Election 2024: SOLT and UK Theatre call on new government to help theatre thrive
Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre bosses have offered to partner with the new Labour government to ensure the theatre sector can "thrive" and in turn play its part in boosting the economy.
Welcoming Keir Starmer’s landslide general election win, the industry bodies suggested the new government work with them to "ensure the theatre sector can thrive", strengthen the country’s finances and break down barriers to opportunities.
In a statement, SOLT and UK Theatre said: "Theatre is special, an economic powerhouse, delivering transformative social good, embedded in communities across the country. But conditions are increasingly challenging, with public investment declining and production costs rising faster than inflation."
The comments follow the organisations’ latest Capital Investment in Theatre Buildings study, which suggested that nearly 40% of theatres in the UK risk closure unless they receive "significant capital investment".
SOLT and UK Theatre went on to call for support from the new government, saying that together they could "create the conditions for theatre to thrive."
In a letter to new ministers and MPs following Labour’s win, SOLT and UK Theatre reiterate calls for every child to attend the theatre at least once before they leave school as part of their Theatre for Every Child campaign.
Other key priorities for the new government outlined in SOLT and UK Theatre’s letter include:
- Co-creating a sustainable system for investment in theatre buildings, which the authors said would "kick-start local economies, deliver social good and make Britain a clean energy superpower".
- Collaborating with the theatre sector to strategically review public investment in the arts to achieve the most effective results for taxpayers.
The letter also notes the theatre sector’s positive impact on the tourist industry, social mobility and educational attainment, as well as its supply of talent to British film and television.
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SOLT and UK Theatre co-chief executives Claire Walker and Hannah Essex said: "We very much look forward to working with the new government to champion our world-class theatre sector and deliver the conditions it needs to thrive, such as realising our vision of every child attending the theatre before they leave school."
They went on to commend Starmer’s visit to the Lyric Hammersmith a week before the election, at which he vowed to "stand squarely behind" arts organisations.
Walker and Essex added: "We are well placed and stand ready to help the government achieve their missions of kick-starting the economy and breaking down the barriers to opportunity through the power of theatre.”
The pair join a number of theatre bosses, including the chief executives of Curve and Nottingham Playhouse, who have hailed the change in government as heralding growth for the arts sector, while also renewing urgent calls for capital investment.
Starmer’s new government is not poised to offer additional funding for the arts, an omission from Labour’s manifesto that union Equity called "short-sighted".
However, the new government is set to safeguard freelancers’ rights and creative education, as well as prioritising new, "distinctly British" artistic commissions.
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