January 2023
31 January - Oldham Coliseum cancels all shows, plus panto, after funding loss
Oldham Coliseum has announced in a shock move that it is having to cancel all its upcoming shows from March through 2023, including its summer programme and popular pantomime, after a “disappointing” funding rejection.
30 January - Drama schools urged to teach students about tax
Accountants are calling for tax to be made an essential part of every drama school course, with one warning that many early-career theatre professionals are unprepared when it comes to filing a tax return.
27 January - Backstage stories to highlight 'invisible' roles
Stage Sight founder Prema Mehta is encouraging backstage workers to share their stories on social media and help “invisible roles become visible”.
27 January - Creative industries 'missed out on £163m due to Brexit'
The UK’s creative industries have lost out on £163m of European Union-level funding because of Brexit, according to analysis by the UK Trade and Business Commission.
26 January - Michael Gove pushes ahead with plans to hand arts policymaking to regions
The Conservative Party has confirmed its commitment to devolving cultural policy and spending powers to regional leaders across England.
26 January - Culture organisations 'struggling to retain staff'
Galleries, theatres and museums struggling to attract and retain staff due to rising wage demands in face of cost-of-living crisis.
26 January - Can producers pay West End casts what they deserve?
Equity clearly means business with its latest pay claim. The launch of its Stand Up for 17% campaign has been impressive and swift, garnering widespread and vocal support from among its members and beyond, and has caught employers on the hop.
25 January - ENO: Arts Council plan for opera 'analysis' is nonsensical
Opera companies including English National Opera, Welsh National Opera, English Touring Opera and Glyndebourne united to call on Arts Council England to implement a strategy for opera
25 January - ACE reveals 'opera analysis' plan in response to backlash
Independent analysis of opera and musical theatre to be commissioned by Arts Council England to ‘shape future investment’ in wake of backlash against funding decisions.
23 January - New campaign to tackle 'invisible barrier' to work for parents and carers
Fresh efforts are being made to support freelancers with caring responsibilities, as a new return-to-work initiative is being created.
23 January - Musicians' census aims to 'kickstart industry change'
Musicians urged to take part in first ever Musicians’ Census in order to map the total population of musicians and build a picture of the issues they face.
23 January - BECTU sets out pay rates for touring backstage workers
Minimum and aspirational pay rates for offstage workers in touring theatre have been set out for the first time in new guidelines from union BECTU.
23 January - How much do West End performers earn compared with Broadway?
Almost five years ago, we hopped into an analysis of West End and Broadway pay to see whether any disparity lay between London and New York. As might be expected, there was something of a gap between the two locations.
19 January - Marlowe Theatre and at-risk Spilsby Theatre receive vital 'levelling-up' funding
Venues including the at-risk Spilsby Sessions House in Lincolnshire, the Hexagon Theatre in Reading and the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury are to benefit from the government’s second round of ‘levelling-up’ funding.
19 January - West End workers threaten strikes as pay talks begin
West End performers and stage managers are demanding a 17% pay rise and five-day rehearsal weeks, as a survey by Equity reveals that two thirds have recently considered leaving the industry due to working conditions and pay.
19 January - West End theatre performers threaten strike action
West End theatre performers could walk out on strike if their pay demands are not met, the trade union Equity says.
It has put in a 17% pay rise request to the Society of London Theatre.
19 January - Freelance theatremakers unable to rent in London because of estate agent checks
Freelancers facing “old-fashioned” estate agent checks for rental accommodation are leaving the industry for other work, with union BECTU warning the situation was pushing some to “breaking point”.
19 January - MPs accuse of Arts Council England of 'losing its way' following funding cuts
MPs have called into question Arts Council England’s decision-making processes and the arm’s-length principle, accusing the funding body of a lack of transparency, accountability and engagement with the sector.
19 January - Creative Scotland's budget should never have been cut
A lot has been written about Arts Council England’s latest funding decisions – and rightly so, as they were ill-thought-out, damaging and divisive. Less attention has been paid to the situation in Scotland, though, which is worse.
19 January - Where is the strategy behind the Arts Council cuts?
In the wake of a controversial decision, there’s often an explosion of anger. Then, with distance and perspective, a strategy emerges and the wildfire burns itself out.
In the case of Arts Council England’s recent funding round, something different is happening. As the ripples from its cuts fan out, the impact looks worse and worse.
18 January - Theatre groups support new authority to tackle bullying within creative industry
The Society of London Theatre (Solt) and UK Theatre are the latest to support the formation of a new organisation to prevent and tackle bullying and harassment within the creative industry.
18 January - MPs hit out at 'calamitous' cuts to London arts ahead of parliamentary debate
MPs have branded funding cuts to arts organisations in the capital as “calamitous”, warning that they risk damaging the city’s cultural sector.
18 January - English National Opera ‘needs proper funding to set up new base outside London’
The boss of the English National Opera has said Arts Council England (ACE) is forcing it to have a new base outside London but hopes the ENO receives proper funding to make sure opera is not “yet again an art form that’s only available for the rich”.
17 January - A blunt report from the Lords warns that government complacency risks undermining the UK’s creative industries.
In the face of increased international competition and rapid technological change, the report from the House of Lords Communcitions Committee entitled At risk: our creative future sounds the alarm over missed opportunities and a failure among senior government figures to recognise the sector’s commercial potential. It calls for action to put the creative industries at the heart of the UK’s economic growth plans.
17 January - MOULIN ROUGE!'s Dance Captain Jason-Leigh Winter on Wage Disparity, Union Representation and Being Valued
Years of training, endless dedication and innumerable hours of training, rehearsal and performance. Despite all this, the majority of those who choose to work in the theatre do so because they love it, knowing that it is not likely to bring them riches. However, the cost of living continues to bite in every walk of life and those working in the theatre in the UK are feeling the pinch.
