For wondering if people GAF that the UK's arts industries are about to be lost?

[Babamamananarama]

I work in the arts so I've got a significant amount of skin in the game.

Venturing out of my bubble, I'm wondering if people who don't work in the arts know and/or care that there is real, significant risk that the UK's arts industries - arguably some of the best in the the world - is at risk of total collapse?

• major theatres are going under
• 450,000 jobs at stake
• hundreds of grassroots music venues across the country are about to close forever
• every level of the industry affected, from local community and participatory arts right, regional venues and companies through to the National Theatre and west end.

• the music industry has asked for £50m to save venues. For context, Wetherspoons got a £48m bailout.

If it goes, we won't get it back.

So: AIBU to wonder if most people are concerned about it? Or do people feel like the arts are a luxury/not for them/unimportant at this time?

It's been happening for a while. People simply don't have the disposable income that they used to, we have a low wage economy, low tax take and an ideology against public support of anything. Most people are concerned with survival, not whether they can get out to theatres and accordingly they are associated with upper classes. I'm concerned about the publishing industry and associated sectors too. It's quite possibly the last straw for a lot of things.

My final reply, inthewings, as I can see this will be a fruitless side discussion.

I didn't misquote you even if you're the OP and have had a name change from Baba to inthewings. I did quote from the OP which said "If it goes, we won't get it back. " I took it to be the sector and it seemed to be the only meaningful way of reading a reference to a singular item.

I did say "Perhaps it's part and parcel of the luvvie caricature of everything being fabulous and terrible with little in between". You might want to think how linking luvvie and caricature qualifies things. You might also want to read things properly before taking umbrage.

Good luck.

Zilla: you are right that parts of it might survive. They will be the elitist parts that are easily supported by philanthropy eg donors who'll cough up because they like going to a champagne reception.

What won't survive is:

• regional arts centres
• grassroots music scene
• roots into the profession for people from working class or minority backgrounds.
• subsidised ticket schemes that enable eg £10 tickets or free tickets to school children
• participatory arts experience in schools
• therapeutic arts practice
• free music tuition for children from working class backgrounds

.... etc etc.

What will remain will be patchy, expensive and elitist.

To give you an example from elsewhere; Australia has defunded the arts. There used to be a major theatre in Perth, along with a theatre training school and smaller venues. The theatre was shut down, the skills base in the region shrivelled away. Now there is no professional theatre in that part of Western Australia at all. And no one left to regenerate it. It is gone.
Think that can't happen here? That large parts of the country won't become a cultural wasteland??

The UK's screen industries saw a record-breaking year for international high-end TV production, increasing 51% from last year.

I'm not sure what programmes count as 'high end TV production' but in the last couple of years I think I've watched about five things that haven't been repeats of shows made in the 70s and 80s, or the news. Most of the stuff being churned out doesn't interest me. There seems to be an assumption that everyone wants to watch these oh-so-cool 'noir' drama serials, or fantasy dramas, or the ubiquitous talent and reality shows. If there were no new television shows made again, ever, I don't think I'd actually notice.

DS (18) is a promising bassist. All of his gigs and shows for this year have been cancelled, including The Edinburgh Festival. He now has no income whatsoever and cant even rehearse with the rest of the pit musicians due to distancing. Its really sad. My niece is a stage manager, usually touring all over the world. Likewise, no work, no income. It is the forgotten sector.

Also, @Zilla1 - 'it might be part and parcel of the luvvie caracature of thinking everything is either fabulous or terrible with nothing in between'

OR maybe, 20+ years embedded in the industry, 15 years running an arts company which employs dozens and turns over 6 figures each year, a PhD in theatre, 12 years married to a professional musician and three months engaged in cross-industry-level emergency discussion has given me a perspective on the scale and depth of the problem that is perhaps fuller and more detailed than your reading of it?

Baba,

I agree the grassroots and regions will struggle most thought I expect the elitist parts of the sector will take a lion's share of any ongoing bailout unfortunately.

I've seen the grassroots music scene decimated and venues closed. The popular music industry seems to have been devastated since revenue from sales of recordings was replaced by a pittance from streaming. I know acts get some (less) money from touring though the effect has been that audience prices are astronomical compared with, say, thirty years ago reducing who can afford to see headline acts and excluding the poor and young from routinely seeing top acts. I remember how relatively easy it was to gig and earn even ten years ago compared with recently and Covid will only make it worse.

To be fair, I can see why my academic points made with my tin ear might have been misread by people with more skin in the game. Times will be harder and I don't think they were easy in the regions and at entry level (with unpaid internships and so much expectation of working for free or little money) usually after long periods of study.

Well Baba, I've always got lots to learn though my 30+ years involvement part-time in the UK music scene gives me one perspective, as does my involvement in UK publishing. The difference is that I don't extrapolate from my own experience and talk about the entire creative industries, misread someone's post then take umbrage based on my misreading.

