Calling all researchers! Is there an element within your research topics that deals with an aspect of the British theatre which would make it eligible for a STR grant? It’s worth taking a look at their website to find out!
Topics they can consider include buildings, people, historical or contemporary concerns, theories and practices, and all kinds of performance arts, as long as there is a connection with theatre in Britain or British theatre people.
STR says “We invite all engaged in theatre research to apply – for example you may be an early career academic needing help with a particular piece of research, or an independent scholar digging up traces of local theatre or performers, in which case the Research Grants would be suitable for you, or a theatre practitioner engaged in practical research on an aspect of performance practice, in which case you might apply for one of our Practitioner Grants.”
Whichever of the two distinct types of grants might apply to your project, visit their website here for more details – and good luck!
If you’re involved in theatre, The Society of London Theatre and UKTheatre are asking for your help this 14 July to celebrate our current theatre workforce and inspire the theatre workforce of tomorrow: join us nationwide with the ‘Inspiring Future Theatre’ campaign.
There are two ways to support this campaign: Today (14th July) – celebrate all the people that make theatre happen, and tell their stories – use #InspiringFutureTheatre on your social media channels (please see this document for more info: https://lnkd.in/edg_rBWs).
All throughout the year – volunteer one hour of your time to visit local schools, talk about your job, and highlight the breadth of offstage theatre roles (in partnership with Education and Employers – see the document link for details of how to sign up: https://lnkd.in/edg_rBWs).
Whether you can help today, or later in the year, please take part, using the hashtag #InspiringFutureTheatre to help us get the 14 July campaign trending on Twitter, and volunteer to give a schools talk to help spread the word.
Here’s a great chance for you to support your local theatre while saving money too.
The National Lottery has teamed up with UK Theatre and the Society of London Theatre to produce LOVE YOUR LOCAL THEATRE. It’s an initiative running from now until the end of March which gives National Lottery players access to buy discounted tickets at theatres in their part of the UK.
The promotion is for performances from 1-31 March, and when you buy one full-price ticket, you get another one free.
Booking is now open and you’re advised to check back regularly as new theatres and shows are being added each week.
SOLT/UKT said “Today we’re announcing that we have joined forces with The National Lottery and over 100 theatres UK-wide for #LoveYorLocalTheatre. This promotion, run by Society of London Theatre / UK Theatre, offers 2-for-1 tickets throughout the month of March for participating productions. Join your local theatre this March in celebrating local theatres and the important role they play in communities across the UK, and support us as we continue our pandemic recovery.
A big thank you to The National Lottery for supporting this incredible initiative, by providing up to £2 million to subsidise over 150,000 tickets across the UK, giving Lottery players the chance to get their hands on great value tickets for top-class live entertainment.”
During Creativity and Wellbeing Week* last week, UK Theatre and the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) released useful and surprising statistics showing that theatres generate an annual cost saving to the NHS of £102,234,585, by helping benefit the physical and mental health of those in their surrounding communities.
What more significant way could there be to highlight the importance of theatre and the arts in improving physical and mental wellbeing – something that is being increasingly recognised worldwide, including by the World Health Organisation and the UK Department of Health & Social Care.
Further evidence comes from an ongoing audience survey by The Old Vic, in which 93% of respondents so far have agreed -or strongly agreed- that theatre benefits their mental health and wellbeing.
Although theatre spaces have been closed throughout the pandemic, they have remained essential community hubs, providing online educational resources, interactive family events, digital productions, creative workshops and even programmes to help rehabilitate Covid sufferers – alongside the countless venues offering space, supplies and skilled volunteers to help the NHS. Further, the creative minds at work in these organisations have undergone numerous reinventions of their organisations to stay relevant and useful to their local communities- yet another example of the huge benefits of creativity to find solutions to community issues- whether practical or emotional.
Now, as lockdown eases and theatres begin the long road back, welcoming back in-person, socially distanced audiences, substantial evidence of the enormous power of theatre to enrich people’s lives physically and mentally – as well as culturally – will be a vital tool to help the government to understand that the UK’s world-leading theatre sector must be given the support it needs to survive.
The report says: “UK Theatre and SOLT calculated the figure using a 2015 report by DCMS and Simetrica, which quantifies the health benefits enjoyed by people attending a cultural or sporting activity. The report found that the NHS saves a yearly total of £11.91 for every person partaking in such an activity, from a reduction in GP visits and use of psychotherapy services.
This data was combined with UK Theatre and SOLT’s 2018 audience attendance figures (collected from nearly 300 venues nationwide), which show that over 34m people attended the theatre that year. Taking into account repeat attendance and attendance of other cultural or sporting events – and applying the DCMS and Simetrica benchmarking – the figure of £102,234,585 was reached.
This is a method previously used on a smaller scale by the leaders of HOME in Manchester, who last year calculated the theatre’s £26m economic impact on its local city from 2019 to 2020, including a £1m saving to NHS services.
Jon Gilchrist, Executive Director of HOME, said:
‘These findings show the difference the arts can make when working with their communities to support people’s health and wellbeing – highlighted by our own 2019/20 economic impact assessment, which measured the role of HOME in reducing GP visits and the use of mental health services to the effect of an incredible £1m cost saving to the NHS. Across the industry, the potential impact of this is huge, especially when theatres and cultural organisations forge partnerships to provide a range of opportunities to engage with arts and culture.’
Victoria Hume, Executive Director of the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance, said:
‘We know from a significant and growing body of international research that the arts, creativity and culture are critically important to sustaining our health, to tackling major social problems like loneliness and isolation, and to building our communities.
