Theo Bosanquet asks why the conversation about the arts has been one way, encouraging party leaders to remember that "a healthy culture can help heal a fractured country".
It's been heartening to see the number of theatre productions dealing directly and indirectly with the General Election (which is happening tomorrow, hadn't you heard?). It's just a shame the conversation has been so one-way.
Why aren't party leaders keen to discuss arts and culture alongside issues of education, health and the economy, which are debated with grinding regularity? Amid campaign catchphrases such as "long term economic plan" and "x days to save the NHS", it would have been nice to hear "putting our country's culture first".
Industry newspaper The Stage should be commended for speaking to the culture ministers of seven parties about their plans; it was interesting to see Tory Ed Vaizey use the phrase "obviously we take the arts very seriously", before refusing to make promises to protect arts funding, and that UKIP's Peter Whittle recently saw My Night With Reg... Keep reading on What's On Stage
It's been heartening to see the number of theatre productions dealing directly and indirectly with the General Election (which is happening tomorrow, hadn't you heard?). It's just a shame the conversation has been so one-way.
Why aren't party leaders keen to discuss arts and culture alongside issues of education, health and the economy, which are debated with grinding regularity? Amid campaign catchphrases such as "long term economic plan" and "x days to save the NHS", it would have been nice to hear "putting our country's culture first".
Industry newspaper The Stage should be commended for speaking to the culture ministers of seven parties about their plans; it was interesting to see Tory Ed Vaizey use the phrase "obviously we take the arts very seriously", before refusing to make promises to protect arts funding, and that UKIP's Peter Whittle recently saw My Night With Reg... Keep reading on What's On Stage