17 January - English National Opera to receive £11.46m from Arts Council England
The English National Opera (ENO) has announced it will receive an £11.46m investment from Arts Council England (ACE) to sustain its work in London for another year.
17 January - Joint statement from Arts Council England and the English National Opera
Today, Arts Council England agreed it will invest £11.46million in the English National Opera (ENO) for April 2023-March 2024. This is to sustain a programme of work at the ENO’s home the London Coliseum, and at the same time help the ENO start planning for a new base outside London by 2026.
17 January - Government complacency risks future of creative industries – report
Government complacency risks jeopardising the future of the creative industries, a report from the House of Lords has warned, as it called out an “indifference to the sector’s potential”.
17 January - ENO secures funding to stay in London for another year.
The English National Opera are pleased to confirm that, following negotiations with Arts Council England, the organisation is to receive £11.46m of National Lottery funding for the next financial year, starting 1st April 2023. This represents a 9% cut from the ENO’s previous funding.
16 January - Dominic Cooke: ACE cut to Hampstead Theatre is scandalous
Director Dominic Cooke has labelled Arts Council England’s 100% cut to Hampstead Theatre an act of “cultural vandalism”, calling on the industry to demand the decision is reversed.
16 January - No artist is an island: why not doing what you want can unleash creativity
Who gets to do what they want all the time? Not me. I have a deadline to write this column. Of course, I’m grateful to have the work. And you know what? Experience tells me that by the time I get to the next paragraph, it will probably no longer seem like a chore.
13 January - Scottish theatres at risk of losing subsidy, Creative Scotland warns
Half of Scotland’s regularly funded arts organisations are at risk of losing their subsidy because of cuts to Creative Scotland’s budget, the public body’s chief executive Iain Munro has warned.
13 January - Hampstead Theatre: playwrights warn of 'catastrophic' cuts to literary department
Playwrights James Graham, Dennis Kelly and Tanika Gupta are among a group of campaigners warning that Hampstead Theatre is at risk of becoming an “overtly commercial enterprise” with its commitment to new writing severely threatened, after it emerged that the venue has made its literary manager redundant.
13 January - Audiences returning to live music faster than theatre, data reveals
Live music is overtaking theatre in terms of the post-Covid return of audiences, new data analysis has revealed.
12 January - Theatres warn of consequences of cancelled Glyndebourne tour
Venues around England have warned that Glyndebourne’s decision to cancel its tour will “negatively impact” their operations and deal a blow to audiences.
12 January - Performers, creatives and backstage staff see pay bump and new working conditions after Equity deal
A landmark new pay and contract deal between Equity and the Independent Theatre Council has seen pay rises and altered working conditions for performers, creatives and backstage staff.
12 January - Backstage workers at ROH to receive pay increase and cost-of-living payment
Backstage workers at the Royal Opera House are to receive a pay increase and cost-of-living payment, following negotiations by union BECTU.
12 January - ENO's move to Manchester is never going to happen
The policy to cut English National Opera’s funding and move the company to Manchester is dead in the water. It is now a zombie policy, waiting for someone to put it out of its misery.
12 January - Sink or swim: are we putting too much pressure on producers?
“When it’s a success, it’s nothing to do with you. And when it’s a failure, it’s all your fault.” This is a saying often applied to the life of the independent theatre producer. It is a job that, despite its key involvement in theatre production and presentation, remains one that is frequently misunderstood.
12 January - Independent producers to take responsibility for digs after contract changes
Performers, stage managers and creatives in independent theatres will see pay rises and improvements to their working conditions – including producers taking responsibility for accommodation – following negotiations between Equity and the Independent Theatre Council.
11 January - Art to help out?
Since 2020 the sector has faced a series of crises, first Covid and now an even more uncertain future related to the cost of living. Michelle Wright considers how art can help.
11 January - Relocation or dislocation? A guide to navigating ACE’s transfer programme
Arts Council England’s Transfer Programme is intended to initiate geographical redistribution – not just of money but of creative talent too. Kevin Poulter outlines the implications for people being asked to move out of London.
11 January - Bristol Old Vic to study audience reactions in £150k research project
Bristol Old Vic is launching a £150,000 research project into the audience experience of theatre, which is being billed as the biggest study of its kind to date.
11 January - ACE music education consultation ‘losing focus’, warns charity
Members of music education charity Music Mark raise concerns an Arts Council England-led consultation into proposed music education reform ‘lacks a clear rationale’.
10 January - West End performers warn that 'stagnant' wages are forcing out talent
Wage stagnation is making it untenable for many actors to work in London and is forcing talent out of the industry, West End performers have warned.
10 January - Statement from SOLT & UK Theatre following Government decision to scrap business energy price cap
Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre are disappointed by today’s announcement that the government is scrapping the energy price cap for businesses from April 2023.
10 January - Plan for the worst, hope for the best: two things to look out for in 2023
“Things can only get better,” said 1990’s chart-toppers D:Ream. Unfortunately, while that may be true in the long term, I fear quite the opposite for the near future.
10 January - Extend tax relief for theatres and orchestras, says Robertson
Scotland’s Culture Secretary says the UK Government’s tax relief for theatres and orchestras must be extended due to the cost-of-living crisis.
09 January - RSC opens warm hub for people struggling with cost of living
The Royal Shakespeare Company is opening a warm hub where members of the public struggling with the cost-of-living crisis can come for free refreshments and creative activities.
09 January - Scrapping of energy price cap 'a hammer blow to theatres'
Decision by government to end cap on business energy prices described as ‘hammer blow to the theatre sector’.