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The arts sector needs “mechanisms to safely identify systemic failure, incompetence and wrongdoing,” in order to safeguard the industry, says Rebecca Atkinson Lord.

One of my favourite things about being part of the theatre community is the way we all pull together. We support each other through thick and thin, fight each other’s corners and generally help each other out whenever we can. It’s a brilliant thing, knowing that you can call for help and someone will always answer. But sometimes, and I must stress that this is the exception rather than the rule, our instinct to protect each other does more harm than good. The unity that signifies our strength is a double-edged sword that occasionally injures the very ecology we all seek to protect.

Whenever two or more theatre people gather, you hear whispers. The whispers cover a lot of ground, from financial malpractice to petty bullying and general incompetence. Of course, not all that I hear might be true, but sometimes multiple stories about the same subject converge and it becomes impossible to dismiss the possibility that at their heart lies a kernel of truth.

There are the stories of sexual harassment, bullying, and dishonesty. There are the organisations that claim ownership over an artist’s work in exchange for virtually nothing; the marketing departments that never deliver what they promise; and the funding applications filled with misdirection and sleight of hand. Everybody has a story. But those stories are rarely more than whispered: there are truths universally acknowledged but never fully voiced. And recently I’ve started to wonder why... Keep reading on The Guardian 

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