Ten things theatre should think about as we enter 2023

Here are 10 things to think about over the next year. It’s not an exhaustive list by any means and it is in no particular order. But these things are worth considering if we want to make theatre a better place for all who work in the industry and everyone it serves in 2023.

1) How about, when a director, company or venue is considering staging a classic play, they stop and think hard about why they want to do it, what purpose it serves and how it speaks urgently to the here and now. The fact it might do well in the box office is not justification enough. Why not do something new instead? New work is facing a tough time, the pressure on Arts Council England project funding is huge, and many writers feel that the pandemic has squeezed opportunities. Theatre is not short of talent, but we are careless with it – maybe because we know there will always be more coming down the pipeline. Consider what we lose when talent doesn’t get the chance to bloom into full maturity.

2) What might happen if we re-evaluated what really constitutes an opportunity? Organisations and venues often make a song and dance about their offer, but it’s only a real opportunity if it has clear routes in and out of it. This requires much more joined-up thinking, cooperation and collaboration between companies and venues. Currently, roadmaps are pretty non-existent and many careers falter after those early breaks.

3) Yes, the Arts Council is flawed, but better ACE makes funding decisions than governments. Nadine Dorries’ directive to move millions out of London demonstrates the horrors that unfold when the government directly intervenes in arts funding and the arm’s-length principle is stretched. We would miss ACE if it was dissolved, so we should be strategic about who we direct our funding-decision displeasure towards.  

4) It can feel as if theatre finds some kinds of diversity sexier than others. If, as an organisation, you are already dismantling barriers for some, why not do it for all? Including those you may not have thought about much, such as people with caring responsibilities of all types.

5) Urgent: the climate emergency. Theatre has a role to play, and it can begin by examining how and where it makes work and tours it to. Local is good; hyper local is better. The 20-minute city is the future. Theatre responds to the present because it is made with limited money and resources. But it needs to think long term – not just about the next production, but about how theatre might look and serve communities best in 10 or 20 years’ time.

6) Safeguarding. We don’t expect people in other professions to do their jobs well without proper safeguards, checks and balances in place; we don’t expect them to work long hours for free. Yet in theatre, we do. We should welcome whistleblowers, and make sure that every venue, company and theatre has proper systems in place to allow for reporting in confidence and without repercussions. 

7) Boards. This one follows on from the one above. Yes, we all understand there are legal responsibilities for those on boards, but it is not about protecting your organisation and its reputation or your magnificently talented artistic director at all costs. This will only change when the make-up of boards shifts. That means more freelancers, more artists, more people directly from the community and more young people on boards (youth boards are a step forward, but why not have the young people on your main board?). Some boards have barely got their heads around cultural participation, yet the most forward-thinking are moving towards cultural ownership. It will transform our arts organisations.

8) Just be kinder. Recognise that every department and person working in a theatre has an essential role to play. You may not understand what the marketing or comms department does but, rest assured, your piece of art will have a bigger audience because of them. Your talent doesn’t entitle you to shout at the press officer or the admin assistant. One day, they will be running a theatre you want to work at.

9) Digital. Remember that? It opened up access and dismantled barriers. There were even some really exciting artistic possibilities explored. Then theatres reopened and it largely disappeared. The barriers were quietly raised again and exclusion continued.

10) Many, many people in the UK are going through a very tough time – including theatre and its workers. But theatre must look outwards, not inwards, and concentrate not on its own woes but on the role it has in using its public spaces and funding for all, including – or especially – the many who will never buy a ticket.