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Far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has merged the country’s three ministries of culture, sports and social development into a single department called the ministry of citizenship. New department head Osmar Terra and culture secretary José Henrique Pires both support changes to a 1991 statute that allows organisations and individuals to use up to 1% of income tax to fund cultural activities.

Up to 40 employees – around 14% of the theatre’s workforce – could be impacted by a planned restructure, although the theatre said the number of redundancies would be much lower than this. The venue, which says a “difficult financial year” has forced it to cut costs, will close its current exhibition space and repurpose it for commercial hire.

The two-year, £22m project, which began last October, will create a new set of galleries from former office, storage and display spaces; improve accessibility for those with mobility impairments; and landscape the adjoining East Princes Street Gardens to offer visitors direct access to the gallery.

Plans for a 140-seat theatre and the reuse of derelict buildings as a backstage area and stores are set for approval by Staffordshire Borough Council. The development will form part of a regeneration scheme that will see the theatre’s foyer and bar integrated with a new pub on a site with "important brewery history".

Rufus Norris, director of the National Theatre, has paid tribute to the Queen for her “long and unwavering support and service” since becoming the theatre’s patron in 1974, and welcomed the Duchess of Sussex, actor Meghan Markle, to the role.

24% of the 2,000 18-30-year-olds surveyed by insurers Ecclesiastical, which works in the arts sector, said they “never” go to the theatre – preferring to use social media or stay in and watch TV instead. One in five say they go once a year, compared to 27% that attend two or three times a year. 

The festival’s value has increased by more than £25m since research was last carried out in 2015, making it the most lucrative cultural or sporting event in Scotland – ahead of the Open golf tournament, which generated £140m.