News

Green light for £14m West Yorkshire Playhouse revamp

19 Dec 2017

A new studio space, upgraded technical equipment, a new entrance and improved access are included in redevelopment plans for the theatre. Productions will continue in a 350-seat temporary venue whilst the revamp, intended to finish in 2019, is ongoing.

Scottish artists and galleries commit to addressing inequality

Photo of fruitmarket gallery

19 Dec 2017

A new manifesto by the Scottish Contemporary Arts Network, Scottish Artists Union and Engage Scotland has set out the visual arts sector’s key aspirations and commitments.

Royal Court reverses decision to cancel Rita, Sue and Bob Too

18 Dec 2017

Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone said she had been “rocked to the core” by accusations of censorship after cancelling performances of a play that features the grooming of young women. The theatre attracted controversy last week when it said hosting the Out of Joint production would be “highly conflictual” following its efforts to combat harassment in the industry.

Retired rural audiences hungry for diverse work, report finds

Actors and elephant puppet on stage

15 Dec 2017

A research project that toured an Indian play around Lincolnshire has uncovered challenges around staging and touring diverse arts in rural areas.

Audience development

London to get ten ‘Creative Enterprise Zones’ in £5m scheme

Photo of street art

15 Dec 2017

Ten London boroughs will each receive £50k to create permanent affordable creative workspaces and provide support for artists and creative businesses.

Local authorities

Lottery shareholders profit while returns to good causes stagnate

Photo of National Lottery sign

15 Dec 2017

The Public Accounts Committee intends to hold an inquiry into National Lottery operator Camelot after a Parliamentary investigation uncovered soaring shareholder profits.

Arts Council England to provide emergency support for literary fiction

15 Dec 2017

Fewer authors are able to earn a living as publishers hold down book prices and offer lower advances in response to falling demand.

Scotland surprises by boosting arts budget to offset lottery decline

Photo of Fiona Hyslop

15 Dec 2017

Creative Scotland’s budget will be increased by £6.6m each year for the next three years.

Collaboration is key to cultural commissioning, report finds

Photo of choir singing

15 Dec 2017

Leaders in local authorities and health services have started to recognise the value of arts organisations to their agendas following a series of multi-partner collaborations.

Cultural commissioning

London car park reborn as cultural working space

Car park in Peckham Levels

15 Dec 2017

Seven levels of Peckham’s multi-storey municipal car park have been converted into a mixture of new artist studios, co-working spaces and restaurants.

Towner Art Gallery threatened with council funding cuts

14 Dec 2017

Eastbourne Borough Council plans to reduce its annual investment in the gallery from £614k to £400k, with further reductions to come. The gallery said the cut would put its learning programme at risk.

London theatre to accept donations in Bitcoin

14 Dec 2017

Southwark Playhouse has begun accepting donations in the digital currency, and hopes to roll out the move to its box office and bar. It is thought to be the first venue in the capital to accept Bitcoin payments.

Theatre bodies plan health and wellbeing helpline

13 Dec 2017

UK Theatre and the Society of London Theatre, which hope the helpline will address issues affecting work performance, have also created new guidelines on the nature of in-work bullying and harassment.

UK adopts law protecting cultural property during wars

13 Dec 2017

The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property, which provides a framework for protecting sites and objects of cultural significance in combat zones, has become official UK law.

Royal Court cancels Out of Joint performances following sexual harassment revelations

13 Dec 2017

The theatre said hosting ‘Rita, Sue and Bob Too’ – a show which includes themes of “grooming and abuses of power on young women” – would be “highly conflictual” given its recent efforts to combat sexual harassment in the industry. The show is produced by Out of Joint, the theatre company formerly run by Max Stafford-Clark, who left the organisation following alleged inappropriate and sexualised behaviour.

Help Musicians UK mental health service goes live

12 Dec 2017

Music Minds Matter, the 24-hour helpline offering emotional support, counselling and clinical pathways to people working in music, has gone live. This follows research by Help Musicians UK that found.

Research centre to make the case for the creative industries

Photo of colleagues working together

12 Dec 2017

The Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre will be tasked with delivering robust evidence around shared issues and concerns facing policy makers, businesses and other organisations in the sector.

London Mayor includes Culture and Creative Industries among Brexit Impact Studies

11 Dec 2017

Sadiq Khan has commissioned reports on the potential impact of Brexit on London for nine key sectors, including culture and the creative industries. The reports will model five scenarios, ranging from remaining in the EU through to a hard Brexit with no transition period.

New guides to help diversify workforce and leadership

Photo of faces

11 Dec 2017

An Arts Council England toolkit offers advice on widening recruitment processes and improving data collection, and includes research findings about barriers to entry in the cultural sector.

Human resources

Activists protest BP sponsorship of British Museum with permafrost performance

11 Dec 2017

Campaign group BP or Not BP installed a giant crack on the floor of the British Museum and sang Christmas carols with altered lyrics to highlight the role of the oil company in melting permafrost around the globe.

Pages