The Genesis Foundation has announced the launch of a free training and mentoring programme for global majority applicants who are from socially and economically challenging backgrounds who want to pursue a career in theatre as a designer.
Leah Harvey and Alfred Enoch today announced the nominations for the 23rd annual WhatsOnStage Awards, the only major theatre prize-giving decided entirely by the theatregoers themselves. The announcement of the nominations marks the opening of the final voting stage (until 10 January), with winners announced at the annual Awards ceremony held on 12 February 2023 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Oklahoma! Courtesy of Marc Brenner.
Hampstead Theatre announced today that, in the light of the 100% cut in its Arts Council grant of £766,455, the theatre will need to change direction and can no longer continue solely as a new writing theatre. As a consequence, very sadly, Roxana Silbert has decided to step down as Artistic Director.
This morning the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society launches its review of the year: an in-depth look at the work it has accomplished over the past 12 months. With unease caused by a new wave of COVID in early 2022, there was still uncertainty that a fully formed Fringe could take place this August. However, against what felt like impossible odds at times, the Fringe re-emerged in glorious technicolour, with local performers joined by artists from across the UK and 63 nations.
Jerwood Arts has today announced £1million of funding for leading arts organisations to deliver transformative programmes tailored to what early-career artists, curators and producers need now. Against the backdrop of unprecedented challenges for the arts sector posed by the cost of living crisis, the aftermath of the pandemic, and Brexit, Jerwood Arts affirms its commitment to early-career artists through supporting over 100 outstanding opportunities across the UK over the next two years.
Kakilang(formerly Chinese Arts Now CAN) has announced the full programme and dates for its unique multi-art form festival which celebrates the work of artists from across the wide spectrum of East and Southeast Asian heritages. Eight extraordinary events platforming theatre, dance, visual arts, live music, cabaret and puppetry will be staged from the 21 February – 23 April 2023 in a selection of London’s leading arts venues including the Barbican, Omnibus Theatre, Rich Mix, Shoreditch Town Hall, Two Temple Place and The Yard.
The Society of Authors, in conjunction with the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, is delighted to announce the launch of the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Translation Prize, celebrating translations into English from Japanese.
Courtesy of Society of Authors.
It’s back and better than ever: VAULT Festival, the UK’s leading independent festival of live performance, makes its joyful return in 2023. Running from 24th January – 19th March 2023 in venues across Waterloo, the programme features over 500 of the best theatre, comedy, cabaret and late-night shows from some of the brightest talents across the live performance industry.
Today, The Old Vic is delighted to announce the launch of The Hub – a brand new, free, online platform that will enable anyone, from anywhere, to delve behind the scenes of the cultural industries. The platform will provide global audiences the opportunity to develop their careers, recognise pathways into the industry, and benefit from content championing positive mental health.
55% of writers surveyed by the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) said that rising energy and food costs throughout 2022 were impacting on their ability to sustain a writing career, severely impacting livelihoods, and the cultural industries which depend upon their skills.
A survey of more than 250 writers, conducted by the trade union, found that as well as energy and food bills, other factors that impacted their ability to engage in writing work included having less time to work as a writer, or apply for funding, development schemes or other opportunities.
67% of those surveyed reported having to rely on their savings in order to manage day-to-day expenditure, while 37% said they had to rely on their partners’ earnings. More than 70% respondents had earned £18,000 or less for their writing work in the last financial year. The majority (over 80%) said they were freelance writers, highlighting the precarious nature of employment for screenwriters, playwrights, authors, audio dramatists and videogames writers that the union represents.
The survey also highlighted an industry-wide dearth of opportunity and an increase in poor practice. Several respondents highlighted how real wages were not rising with inflation as the creative industries continued to experience the dual shocks of Brexit and Covid. There were many reports of late payments, shrinking production budgets and reduced audience sizes.