Flexible theatre professionals have cross-sector careers

Nearly a quarter of theatre professionals regularly swap between working in the subsidised and commercial sectors throughout their career, according to a new report from the Creative and Cultural Skills and the National Skills academy. The report, ‘Publicly-funded arts as an R&D lab for the creative industries? A Survey of Theatre Careers in the UK’, examines the patterns of work force flow between the commercial and subsidised sectors and suggests there is a significant amount of movement between the two, but in addition, theatre professionals work in related industries to make a living.

Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed thought it was very important to have worked in the subsidised sector to achieve a successful career in theatre. Work in publicly funded theatre was perceived to offer the best opportunities to present new or challenging work, but wages are low and theatre workers often look to other creative industries, such as TV or advertising, as well as the education sector to earn money. 89% said they had worked in other areas at some point and 38% reported the majority of their earnings come from sources other than working in theatre. Half of those surveyed earned an average of less than £20k a year, with those working in commercial theatre slightly more likely to reach the highest earning bracket of £60k+. The characteristics most associated with working in commercial theatre include the chance to present large-scale work, high levels of marketing expertise and higher wages. 55% of theatre workers said that they had experienced a ‘breakthrough moment’, defined as a moment of good fortune or a perceived improvement in understanding, from which point on circumstances for that individual changed for the better. Of the respondents who had worked in both areas of the theatre sector, more were likely to have had this breakthrough while working in the subsidised sector.
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