Theatre 'state of the nation' report warns of 'pivotal moment' for sector

Scottish theatre is at a “pivotal moment”, according to a “state of the nation” report compiled following a summit of the country’s major performance venues.

The report, headed by An Tobar and Mull Theatre, which hosted the State of the Nation conference alongside Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre, warned the sector was operating under "sustained financial pressure, increased workloads and at reduced capacity", risking a narrowing of who theatre can reach.

It warned the Scottish and UK governments must begin treating theatre and the wider cultural sector as "essential national infrastructure".

The inaugural State of the Nation conference brought together more than 200 theatre practitioners at Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre in October.

The report said the theatre sector in Scotland also faced “persistent structural inequalities” across geography, class, disability and race.

It said: “Years of cumulative financial pressure, organisational fragility and heightened expectations have left many practitioners and organisations operating at the limits of sustainability. Freelancers - who form the majority of the workforce - continue to experience the sharpest precarity, with reduced access to space, fewer development opportunities, and limited representation in strategic decision-making.”

The report concluded that no single organisation or individual can address the challenges alone and argued that building a sustainable future requires shared responsibility, stronger collaboration, fairer systems and continued dialogue between freelancers, organisations, funders, communities and audiences.

It also called for the development of a “ground-up” theatre sector strategy, co-created by freelancers, organisations, funders, unions and rural practitioners, offering long-term direction and a shared framework for decision-making, as well as creating a national resource-sharing platform to improve access to rehearsal space, equipment, technical expertise and information.

The conference was held at the Citizens Theatre.

Rebecca Atkinson-Lord, artistic director at An Tobar and Mull Theatre, said: “Theatres are not a luxury. They are part of the civic infrastructure of a healthy society. At a time of profound political and cultural change, they are among the few places where people from every background can come together to imagine better futures, explore difficult questions and strengthen the ties that bind our communities together.

“If we are serious about building a more cohesive, resilient and confident society, the Scottish and UK Governments must begin treating theatre and the wider cultural sector as essential national infrastructure and formally articulating the right to a meaningful cultural life. The conversations begun through State of the Nation show the extraordinary potential that is unlocked when a sector comes together with a shared determination to shape the future.”

Ahead of the conference, organisers said following the end of the recent funding application process, which last year saw many arts organisations granted multi-year support from Creative Scotland, groups were already asking how they could best prepare themselves to be in a stable position before the process begins again.

In autumn this year, An Tobar and Mull Theatre, Federation of Scottish Theatre and Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland will convene a series of online gatherings to support the formation of grassroots working groups around each of the report’s key recommendations. These sessions will provide an opportunity for practitioners, organisations and freelancers to translate the report into practical action.