‘This startling statistic is yet another important piece in the puzzle, and drives home the message that we cannot dismiss the arts and culture as nice-to-haves. We know that our resilience is dramatically impacted by our ability to access our creativity and build the culture that surrounds us. This has kept many of us going through lockdown, although research also shows inequalities in cultural participation have been reinforced by Covid.
‘It will be essential to our safe recovery as a country that we invest to ensure greater equity and support the kind of forward-looking, partnership-based work this report describes.’ “
*Creativity & Wellbeing Week is an annual festival led by London Arts and Health and the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance and featuring cultural organisations and freelancers all around the UK, to celebrate the impact creativity has on our health and wellbeing.
Well, here we all are at an anniversary we never thought we’d see. One year ago today, the bustling West End, together with most theatres across the UK, still shell-shocked from the advice given by authorities, and with no firm government instruction, found themselves reluctantly turning customers away and closing their doors, with no return in sight.
With everyone wanting to get their tuppence worth in on this topic, I thought I’d spare you my ruminations which in essence won’t be that dissimilar to other, more informed sources, and instead give my space over to SOLT/UK Theatre, who have done far more than most to keep theatre alive.
“A year ago, on 16 March 2020, theatres across the country closed their doors due to the pandemic.
Today, survey results collected by Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre from across the theatre sector paint a picture of an industry that has struggled to survive the past 12 months and faced huge financial strain – but remains resilient and adaptable.
The survey was completed by 944 theatre venues, venue groups, non-venue theatre businesses and individual theatre freelancers.
Over 95% of surveyed theatre organisations around the UK reported being worse off because of Covid. 53 of the 186 theatre organisations answering a question about financial loss due to Covid reported a loss of over £1m each – this includes 16 organisations who have lost over £5m each. The total loss of those 165 organisations able to provide figures is estimated at nearly £200m so far.
The survey also reveals that many of the highly skilled freelance theatre workforce have been forced to take alternative jobs during the pandemic, or even leave the sector altogether. One in four of the freelancers surveyed said they had gone out of business or ceased trading due to Covid. 270 alternative roles were sought within performing arts, and 456 outside the industry.
Almost a third of theatre venue respondents said they have had plans to create an outdoor performance space due to Covid – despite the fact that the majority (61%) will operate at a loss. Almost half are developing a revenue-generating digital space or product.
For England-based theatre organisations, 60% are planning to restart trading from 17 May (Step 3 of the Government Roadmap), and 83% said they would resume from 21 June (Roadmap Step 4).
Julian Bird, Chief Executive of SOLT and UK Theatre, said:
‘At that fateful moment a year ago when we were forced to close theatres, we could never have imagined that venues would remain closed today. It has been a year of incredible challenges, and would have been even bleaker were it not for Government support schemes including the Cultural Recovery Fund, furlough and SEISS.
‘It has also been a year in which we have truly witnessed the resilience, creativity and community-mindedness of theatre, from digital innovations allowing streamed productions to reach a global audience, to theatres creating educational and wellbeing resources, and venues offering themselves as vaccine centres or hosting pioneering scientific research on measures to prevent Covid spread.
‘We look forward to continuing to work closely with Government and industry partners, welcoming audiences safely back into theatres and playing a part in the national economic and social recovery.’
Despite the recent Government roadmap and Budget announcements, thousands of freelancers in the theatre industry are in crisis right now, and face weeks and months of uncertainty before theatres can fully reopen.
To mark 16 March, a host of famous faces are joining colleagues from across the theatre industry today in highlighting the plight of freelancers and raising awareness for the Theatre Artists Fund, using the social media hashtags #16March, #TheatreArtistsFund and #FirstInLastOut – referencing the fact that theatre workers were first into lockdown and will be among the last to return to work.
Created last July by director Sam Mendes, SOLT and UK Theatre, the Theatre Artists Fund provides emergency financial aid to the freelancers who make up an estimated 70% of the theatre sector. Eligible freelancers in need can apply for an individual grant of £1000 to help pay bills and put food on the table. The latest round of grant applications has opened today (16 March) and will close on 30 March. Full details of eligibility and how to apply are available on the Theatre Artists Fund website.
Sam Mendes, director and co-founder of the Theatre Artists Fund, said:
‘The immense level of support for the #16March Theatre Artists Fund campaign illustrates that while theatres may be closed, the spirit of the theatre community is well and truly alive. I want to thank everyone who has contributed to the campaign, and all those who have shown their fantastic support for the Fund. It has helped enable fellow members of our community stay afloat during these extremely difficult times.’
Those who have lent their support to the #16March campaign include Joe Alwyn, Ellie Bamber, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Bonneville, Michaela Coel, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anne-Marie Duff, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfie Enoch, Michael Fassbender, Claire Foy, Hugh Jackman, Ruth Madeley, Ian McKellen, Liam Neeson, James Norton, Sophie Okonedo, Weruche Opia, Andi Osho, Elaine Paige, Maxine Peake, Simon Pegg, Eddie Redmayne, Imelda Staunton, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong, David Walliams, Harriet Walter, Zoë Wanamaker, Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Ruth Wilson and Kate Winslet.”
To donate £5, £10 or £20 to the Theatre Artists Fund, text THEATREFUND followed by the amount you wish to help with. You can also donate at www.theatreartists.fund. This is also where artists themselves can apply for support from the fund, which has reopened today. (Texts cost one standard message cost plus the amount you have chosen to donate)/
