Don't make a crisis out of cuts drama, theatres urge

Nick Ahad Arts Reporter

The men who lead Yorkshire’s theatres have united to send a message to the Coalition: Cut us, don’t kill us.

The artistic directors of four of Yorkshire’s theatres met for the first time to present a united front in the face of cuts to public spending on the arts.

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Ian Brown, who leads the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Daniel Evans of Sheffield Theatres, Chris Monks of Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre and Gareth Tudor Price, of Hull Truck, came together in Leeds for the crisis meeting.

Mr Evans, an actor for 15 years before taking over the top job at Sheffield two years ago, said theatres across the region were waiting anxiously for the news of the coming cuts.

The Government’s spending review, on October 22, will reveal their full extent. Arts Council Yorkshire, which gives money to 106 Regularly Funded Organisations in the region, has told all those organisations to budget for cuts of 10 per cent next year, but to be prepared to find savings of 25 to 40 per cent in the three following years.

Cluny Macpherson, Regional Director of Arts Council England, said the RFOs, which include theatres such as the Crucible and Hull Truck, face testing times.

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His organisation hopes to “backload” the coming cuts, so that in the next financial year, 2011–2012, a 10 per cent cut will apply, with 25 to 40 per cent figure coming into effect a year later. He said: “If we have to implement those cuts from next year, far more organisations will be forced to close. I can’t pretend this isn’t a challenging time and a time of uncertainty.”

The artistic directors urged the Government to recognise the value of their organisations, saying that they do not just supply a city or town with a cultural offering, but act as an economic engine for other business.

Mr Monks moved to Scarborough two years ago to take over from Alan Ayckbourn at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. He said: “The theatre is part of the fabric of the town and the ancillary spend of people who come to the theatre in the rest of Scarborough is very important to the economy.”

Mr Brown said: “We do feel we are part of this rather amazing thing that Yorkshire has, which is a very good arts provision. Lots of people in Yorkshire go to the theatre and because of that all of our organisations are very vibrant.”

He also warned of a future without theatre. “If any of us go, we won’t come back again”.

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