I don't know if you and inthewings are the same poster or just that you both need to learn to read properly before taking umbrage.

I've nothing to add given I can see this discussion also becoming a fruitless side discussion.

Yes I am concerned. We have tickets for a show and it has been rescheduled for next march so we have accepted this an not asked for a refund as can understand how hard things are right now.
I think the issue is the government has spent million on furlough already , I don't know whether they can afford to just bail every industry out ? Charities will go under too unless they have good reserves or investments, where does it stop they can't bail everyone out. I don't know what the answer is really, things are going to be devastating.

We are not the same poster.

It is inaccurate to describe an account of what is going on as caricature of so called luvvies, and pretty insensitive to use such a dismissive insult of theatre professionals when so many are being made redundant and unable to do their jobs as freelance artists.

Babyroobs: thank you for looking forward to when you can use your ticket and not asking for a refund.

This sort of thing demonstrates that audiences are loyal and there is a demand for the work, so Gvt support will be well placed.

@Babamamananarama you see when you talk about your extensive experience, I think - yes, you probably do understand the scale and depth of the problem, but you’re so deeply entrenched in that one area it seems disproportionately important to you in a way that it won’t to others who have more primary concerns relating to food, housing, healthcare, job security etc.

I haven't read the thread, but I am very, very concerned.

I have written to my MP, bought merchandise from The Shows Must Go On, signed multiple petitions, donated to several regional theatres that I have links with.

As others have pointed out, the arts is what has got through this unprecedented time. I really dont think that the government appreciates just how much revenue theatre and related industries contribute to the economy. Any other industry making this many potential redundancies and I'm sure they would have been bailed out by now. Sadly "the arts" is seen as dispensable and unimportant.

Yanbu, I’m desperately sad and worried about it

I'm more worried about schools & training, apprenticeships across all sectors. Sorry. I can't care about everything.

The other European countries have come up with sensible rescue and support strategies for the arts.

Of course everyone is first concerned about homes, health, education and jobs...but we cover these basics so that we can then live great lives. The arts enable some people to learn, others to heal, and should not be available only to those who are wealthy / well heeled.

I am worried about schools and apprenticeships too - I work in FE and my employer has lost out massively through the loss of apprenticeships, we're making 100+ staff redundant. I care about the arts as well though.

Yes it is worrying. Our local theatre is crowdfunding to avoid going under in the next few months. People are donating though and do care, it will be very sad for everyone if we lose it.

I work in the arts sector, but not in the uk. 75% of our staff have been permanently laid off. We do not know when we will be able to re-open safely. And if we can, whether we will be able to hire new staff. Frankly, it is an unmitigated disaster. I am fucking boggled at the Wetherspoons bail-out. Say what now???

@Didiusfalco yes you are probably right that is it disproportionately important to me; that's why I'm trying to gauge opinion outside my own bubble.

But I'm not removed from those other concerns either - I work delivering work with and for children in very deprived communities. I'm involved in local charities and food banks.

There are really robust statistics about how much involvement in the arts in childhood improves life chances for children from deprived backgrounds. The impact is massive. Appreciate it's not as immediate a need as food, health, housing but it is important in terms of enabling people to live rich, purposeful lives.

Everyone in the performing arts industry is struggling.

It's not just the venues.

Right from the local band gigging in the pub to the dancers at Butlins, from the theatrical chaperone to the make-up artist, the street dance crew on the pop video to the cruise ship entertainment teams, roadies, riggers, wardrobe people, set builders, wedding DJs, lighting engineers, stuntmen, the lot.

They are all currently out of work.

No, you’re absolutely right - it’s massively important for children to have access to the arts, I work in a school in a deprived area and one of the depressing things that differentiate pupils there from their peers in wealthier areas is the lack of cultural capital and anything that can level this playing field is hugely important. I think in a different time this would generate a lot more waves but having had an almost armageddon situation and all the bombastic conversation in politics I think people are desensitised to anything that’s not immediately impactful.

The arts industry has been dying long before Covid, mostly because of nepotism and being so insular

www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/apr/16/arts-industry-report-asks-where-are-all-the-working-class-people

The art industry will survive, some people may lose there jobs, but as with most fund raisers for the arts it mainly goes to the top and is then watered down, maybe it is time for a bit of a shake up.

@Justanothernorthernlurker I agree those problems exist but there has been real movement towards properly diversifying the arts. The Arts Council's Lets Create strategy, which laid out the investment plan for the next decade, showed real promise in terms of investing in ways that levelled access.

It's not something I would do in normal life, I never go to concerts and rarely go to the theatre. So it's not really on my list of priorities. I do think it would be a shame for it to go, but there are lots of other things I feel would also be a shame to lose. Like local museums and gardens and the like.
It is really shit for so many people and so many sectors. I can't take on thoughts and worries and protests about them all. I know that sounds really harsh and I'm sorry. I will sign your petition though and I hope things work out.