Creativity and the Credit Crunch By Nosheen Iqbal - 14 November, 2008

Has the curtain fallen on the arts boom or can theatre remain recession-proof?

Talawa Theatre Company, Make Love Not War? [Photo: Richard H. Smith]

As the economy continues its long, bumpy dive into the terrible abyss and the headlines scream “recession”, just what does it all really mean for theatre-makers? Critics have noted that a glut of big West End shows – Girl With a Pearl Earring; Gone With the Wind; Never Forget; Riflemind to name just a handful – have all closed early this year in response to the economic climate. But, can we blame the financial downturn? Or is it simply that they weren’t very good?

Plenty of producers are reporting strong ticket sales, and bookings for musicals and pantomimes remain high. Borkowski PR, public relations reps behind regional panto producers QDos, said: “Good theatre can remain recession-proof like film – people want entertainment and escapism to keep them distracted from the economic doom and gloom.” QDos, subsequently, have reported a 7% increase in bookings over the same period last year.

It’s all well and good for mainstream, more commercial productions but what is the lay of the land for fringe theatre? Is culturally diverse work suffering or surviving? When the pennies are pinched, it’s understandable to expect frivolous luxuries to be the first factored out of the budget; does this invariably include theatre?

One would expect involvement in amateur dramatics to soar on account of it being cheap – or often, free – and “major” shows and/or those appealing to the lowest common denominator to still sell well. Conversely, one might suspect that it’s the work in the middle – work that is brave and daring; experimental and innovative; professional but niche – to be hit hardest. In other words, much of the work we’ve celebrated our Black, South and East Asian and “other’ artists for.

So, what are artists, companies and playhouses doing to counter these credit-crunching times? By most accounts, the next year will be a difficult one for the bank balance, but will this stifle creativity and output or further encourage our theatre-makers to excel?

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