News

Google suspends Viagogo ads

18 Jul 2019

The ticket reseller is now unable to pay to appear at the top of global search rankings, Google has announced. The decision follows pressure from politicians and industry organisations including UK Music, whose Chief Executive Michael Dugher said the tech company should direct users to "legitimate primary ticket sales" sites instead.

West End ushers fitted with bodycams

16 Jul 2019

The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre have started giving body cameras to front of house staff as a way to tackle the growing problem of aggressive behaviour from patrons. A trial programme is under way at several unnamed West End venues.

WWI centenary commissions 'exceptionally successful' despite 'unfortunate' oversights, report says

A photo of a ceramic poppy

16 Jul 2019

A House of Commons Committee report into 14-18 NOW highlights major lessons to be learned in time for the UK's next national cultural event - the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Cultural commissioning

Blackpool festival cancelled over funding

16 Jul 2019

The organisers of Livewire Festival say they pulled the plug because of "investor issues", commenting: "This hasn't been a decision we have taken lightly and have explored every avenue we possibly could to keep the event on." Musician Lauryn Hill was due to headline the event near Blackpool tower in late August.

Scottish art company in liquidation

16 Jul 2019

Steven Brown Art Limited's gallery and warehouse in Ayr have been closed and its assets, artworks included, will soon be sold. The company became known for the McCoo art brand developed by owner Steven Brown.

Biennale Paris chairmen step down

16 Jul 2019

Co-presidents of the biennale's vetting committee Frédéric Castaing and Michel Maket have quit their posts over the inclusion of two exhibitors who are under criminal investigation for alleged antiques trafficking and forgery. The Biennale Paris is due to open in two months' time.

Dutch minister wants fewer festivals

15 Jul 2019

Dutch Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus said a reduction in festivals would help police tackle illegal drug use. The Netherlands has one of the world's largest festival markets, with 19.5 million visitors expected to attend more than 1000 festivals there this year.

£100k to catalogue Cambridge Theatre archives

15 Jul 2019

The grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will help the theatre collect and conserve costumes, photographs, posters and scripts amassed over the past 80 years. The collection will be housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum's collections and research centre in east London when it opens in 2023.

Ministers urged to scrap EBacc

15 Jul 2019

Education think tank EDSK says it is time for "a new approach to school performance measures that goes beyond fighting the battles of 2010 and instead focuses on what needs to happen in 2019 and beyond". Since the EBacc was introduced in 2010, GCSE entries for design and technology have fallen by 65%, dance entries by 46%, media studies by 36% and music by 24%, EDSK found.

Decline in local authority culture spend slows

Photo of Colchester Castle

12 Jul 2019

Culture and heritage budgets across England are starting to settle as unitary authorities spend more.

Local authorities

£15.8m Leeds Playhouse redevelopment under way

12 Jul 2019

A major transformation of the theatre is "taking shape", Artistic Director James Brining said. Leeds City Council has given £5.6m to the project but the theatre must still raise £2.75m to make its £4.35m contribution. The remaining funding comes from Arts Council England.

Science Museum Group staff vote to strike

12 Jul 2019

Several hundred staff could strike at six Science Museum Group (SMG) sites this summer over a pay dispute. SMG says it is "disappointed" by the vote, noting it has already increased employees' pay by 1.5%. A Prospect Union spokesman said some of SMG's lowest paid staff still don't earn the Real Living Wage.

Mayor steps in to plug V&A East funding gap

An artist's drawing of the planned V&A East museum

12 Jul 2019

The GLA has agreed to underwrite a budget shortfall of up to £12m, which is expected despite a £9m a year boost in funding from DCMS.

Audience development

Museums and heritage

Austerity is undermining children’s access to culture, finds research

A photo of a boy holding a tablet

12 Jul 2019

An LSE researcher said children’s development is being thwarted by Government policy, but argued the situation could be improved if recent welfare cuts were reversed.

Audience development

Children and young people

€3.1m Creative Europe funding hangs on Brexit deal

Photo of ArtReach project

11 Jul 2019

“Our carefully laid plans…would be wasted” if the UK leaves without a deal, says an organisation awarded €1.3m to lead a collaborative project.

British orchestras express concern over no-deal Brexit

11 Jul 2019

The Association of British Orchestras has called on the next Prime Minister to make systems and processes for a no-deal Brexit situation a priority. An open letter to the Conservative Party said preparations to date "have not gone far enough to reassure our members" that they will be able to move freely around Europe.

Petition against parking restrictions near children's theatre

11 Jul 2019

Stiltskin's Soapbox Children's Theatre in Plymouth fear the council traffic orders will force its closure after similar restrictions contributed to "a substantial decline in weekday ticket sales", Executive Director and Producer Iain Slade said. He said a third of the theatre's core audience travel from outside the city with small children and find public transport prohibitive.

Liverpool tourism worth £3.3bn in 2018

11 Jul 2019

The city's Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for culture, Wendy Simon, attributed continued growth in the value of tourism - a 10% rise on 2017 - to major events including the Terracotta Warriors at World Museum, Tall Ships Regatta and the outdoor performance art show Giants Spectacular. Last year marked 10 years since Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture.

Festival abandons ethnicity-based pricing

10 Jul 2019

US music festival AfroFuture Fest dropped plans to sell half-priced tickets to people of colour after its ticketing partner, Eventbrite, threatened to remove the event from its listings. Festival organisers said the pricing plan was intended to ensure that "the most marginalised communities (people of colour) are provided with an equitable chance at enjoying events in their own community (black Detroit)".

£19m for Southend arts centre

10 Jul 2019

Plans for the teaching and performing arts building have been lodged by South Essex College and Southend Council, which are collaborating on the project. The facility will include a recording studio, a restaurant, accommodation and several performance spaces.

Pages