Finance

Drama school READ College has announced that it will close at the end of the academic year, despite reaching a fundraising target to keep it open.

The Reading-based performing arts college did not specify the reason for its closure at the end of the academic year but has previously detailed financial stuggles due to increased running costs, the impact of the pandemic and its inability to host international students.

It said that it needed to raise £40,000 to stay open, a target met successfully in December. However, despite the fundraising drive it announced the upcoming closure on Twitter.

“We are heartbroken to have to make this announcement. We will be making the most of our time together as we focus on concluding the academic year,” the tweet said.

A statement added that the college’s current priority is “supporting our staff and students through this difficult transition”.
  
 

A performing arts group serving children, adults and people with special educational needs is at risk of closure due to cutbacks by Thurrock Council in Essex.

The council has debts totalling around £1.5bn and has announced plans to withdraw £126,000 in funding for youth work, the BBC reported.

Victoria Jarmyn, CEO and Founder of JTD Arts, said that her group had received funding from the council for 14 years but that she had no promise of further funds from April.

JTD also receives funding from Active Essex, but the uncertainty over continued funding from the council has left her “a bit petrified", she told the BBC.

“These adults have been coming here and they have relied on this service and it has helped them integrate within the community to be able to become a lot stronger within society,” she said.

“To take that away has quite a lot of impact on their life skills.”

The group operates from the Thameside theatre complex in Grays, which is under threat of sale. A 2021 report found that the venue cost £500,000 annually in running costs and that refurbishment would cost £16m.

Councillors are due to discuss the complex’s future next week.

Conservative Council Leader Mark Coxshall denied that the Thameside would be closing.
 

A campaign to ensure artists get 100% of merchandise income at gigs has received the backing of the Musicians’ Union.

Featured Artists Coalition’s 100% Venues initiative is encouraging venues not to take any commission fees from the sale of band t-shirts and other merchandise.

This revenue has become increasingly important for artists, as the costs of touring continue to rise.

The 100% Venues initiative is developing a directory of venues that pledge not to take any commission on sales.

Musicians’ Union National Organiser Kelly Wood said the growing number of venues that have signed up to the initiative “sends a very strong and positive message to artists”.

She added: “We hope that this leads to more pressure for other venues to improve their terms and get behind the campaign.”   

FAC CEO David Martin said that many performers “are facing an almost impossible task to keep the show on the road”.

“That is why the issue of merchandise commission has become so pronounced and why we will continue to fight for a fairer settlement for artists.” 

Bectu has published new pay guidance for professionals working on UK touring theatre productions.

The union guidance outlines new recommended rates agreed in consultation with its theatre touring branch. It follows the launch of Bectu's Guide to good practices on touring productions, published last October.

The rates apply to professionals working in all posts and grades – excluding those recognised by Equity or the Musicians’ Union – covering roles in lighting, sound, wardrobe, wigs, props, puppetry, chaperones, automaton and stage. 

Many of the union’s members have their minimum rates determined by Bectu’s agreements with the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, but staff on touring productions have increasingly been employed on buyout contracts, which don’t offer additional payments for overtime and Sunday shifts.

In the absence of agreed minimum rates with UK Theatre or other employers, the new guidance is designed to provide confidence and clarity to Bectu members negotiating rates for touring productions.

Employers do not have to pay the recommended rates, but Bectu is encouraging members to use them as a basis for negotiation.

“It’s no secret that low pay is one of the core issues driving the chronic skills shortage in the UK theatre sector. We cannot expect people to remain for ‘the love of the job’ when there are better pay and conditions elsewhere,” said Helen Ryan, Assistant National Secretary of Bectu.

“Our members working in touring theatre are highly skilled professionals and it is right that they are compensated fairly for their time and talents.”

The new rates do not apply to work done in the Commercial West End theatre sector, where Equity is currently supporting performers and stage managers demanding a 17% pay rise.

The Margate School has announced it is at risk of closure due to a funding shortfall of £150,000. 

The independent postgraduate school of arts, established in 2018, is facing a financial dead-end after several failed attempts to secure funding. 

The set-up of the school and its technical facilities was funded by the Coastal Community Fund, which also financed the support of students, studio holders and the community for a period of two years.

The non-profit school was intended to subsequently generate 50% of its budget independently and secure the other 50% through public funding.

But the lack of anticipated public funding, coupled with the impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis on the school’s independent income, has resulted in an existential threat.  

The school’s Founder and Director, Uwe Derkson, said it operates on “an extremely lean budget,” funnelling any profits into community investment.

The Margate School is the only higher education provider on the Isle of Thanet. Its current community consists of nine members of staff, 25 students, 17 tutors, 12 fellows and 42 studio holders, as well as a team of volunteers. 

To ensure its survival, the school needs to raise £150,000 which it is seeking to do via a crowdfunding campaign. 

If successful, it will aim to triple the size of its community in the next 10 years by creating additional courses and increasing student numbers, Derksen said. He also pledged that the school would increase its share of independent income and decrease its reliance on public funding.

“The Margate School is a brilliant local creative space that holds a variety of events and caters to a diverse section of society. The sense of community loss is devastating,” said Thanet District Council councillor Rob Yates. 

The school attracts over 16,000 visitors to the area annually, thanks to its programme of exhibitions, talks and events.

Plans to upgrade Somerset’s Octagon Theatre are set to move forward this month, after councillors agreed to begin the tendering process.

The upgrade of the arts venue in Yeovil is projected to cost £29m and will include expanding and enhancing the building to create capacity for bigger shows and attract higher-profile acts.

South Somerset District Council announced the project in December 2020. The tender process will begin later this month, subject to the decision being ratified by the full council.

Building contractors will formally bid to carry out the proposed upgrades, which include increasing seating capacity in the main auditorium from 622 to 900 and creating two new smaller spaces to host film screenings and live performances, along with a dance studio, a community studio in which to hold classes and rehearsals and the consutction of a fly tower, which can be used for flying scenery.

The redesign is also intended to create improved front-of-house and customer facilities, an upgraded café and bar area, greater backstage accessibility and toilet facilities for those with additional needs.

“We see the redevelopment of this flagship arts venue as not only about the redevelopment of a building, but also being able to reach out into the community to improve access to the arts,” said Councillor Mike Best, Portfolio Holder for Health and Well-being.

The venue is set to close its doors in April 2023 for redevelopment to begin.