Theatre and arts venue crisis

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AGinAg (37)

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We really should be more concerned about this. Already seeing news of a few venues shutting their doors. Desperately sad for anyone involved be it as worker or customer.

And it's all well and good Ed Sheeran et al signing fucking letters but let's see the CASH.
 
I’m really concerned. One statistic I saw was that the arts in general brings in 3 times more money for the UK economy compared to Premier League football. I’m baffled that the government are ignoring this.
 
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Ellie said:
I’m really concerned. One statistic I saw was that the arts in general brings in 3 times more money for the UK economy compared to Premier League football. I’m baffled that the government are ignoring this.
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Yeah I saw that. Honestly the pedestal that football it put upon compared to other entertainment is ridiculous.
 
We have precious view in the town. One gallery has already shut. I'll heartbroken if the art centre goes. The theatre was going through a major upgrade with is concerning as it was based primarily on donations.
 
I work in a venue. Performance spaces are in a uniquely difficult position because there's just no idea when they can possibly put on work again, and so despite usually being profitable organisations that also make big bucks for local bars and restaurants and for tourism (and many do a lot of great charity work and community engagement), they're just haemorrhaging money at the moment. Add to that the fact they're not designed to run at the 33% capacity required for social distancing and it's not looking great.

Thats why it was really frustrating when, after months of umming and ahhing, the Culture Secretary released fuck all but a roadmap which could be summed up as 'step 1. Rehearse. Step 2. Put on a show eventually. Maybe?'

The industry needs an extension to the furlough scheme, and enough investment to trundle along until it can get back on its feet. Other governments across Europe have done just that, and I hope ours will too, but with so many jobs already lost, and a number of venues closed for good, the time to act was MONTHS AGO.

Theatre is genuinely one of a decreasing number of industries Britain is a WORLD LEADER in, and the fact the 'party of business' is letting it go to the wall is beyond ridiculous.
 
How shocking is that that even the Royal Albert Hall won't survive! What hope for small venues?
 
Soldi said:
I am at the minute whilst I’m back home, but work on a bar at the arena back at uni which I really enjoy :(
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Isn’t the arena closing any way to make way for expansion to Victoria Train station?
 
I’m heavily involved in Sheffield’s theatre scene, as a trustee for one of the biggest amateur groups in the city and performing for the past 4 years at the Lyceum theatre.

Aside from that my actual job (already gone RIP) is within the events industry. It’s absolutely heartbreakingly devastating to See what’s happening. I’m really passionate about theatre being for everyone and it not being a class/elitist activity but So many venues will not survive reduced capacity performance runs without pricing out the vast majority of audiences.

This is circulating on Facebook:

Recent reports suggest that if Panto doesn’t happen this year, 70% of the theatres in the Uk will close. For good. This government will be responsible for the end of theatre as we know it in this country. Not Covid. The government.

For those of you not in the theatre community, it’s not just actors out of work with the Theatres being closed. Below are lists of some of the many affected. No wonder we feel like such a community. We will be back. But only with government support. Now.

-Stage managers
-Company managers
-Theatre managers
-General managers
-Dressers
-Hair/Makeup
-Carpenters
-Electrics
-Sound
-Props
-Automation
-Musicians
-Ushers/Bartenders
-Box office staff
-Cleaners
-Merchandise
-Security
-Marketing
-Producers
-Directors
-Choreographers
-Authors
-Orchestrators/Arrangers
-Interns
-Press Agents
-Casting Directors
-Set Designers
-Costume Designers
-Hair/Makeup Designers
-Lighting Designers
-Sound Designers
-Prop Designers/Makers
-All the design assistants
-Vocal/dialect coaches
-Chaperones

Now go out of the theatre district and see the jobs this shutdown also affects:

-All the costume stores/shops where the costumes are made
-The millinery shops where the hats/headpieces are made
-The cobblers where all the custom shoes are made
-The wigmakers
-The fabric/bead/feather shops (while these may reopen they will suffer huge losses with no shows requiring anything for this entire year)
-Scenic workshops where the sets are built
-Props workshops where the props are made
-Sound, Lighting & Automation stores where the lights, mics/speakers and automated pieces are hired from
-Design studios where the sets, costumes, props, etc are dreamed up to make the directors vision a reality
-Rehearsal spaces for the show to be worked out before it appears for your pleasure
-Merchandise vendors, concessions
-Advertising agencies & press agencies
-Talent agencies and managers
-Union offices
-Producer & general management offices

