When institutions struggle, freelancers carry the weight.
Earlier this week, The Stage broke the news that the Royal Shakespeare Company has opened a voluntary redundancy scheme affecting more than half of its permanent workforce. Over 400 employees are being invited to leave, with compulsory redundancies expected to follow if the gap cannot be closed.
The RSC is not alone. The National Theatre has also recently announced redundancies, and many other organisations are looking at how to reduce costs. These announcements are not a reflection on the commitment of leadership teams or staff. They are the outcome of a perfect storm of factors including rising production costs, increased building expenses, declining income from commercial transfers, and the heavy burden of repaying Culture Recovery Fund loans.
Organisations are facing daunting financial pressures. But the impact on the workforce is even more overwhelming.
“What’s the point of theatre buildings that are fit for purpose if we have neither the artists nor art to fill them?” — Lyn Gardner, The Stage
When permanent jobs disappear, the work itself rarely vanishes. Instead, it returns in the form of freelance contracts. That allows organisations to avoid costs such as holiday pay, sick pay, maternity cover and National Insurance. It may help keep balance sheets in check. But it pushes the financial risk onto individuals. The safety net of secure employment is replaced by short contracts, unpredictable hours and all the precarity that comes with them.
This is the hidden story of redundancy programmes. The cost saving for institutions often results in a cost shift to the people least able to absorb it. Freelancers once again become the safety valve for a system in crisis.
This wider picture was reflected in a powerful column by Lyn Gardner this week in The Stage. Writing about the millions being spent on repairs and refurbishments across the sector, she asked: “What’s the point of theatre buildings that are fit for purpose if we have neither the artists nor art to fill them?”
“Freelancers are not a cheaper option. They are the ones absorbing costs that institutions cannot or will not carry.”
It is an urgent question. Buildings are vital. They are community hubs, cultural landmarks and economic drivers for the places where they sit. They need investment, and without it some will close altogether. But when the lion’s share of public and philanthropic funding goes into bricks and mortar, and not into the people who make the art, then something is out of balance.
A thriving theatre sector requires both sustainable infrastructure and a supported, secure workforce.
Amid these difficult stories, new research has also been published that reminds us what theatre means to audiences. The Theatregoing Gap survey, conducted by Situation UK with SOLT and UK Theatre, asked over 11,000 people why they prioritise live performance.
Their answers were clear. They come to be entertained, to share experiences with friends and family, and to make memories. Theatre is seen as joyful, social and celebratory. Audiences described it as a premium treat and an essential part of their cultural lives. The research shows trust in theatre’s quality and value, even in a time of rising costs - shows in London’s West End “welcomed a record-breaking 17.1 million attendees” last year according to SOLT’s official box office data.
So we are faced with a stark contrast. Audiences are coming in unprecedented numbers. Theatres are investing millions in their buildings. Yet at the same time, hundreds of creative workers face redundancy, and thousands more freelancers continue to work without the fundamental protections that employed staff enjoy.
Freelancers should not be a cheaper option. The fact that employers so often view them as such is because it is the freelancers who are absorbing the costs that institutions cannot or will not carry. Theatre freelancers provide extraordinary skill, artistry and resilience, often without security or support.
The financial and emotional burden cannot keep being pushed onto those least protected. A theatre without artists is just another empty building. If we value the joy and connection theatre brings to audiences, then we must also value and protect the people who make it happen.
