How music can support local authority agendas

Child playing guitar as part of family music project
25 Jan 2023

Michael Davidson explores the development of music services in Hertfordshire, demonstrating the value of linking it to the local authority’s inclusion and preventative health agenda.

Musicians' census aims to 'kickstart industry change'

A man playing music on a turntable
23 Jan 2023

Musicians urged to take part in first ever Musicians’ Census in order to map the total population of musicians and build a picture of the issues they face.

Southbank Centre and Apple unveil plans to support Black creatives

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook visiting London's Southbank Centre
23 Jan 2023

Initiative to improve access to the arts for emerging Black creatives has announced details of residencies in London, Manchester, and Birmingham and plans to work with local schools.

Mind your language

The image is two performers on a raised tight wire in a dark circus tent decorated with gold stars and bunting. On the right is Krista, a young white woman of short stature with short brown hair looking into the distance. On the left is Gerhard, a young white man with short brown hair, who gazes intently at the other performer, Krista, as he reaches his hand to touch her. Both characters’ costumes are in the style of the 1930s. Hers is a shiny silver beaded corset with white silk shorts, tights and black sh
20 Jan 2023

In the world of public relations and, more importantly, in the world of activism and advocacy, language is critical. Binita Walia explores why.

Music leaders call for rethink on BBC Introducing cuts

Florence + The Machine performing at a music concert
19 Jan 2023

Proposed shake-up of BBC radio programmes will see a reduction in music shows that have provided a platform for emerging artists such as Florence + The Machine, Ed Sheeran, Little Simz and Lewis Capaldi.

National Youth Theatre to offer free auditions

18 Jan 2023

The National Youth Theatre (NYT) is to hold free auditions in five cities and online next month February.

The auditions will take place in Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, London and Manchester. Online auditions are via the National Youth Theatre Hub.

Successful applicants will be invited to take part in summer intake courses, which for the first time will also take place in cities around the country. 

Applications must be aged between 14 and 25 on the date the course starts. They will be asked to prepare a two-minute speech which could be from a published play, monologue book or film script.

The company will also offer be offering "backstage interviews" for young people interested in areas such as lighting, sound, stage management and costume.

NYT patron and alumnus Matt Smith said: "It's a great company and if you work hard, apply yourself and bring the right spirit, it's a place where you can really learn and develop, and a company that will nurture you."

The arts divided cannot stand

Futuristic graphic. There are rocks and wires along the bottom, robots with theatre lights for arms and UK cultural building/posters surrounding them.
18 Jan 2023

Kevin Osborne calls on leaders of the major classical music organisations to join his campaign to close the racial equity gap as a means of preserving their own funding.

Catford theatre to reopen next month

16 Jan 2023

Catford’s Broadway Theatre will reopen in February following a £7m refurbishment project.

The works have included upgraded seating, a new bar area, improved access and facilities for those with restricted mobility and new digital signage.

The refurbishment, funded by Lewisham Council’s capital programme, began last January and was undertaken to “safeguard the history and future” of the theatre, according to Lewisham Council Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure James-J Walsh.

“Our investment ensures that new generations benefit from the institution and opportunity it brings,” Walsh said.

“Our improvements will deliver a more inclusive and enjoyable theatre experience for both our fantastic audiences and visiting productions. The theatre will be a place where people from all communities feel welcome to share the joys of live performance, culture and arts.”

Broadway Theatre was closed throughout Lewisham’s tenure as London Borough of Culture but plans to place a central role in future legacy projects, with a focus on championing Black and Global Majority theatre and opportunities for young people.

Theatre group Nouveau Riche have been announced as the theatre’s newest Associate Artists.

“What we want to do is inspire a whole new generation of theatre artists and make the artform accessible to a whole new audience,” Nouveau Riche Artistic Director Ryan Calais Cameron said.

Fringe issues accommodation warning to performers

A performer on the streets of Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival
11 Jan 2023

Organisers of the Edinburgh Fringe urge prospective performers to 'scope out' accommodation early amid concerns around availability and cost.

Bursary scheme for emerging migrant producers launches

11 Jan 2023

A new bursary scheme has been launched to support and develop the career of a first-generation migrant theatre producer.

PROJEKT EUROPA and Chris Grady Org (CGO) will award one aspiring producer a fully funded place on the CGO Diploma in Creative Producing and a 16-week paid work placement with PROJEKT EUROPA.

“The world needs more producers, especially producers who reflect the communities that artists wish to serve, and the stories that need to be told,” said Chris Grady, Director of CGO.

He added that CGO aims “to make connections for, and develop the skills of, those who will change the world one show at a time”.

Maria Aberg, Artistic Director of PROJEKT EUROPA, said the theatre company “is committed to internationalising the UK theatre industry by championing  and platforming migrant talent, creating a more diverse and international sector”.

The diploma course runs from February to June 2023 and the placement will run from April onwards.

Candidates can be based anywhere in the UK. Applications close on 18 January.

Museums’ dirty secret: a failure to shift the dial on inclusion

Group of tired students sleeping at table
11 Jan 2023

Why do museums remain stubbornly non-inclusive? Because the solution is deeply unpalatable for many stakeholders, writes Amanda Parker.

Gallery plagued by racism accusations relaunches

Exterior of esea contemporary's building in Manchester
10 Jan 2023

Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art relaunches as 'esea contemporary' following critical audit that found it had lost sight of its mission and purpose. 

Museums 'should address socio-economic issues'

09 Jan 2023

Museums should spend more time exploring issues of inequality and class differences in society, a report has suggested.

