for the Olympics. Almost 35% of the Council’s grants for the arts scheme would be cut, meaning that during 2008 only £54m would be awarded to the arts in comparison to the £83m of previous years.
For many, sleep will not be lost over this news because as long as large West End theatres are preserved, then all is fine on the surface. But the story is very different for many of the smaller, more experimental performance spaces. With drastic funding cuts theatre culture may soon be erased, or at least made more difficult to stage and access.
Without being too sensationalist, theatres all over England could soon be faced with the scary possibility of having to pack away their lights, say goodbye to actors and close their doors on years of theatrical work and exploration. If the Council decides to make dramatic cuts, projects and shows put on by institutes such as the Bristol Old Vic, The Northcott Theatre in Exeter and the well-loved London Bubble may all be in jeopardy.
So what are we at risk of losing?
At the start of the year it was reported that the Arts Council were considering terminating the funding given to the London Bubble. This was because, an ACE spokesman told Arts Hub, “We acknowledge the company’s heritage and long held role as a children’s theatre company, but we don’t believe our investment will be best served by London Bubble in the future”. As a result, the London Bubble was faced with a 100% cut and closure. The artistic director Jonathan Petherbridge stated: “If we receive cuts the current partnerships we have with 28 schools across South East London will cease. The 166 children and adults who currently attend weekly workshops will struggle to find classes elsewhere. The promenade performances that tour London-wide in the summer will not be seen in Ilford and other poorly served outer London Boroughs. And our groundbreaking inter-generational and early years work will be terminated before it has been properly launched”. The London Bubble is an asset to London culture because the theatre provides ‘inspirational theatre that animates the spaces of the city and the spirits of its citizens’. So, to consider cutting funding on something that is encouraging awareness and community spirit seems futile. Nevertheless, one could also argue that, placing the sole financial responsibilities of smaller theatres onto the ACE’s hands is a little demanding, and a risk, which is why continuous donations received from various sources have enabled the London Bubble to continue producing fantastic work. But how long can this continue, especially at a time when many are tightening purse strings in fear of the credit crunch? With this in mind, attention will be paid to the reality that many smaller theatres’ dependence is on financial investment from the Arts Council.
The Warehouse Theatre based in East Croydon was also saved solely because of local Council funds, trustees and its regular visitors who began donating no less than £25 to help fund the theatre, as told by Ted Craig, the theatre’s Artistic Director. The Theatre had its Arts Council funding cut off a few years ago, which many people who work at the Warehouse Theatre believe was because the Council felt that expansion within the theatre was not recognisable. Is this not what the Arts Council funding should be aimed at? Helping with the expansion of smaller theatres? Luckily for the Warehouse Theatre the continuous private donations are what have kept the intimate theatre in business. Vibrant new plays such as Groping for Words and Womberange by Sue Townsend and Clocked by Neill Flynn have been staged. The theatre has a strong commitment to supporting cultural equality and diverse education projects that earned them a nomination for the Arts Councils Eclipse award for combating racism through theatre. It is the continuous donations and support from smaller local organisations that have enabled the theatre to begin renovations and rebuilding a new theatre with a proposed 200 seats and disabled access.
However, for many theatres this is not the case. Without the assistance of Art Council funding, not many smaller theatres are privileged to receive regular donations. But, it is not just the culture of theatre that could be put in jeopardy, but also careers of many who work or want to work within the arts. When Arts Hub spoke with the stage manager Graham Matthews and accounts manager Tessa Rhylly at the Warehouse Theatre, they both agreed that careers in theatre are highly sought after, but difficult. Mrs. Rhylly says: “Many people desperately want a career in the theatre, but it is very difficult to get such a position at some of London’s larger theatres, especially if you are a recent graduate or do not have big West End shows listed on your CV. I live in North London, the stage manager lives in Brighton and the Educational Officer here at the theatre lives in West London. Smaller theaters like the Warehouse have given us jobs and the opportunity to work in the career that we want.”
So, it seems that not only will any ACE cuts also have the potential to affect job prospects but could also destroy the platform for fresh new talent. New play writer Neill Flynn, winner of the Warehouse Theatre’s Annual International Playwriting Festival, has had the opportunity to showcase his play at the theatre. But if the Arts Council continues to cut funds, theatres that are not as lucky as the Warehouse and London Bubble will soon cease to exist and so may the various opportunities and schemes that are offered to individuals. Could English theatre slowly become extinct? For many a loud cry of “No!” can be heard echoeing in the corridors of many of London’s crowded fringe theatres. Continuous effort and money should be placed within these establishments because it is equally the diverse and smaller theaters which have established creative platforms for new performances. It is this fresh and experimental theatre which captures on a stage the many cultures and traditions within London. With this in mind, it would be a shame that, as 2012 draws nearer, the vision of expanding theatre and bringing more of it into the community fast becomes a distant memory, because in truth London is known for its theatre.
