Dea Birkett

The Victoria and Albert Museum’s proposed overhaul of its Theatre and Performance collection threatens more than just the loss of cultural artefacts, says Dea Birkett – creativity is dependent on an understanding of an art form’s history

Circus arenas show theatres how to diversify audiences and offer socially distanced performances, says ringmaster Dea Birkett

The great theatre architect’s designs may have been fanciful, but they were wonderful social levellers and brought in new audiences