Now venture even deeper into the shutdown and see the business that is lost in the theatre district from just the people in the industry not working on a show (then on top of that the loss of audience members buying stuff at)

-Restaurants
-Post-show bars
-Coffee shops
-Hotels
-Garages
-Gyms
-Physical therapists
 
Whilst I fundamentally agree that the creative arts sector should not go to the wall, the £111bn being thrown around appears to be bollocks, at least in terms of what its purporting to represent (from a bit of research, although I welcome other sources of information)

I think it comes from this: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...lmost-13-million-to-the-uk-economy-every-hour

And when you read the background report it says:

The Creative Industries contributed £111.7bn to the UK
economy in 2018, accounting for 5.8% of UK GVA.
Between 2017 and 2018, the Creative Industries’ GVA grew by
7.4% in real terms, which is more than five times the growth
rate of the UK economy as a whole (1.4% increase).
‘IT, software and computer services’ (which is also entirely
within the Digital sector) accounted for £45.4bn GVA in 2018
(40.6% of Creative Industries GVA), increasing by 10.3% since
2017.
‘Film, TV, video, radio and photography’ (six out of seven SIC
codes within this sub-sector overlap with the Digital sector and it
overlaps entirely with the Cultural sector) contributed £20.8bn to
the UK economy, up 3% since 2017.
‘Advertising and marketing’ contributed £18.6bn in 2018,
increasing by 11.5% since 2017. These three sub-sectors were
the key drivers of growth in the Creative Industrie
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So mostly IT, TV and advertising.

Like i say I support any movement to support UK arts (and it still is some billions), I just really hate misused data.
 
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And before anyone says, that IT is possibly gaming industries or CGI and that advertising is likely indeed a massive export around the world. But those industries are not necessarily at risk here.

There is real hardship to be had in theatres and local music and we need to prioritise those grassroots causes, which may not be worth as much but are vital to our culture.
 
It needs a more coordinated effort though than a bunch of multi-millionaire popstars sending an open letter:

1. Set up charities with direct debit options etc.
2. Something like Gaga's Covid19 concert with lots of performers and get the public behind this to donate
3. Big multi-millionaire star like Bono or Coldplay Chris person needs to ask the government to donate AND OFFER TO MATCH their donation etc. etc.
4. More focus on how much the arts & artists bring to this country than football and footballers

This is devastating - I'm willing to get behind it & to donate and help but it needs a more coordinated effort.
 
It's the plan. The Tories have said they're going to "simplify" planning permissions so that properties can be converted in housing. That's what they want to happen to the theatres; they go bust, the get bought cheap by disaster capitalists, get converted into mousehole-sized flats and then bought up by their landlord chums and rented out for eye-watering sums because "it's such an attractive building, the old theatre, isn't it?". Classic Tory disaster capitalism and I can't believe so few people have spotted it.

Of course, getting rid of a few noisy clubs will help to gentrify a few areas too, another Tory aim.
 
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Suedey said:
It needs a more coordinated effort though than a bunch of multi-millionaire popstars sending an open letter:

1. Set up charities with direct debit options etc.
2. Something like Gaga's Covid19 concert with lots of performers and get the public behind this to donate
3. Big multi-millionaire star like Bono or Coldplay Chris person needs to ask the government to donate AND OFFER TO MATCH their donation etc. etc.
4. More focus on how much the arts & artists bring to this country than football and footballers

This is devastating - I'm willing to get behind it & to donate and help but it needs a more coordinated effort.
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AGREED.

Why is no one doing anything about it?

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2...-tells-casual-staff-they-will-lose-their-jobs
 
I hate to say it, but it's kind of amazing // feels too good to be true..?

Definitely waiting for the small print behind the 1.57 billion headline..!
 
You have to wonder how those funds are going to distributed.
 
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COB said:
Where's Cilla?
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The Cilla's have been a bit stupid recently. Blending her face in with a cauliflower being one recent example. I much prefer the idea of her just peering from a crack in a window pulling that face :D

OMG it needs to be a Moopy smilie!
 
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