Theatre

Partnership to rebuild a 'sense of workplace community'

07 Sep 2021

National Theatre has announced a new partnership to explore "the benefits of collaboration and creativity in working life".

The organisation will run a year-long programme of free creative workshops at three of British Land's residential-come-retail campuses: Paddington Central, Regent's Place and Broadgate, also the site of a new workspace for creative freelancers.

More than 40,000 people will have access to events to develop their movement, posture, speech and language and a series of thought leadership panel discussions on representation, inclusion and marrying corporate and cultural spaces post-pandemic.

British Land Head of Campuses David Lockyear said: "Partnerships such as this highlight that the return to the office is about more than just work; it represents our belief that London’s diverse and thriving culture should be part of that experience."

Crewe Lyceum celebrates 110 years

06 Sep 2021

Crewe Lyceum has reopened as it celebrates its 110th birthday.

It enjoyed a busy reopening last weekend, welcoming visitors for the first time in 17 months: "It reflects just how much the theatre is valued in the hearts of the local community."

A 12-month programme of projects and events will commemorate the theatre's heritage, beginning with five new shows this season.

Director Adam Knight said he grew up watching performances at the Lyceum and is proud to continue that legacy.

"Our re-opening and 110th birthday are the perfect opportunity to celebrate the stories and successes that place our theatre at the very heart of our community."

Danger for smaller pantos as sales lag by £23m

02 Sep 2021

A decline in group bookings - mostly from schools - is driving a loss in income that is expected to hit smaller producers hardest.

Trafalgar Entertainment extends its empire

01 Sep 2021

Trafalgar Entertainment has acquired Helen O'Grady Drama Academy, extending its empire further into children's drama.

Trafalgar will run the business alongside Stagecoach Performing Arts, which it already owns. The UK's largest network of performance schools for children has 350 franchises in eight countries.

Helen O'Grady has branches in 16 countries and provides extra-curricular tuition to some 100,000 students each week.

Trafalgar's Joint CEO Rosemary Squire said it hopes to add more franchises to the brand.

"Sadly, arts education funding is being squeezed from the national curriculum, so it is vitally important that a drama provision like this is made available to everyone."

Iconic Manchester venue to reopen after £6m works

01 Sep 2021

Contact Theatre says it is focussed on putting young people at the forefront of its work after the challenges of the past year.

Participatory arts

Children and young people

National Theatre of Scotland opens digital education portal

26 Aug 2021

The National Theatre of Scotland has launched an online education portal.

It launches with a full version of Hannah Lavery's Lament for Sheku Bayoh, filmed at the Lyceum Theatre, alongside educational resources.

The theatre has made access free to schools to spark "an anti-racism conversation in response to the production".

Further productions staged at the theatre will be added, including forthcoming productions of The Enemy and Enough of Him.

Head of Creative Engagement Paul Fitzpatrick says the portal will "facilitate access to the arts, learning and discussion" across Scotland.

£1.31bn in tax relief for creative industries

25 Aug 2021

The creative industries received £1.31bn in tax relief in the year to March.

New data from HM Revenue and Customs shows theatres received £74m through the Theatre Tax Relief scheme, while orchestras clawed back £11m.

Theatre Tax Relief for 2020/21 covered 1,070 claims representing 3,660 productions. 72% of these were non-touring.

47% of claims were for £10,000 or less, compared to 6% of claims over £250,000 or more.

Orchestras Tax Relief was paid out for 175 claims representing 750 productions.

Although the number of claims by orchestras increased from the previous year, the amount of relief fell by about £5m.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Disastrous' one metre rule for performers in Scotland

24 Aug 2021

New guidance for shows in Scotland will be practically impossible to enact and a financial blow to the recently reopened industry.

Police investigate Theatr Ardudwy reopening

24 Aug 2021

North Wales Police are investigating the planned reopening of Theatre Ardudwy in Harlech after workers alleged being employed under false pretences.

Tony Stringfellow, employed to be Artistic Director of the theatre, reported KMD Production’s Kallum O’Sullivan, who said the theatre would open in August.

Stringfellow claims O’Sullivan advertised shows that were never going to take place and said he has been underpaid by nearly £2,000.

Theatr Ardudwy recently parted ways with O’Sullivan, after a number of public statements made by the producer were found to be false.

Police say they are making enquiries to establish whether any criminal offences have occurred.

Spotlight adds diverse gender options to actors' profiles

23 Aug 2021

Casting platform Spotlight has added non-binary and trans gender options to its actors' profiles.

The site says actors no longer need to choose a gender option upon sign up, but can add details later on.

READ MORE: Call to boycott casting company over option to exclude disabled actors

It hopes to increase its popularity among trans and gender diverse performers.

"We know that the education and language surrounding trans identity has the potential to shift and change," a statement said.

"Spotlight endeavours to listen to the transgender community in order to continue to accurately represent them as best we can."

Self-taped auditions must be reformed, Equity says

man learning lines in front of camera

17 Aug 2021

A new best practice guide aims to eliminate unrealistic deadlines and overly long scripts to address auditioners’ anxieties.

Supporting artists

Local authority culture budgets increase post-Covid

photo of New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth

12 Aug 2021

The increased spending may not indicate increased investment, as councils are forced to compensate for income lost during Covid-19.

Local authorities

New guide to ’break down stigma’ for autistic creatives

actor JJ Green performing at The National Theatre

26 Jul 2021

Autistic people face the highest rate of unemployment of all disabled groups in the UK. A new guide aims to change conversations surrounding autism in the performance industry.

Human resources

Masks to stay in arts venues as Stage 4 opening confirmed

13 Jul 2021

The Government "expect and recommend" masks in enclosed public spaces - and cultural venues are taking the lead.

Museums and heritage

Voices from prison

photo of a woman writing

22 Jun 2021

Erin Gavaghan reflects on how the lives of women with experience of the criminal justice system can be profoundly changed by theatre.

'A crippling blow': Reopening delay intensifies calls for arts sector support

17 Jun 2021

Pleas for further income support during the four week wait are unlikely to be heard but an insurance scheme may finally come to fruition.

Towards a more civic theatre

Cover on Dan Hutton's Towards a Civic Theatre

16 Jun 2021

It’s easy to blame the challenges now facing theatre on the longest shutdown of stages since the mid-17th century. But these problems began well before the pandemic, argues Dan Hutton.

ArtsEd launches investigation amid wave of sexual misconduct claims

10 Jun 2021

The conservatoire is the fourth in two weeks to face allegations of historic staff misconduct. What's driving the rise in disclosure?

Human resources

Children and young people

Time's up for conservatoire culture

A theatre workshop in which students rush at a young person seated on the ground

09 Jun 2021

Drama schools would do well to interrogate their practices and culture now before the calls for reform begin.

Human resources

Children and young people

Health and wellbeing

Venues pledge to only cast trans actors for trans roles

04 Jun 2021

The movement is part of a sea change in representation in theatre: "It's comparable to non-disabled people playing disabled characters, or even white people putting on blackface."

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