The study, conducted by Kings College London and the Museum of London, found that while attention has increasingly been devoted to issues around diversity in recent years - including race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender - issues around class have not recieved the same exposue.

The report calls for museums to address the the topic of socio-economic issues “not only through dedicated public programmes, curatorial projects and exhibition displays but also through more wide organisational change".

“We urge museums of every kind to embrace their social responsibility in this area, and come up with imaginative and institutionally relevant ways to address working-class stories drawing on the distinctive opportunities afforded by their collection, institutional history, locality and current and potential audiences,” the report, funded by Arts Council England, states.

A panel discussion to coincide with the launch of the report is due to be held on Wednesday (11 January).

ACE awards funding for project exploring bisexuality

Poet Helen Bowell
21 Dec 2022

Series of events and workshops to be held across UK as part of project designed to develop creative practice of bi+ writers.

Museums receive £1.8m for 'experimental' engagement projects

Lipstick exhibit from Museum of Transology
21 Dec 2022

Latest round of Art Fund's 'Reimagine' grants programme goes to projects experimenting with new forms of audience engagement.

BBC Radio 3 to move classical music programming to Salford

07 Dec 2022

The production of eight BBC Radio 3 classical music programmes will move from London to Salford, it has been announced.

The BBC said the move, part of its Across the UK strategy, will create a UK-wide classical music hub in the North, allowing it to reach out to new audiences and diversify voices heard on the station.

The eight programmes - Music Matters, Jazz Record Requests, Essential Classics, Through the Night and Sunday Breakfast - will move their production from London to Salford by Autumn 2024. 

The Listening Service and Afternoon Concert – both currently partly based in Salford - will move the entirety of their production and Words and Music will also increase its Salford production. 

Some programmes made by independent producers, such as Unclassified have already made the move.

Alan Davey, Controller of BBC Radio 3, said: “Strengthening Radio 3’s roots in the North of England, with a continued and important presence in London, will ensure the station holds its place at the forefront of leading and developing classical music and culture for the whole of the country. 

"We hope to support and develop a wider pool of established and emerging talent, and build new partnerships with different communities in the North as well as with the wider classical music industry.”

Westminster Council pledges £1.8m funding for arts

02 Dec 2022

Westminster City Council has announced it will set aside £1.8m for arts and culture funding over the next four years.

The council said the money will help fund a range of projects to make culture more accessible to residents and visitors.

It added that it hopes to break down social and economic barriers by extending free cultural opportunities to those facing financial hardship, young people, over-65s, ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities and those experiencing social isolation.

Within the budget is a new annual Culture and Community Grants Programme, which invites local organisations and schools to bid for up to £10,000 of funding to help deliver community-based projects. 

Tim Roca, Deputy Leader at Westminster Council and Cabinet Member for Young People, Learning and Leisure, said: “I’m very excited to announce this new cultural budget that will fund a range of projects across Westminster. 

"This new funding will bring culture directly into our communities and provide a boost for Westminster’s thriving arts scene which attracts so many visitors each year."

Championing the four nations

Flags of home nations
01 Dec 2022

Creative & Cultural Skills exists to create a fair and skilled cultural sector and is exceptional in its commitment to working equitably across the four nations of the UK, says long-serving former trustee David Anderson.

Welsh Government commits to culture funding for anti-racism

28 Nov 2022

Cultural and heritage activities in Wales are to receive a share of a £4.5m pot supporting the delivery of the Welsh Government’s Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan.

More than £2.8m is being shared over three years between 22 local, regional, national or independently-run culture, heritage and sport organisations across Wales.

Funded organisations include the Association of Independent Museums, Butetown Arts and Culture Association and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru.

The Welsh Government says funded projects “focus on co-production, demonstrating a commitment to placing lived experience at the centre of policy, service development and delivery”.

A further £1.67m is being designated to the Welsh Government’s cultural and sport arm’s length bodies, including National Museum Wales and the National Library of Wales, to “build on existing and new programmes of activity, accelerating their work on anti-racism at a national level”.

Arts Council Wales will also receive a share of funding to put towards the appointment of more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic creative practitioners.

“Our national and local museums, galleries, libraries theatres, and sporting venues need to be inclusive of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and place,” Wales Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport Dawn Bowden said.

“Our culture, heritage and sports services must be culturally competent and reflective of the history and contribution made by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people to Welsh society.”

Study highlights lack of diversity in school drama texts

25 Nov 2022

Drama texts by white playwrights account for the vast majority of plays taught in secondary schools across England and Wales, a study has found.

Research conducted by Bloomsbury Publishing found that 90% of drama texts taught at GCSE and 96% at A-Level English Literature were by white playwrights. 

The study also found that there are currently just two drama set texts by Global Majority writers available at A-Level English Literature.

The lack of diversity in drama texts contrasts with 93% of teachers saying they would like to see a more ethnically diverse range of writers offered by exam boards. 

Meanwhile 65% of teachers said there was a demand from their students to study more ethnically diverse writers.

"Our research shows that there is real appetite for change and that publishers, theatre makers, examiners and teachers need to work together to deliver change to the curriculum," Margaret Bartley, Editorial Director for Literary Drama at Bloomsbury Publishing, said.

"If we empower teachers to switch texts with confidence, students can continue to benefit from the positive impact and influence of studying plays. 

"In the future, those plays will better reflect the student cohort and ensure students see themselves represented in the texts they study. 

"Bloomsbury is committed to playing our part in delivering this change through our proactive programme of new play text publishing, supported by the resources teachers and students need to study and enjoy them."

Pages

Subscribe to Diversity