Chris Bush: Supporting theatremakers financially will tackle other issues

Playwright Chris Bush has claimed improving the financial stability for people working in the industry will increase "everything else that we want to be doing" on diversity and representation.

The Standing at the Sky’s Edge writer told The Stage that money remained the "single biggest barrier to succeeding in the arts" – and said once the dial shifted on money, other inclusivity ambitions would benefit, too.

Bush said: "It’s not the sexiest thing, but the biggest barrier is always going to be money. There’s not enough money in the industry, there’s not enough support, particularly outside of London."

"That is the single biggest barrier to succeeding in the arts, the fact that it’s so damn hard to make a career out of it," Bush continued.

"And that’s the single biggest thing that needs to shift, and that in turn will increase everything else we want to be doing in terms of better diversity and representation within the industry."

Otherwise, Bush explained, those who could afford to get their foot in the door in theatre tended to skew "white and middle-class" – inevitably impacting the kinds of stories that reached stages, too.

Bush was speaking at this year’s The Stage Debut Awards, where she presented the Best Writer accolade to Sam Grabiner and Azuka Oforka.