{"id":12881,"date":"2021-02-06T06:30:54","date_gmt":"2021-02-06T06:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/?p=12881"},"modified":"2026-04-18T19:34:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T19:34:31","slug":"the-play-must-go-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/2021\/02\/the-play-must-go-on\/","title":{"rendered":"The play must go on"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last spring, after the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of theatres nationwide but before the culture sector was offered any substantial government support, interviews with artistic and executive directors had an emotional edge to them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

More than one broke down in tears over the phone to me \u2013 the prospect of mass redundancies, of insolvency, and of permanent closure was only weeks away in some cases. There seemed a very real chance that the country\u2019s entire theatre industry might collapse.<\/p>\n

Help did arrive \u2013 eventually. The furlough scheme undoubtedly saved hundreds of jobs. A \u00a359 million rescue package, administered by Creative Scotland, contained \u00a312.5m for performing arts venues, \u00a315m for other cultural organisations, and \u00a35m for the creative freelancers on whom the sector depends. And, although the annual windfall of a winter pantomime was never a reality for most theatres, neither was the large cost of staging one.<\/p>\n

Most theatres even managed to produce online work \u2013 from the National Theatre of Scotland\u2019s entertaining Scenes For Survival <\/a>series of short films to the Lyceum\u2019s moving Lament For Sheku Bayoh<\/a> live-stream \u2013 but generating enough income from this work to cover costs has proved practically impossible. Live, in-person audiences only made a fleeting return in the Highlands and Islands in Autumn.<\/p>\n

Of course, there were losses \u2013 huge ones. Productions that were never performed and now never will be. Companies that closed down and will never return. Freelancers that fell through the many gaps and left the sector for good. A year without the Edinburgh Festivals and the vital role they play in stimulating Scotland\u2019s creative economy<\/a> (worth more than \u00a35bn to GDP). Black holes in balance sheets that will take years, possibly decades, to escape from. Leading lights of Scottish theatre who will never set foot on stage again. Deep, devastating damage was sustained \u2013 but the industry, by and large, survived.<\/p>\n

Perth’s pathway in the pandemic<\/h2>\n

Speaking to industry leaders today is not quite as bleak as it was last spring. Since the latest lockdown, most theatres have entered a period of hibernation – furloughed staff, closed buildings, costs cut across the board. Even the amount of online work being produced has discernibly dwindled \u2013 with a few notable exceptions.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nick Williams is chief executive of Horsecross Arts, the ALEO (arm\u2019s-length external organisation) responsible for running Perth Theatre<\/a> and Perth Concert Hall. His organisation was awarded \u00a3750,000 by Creative Scotland in August \u2013 money that, he says, has been essential for its survival.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, we did have to go through a redundancy process last summer and lost a lot of staff as a result, but that support did preserve some jobs that would otherwise have been at risk,\u201d he says. \u201cIt also enabled us to produce some work and support some of the independent freelancers that rely on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

It also meant Horsecross Arts could play its part in the community. Theatres \u2013 especially subsidised ones in regional and rural communities \u2013 do not just exist to produce plays. They have a vital function in engaging the local population, and in supporting the young and the vulnerable in particular.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe managed to adapt our community engagement programmes early on,\u201d says Williams. \u201cOur youth theatre went online. So did Little Stars, our creative programme for the under-5s. So did Horsecross Voices, our adult choir. That became Virtual Voices. We have developed our understanding of what our community needs from us at this difficult time, and of how we can deliver that safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the bandages<\/h2>\n

The financial support administered through Creative Scotland last year was only ever a temporary salvation, however \u2013 it was dressing for a wound, and the bandage will need changing again soon. The questions that face Horsecross Arts \u2013 and theatre organisations across the country \u2013 are strikingly similar to those they were facing ten months ago.<\/p>\n

When will theatres be able to viably re-open? How will they be able to re-open safely? Will audiences even want to return? What support will there be until we reach that point? Will there be round of government relief? Will there be an extension to the furlough scheme? Will there be a government-backed insurance scheme in case of another lockdown later in the year?<\/p>\n

Add to these a round of new questions, specific to 2021. Will the Edinburgh Festivals go ahead? What will they look like if they do? What will happen at the end of this financial year in April, when the next three-year cycle of Creative Scotland\u2019s Regular Funding Network<\/a> \u2013 the financial bedrock of the entire industry \u2013 is due to start?<\/p>\n

All sectors want to know the answer to questions like these \u2013 but the need for clarity is particularly acute for the performing arts. It takes weeks to program a season, to rehearse a play, to prepare Covid-secure facilities for visitors. Even when restrictions are eased, there won\u2019t be any oven-ready productions and it will take time for industry to grind back into gear. The big arts events of the Scottish summer \u2013 including the Edinburgh Festivals \u2013 take months and months of planning. With every day that passes in uncertainty, it looks less and less likely that they will go ahead. The recent cancellation of Glastonbury Festival for the second successive year is an ominous portent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the government really does need to look beyond the current crisis and the rollout of the vaccine, because otherwise what will happen is we will get to a point when the restrictions are lifted, and no-one will be ready,\u201d Williams says.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t been given any pathway towards reopening and at the moment it feels like the government doesn\u2019t even want to have that conversation. It would be helpful if we could at least start a dialogue about what coming out of this current lockdown looks like, and what the long-term outlook is for theatre.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Lucy Mason, interim chief executive of the Federation of Scottish Theatre<\/a> gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament\u2019s Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee last week, when she made clear the industry\u2019s anxiety about the lack of future strategy. She said that the \u201clifeblood and purpose\u201d of Scottish theatre was under threat. There have been no new announcements concerning culture since then, from either Westminster or Holyrood, nor any indication of when new guidance might be available.<\/p>\n

Optimism of the will…<\/h2>\n

\u201cThere is a range of attitudes in the industry from blind optimism to sheer pessimism, depending on who you talk to and what day of the week it is,\u201d says Williams, when asked how hopeful he is about the future of Scottish Theatre. \u201cI do think that when people can return to the theatre, they will. I think there will be a real hunger for live events.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that Horsecross Arts \u2013 the theatre and the concert hall \u2013 plays a huge role in Perth, both in terms of the economy, and in terms of people\u2019s mental health and wellbeing,\u201d he continues. \u201cWe have tried to continue that as best we can throughout the pandemic, but nothing beats live performance in the end. All we can do is make sure we are in a position to come back strongly when we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Images via Perth Theatre blog\/keep going together<\/a><\/p>\n

Further reading: Fay Young, Edinburgh Comedy Tour revisited, Walking Heads<\/a>; Creative Scotland updates<\/a>;\u00a0<\/p>\n

@fergusmorgan @HorsecrossPerth<\/b><\/p>\n

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\u201cThere is a range of attitudes in the industry from blind optimism to sheer pessimism, depending on who you talk to and what day of the week it is,\u201d says Williams, when asked how hopeful he is about the future of Scottish Theatre. \u201cI do think that when people can return to the theatre, they will. I think there will be a real hunger for live events.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":12917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[140,518],"class_list":["post-12881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-lyceum-theatre","tag-national-theatre-of-scotland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18606,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12881\/revisions\/18606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sceptical.scot\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}