Theatre at heart of ACE funding bid

Published Wednesday 28 June 2006 at 12:15 by Alistair Smith

Theatre and orchestras will form the cornerstone of Arts Council England’s bid to persuade the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to maintain investment in the cultural sector as part of its imminent spending review.

The decision comes as the DCMS awaits the results of the Treasury’s comprehensive spending review, expected this autumn, in which it will allocate the department’s budget for 2009-11. The DCMS in turn will then decide what portion of its allotment to pass on to the arts - an announcement that could be as late as spring 2007.

Many in the cultural sector are fearful of a particularly poor settlement. There is concern that the DCMS is looking to invest more money in sport in the run-up to the London Olympics in 2012, while the arts could face standstill funding or worse.

Arts Council England is arguing that the impact made by additional investment in theatre since 2000’s theatre review has resulted in a “more productive, innovative, confident sector” with a “larger, better trained workforce” and illustrates how a small amount of additional investment can be made to achieve significant results. It is also citing its “major reforms” in the orchestral sector as a significant achievement based upon improved funding levels from the Treasury.

Nicola Thorold, ACE director of theatre, commented: “This government has increased theatre funding by 72%, repairing the damage of the previous years of underfunding. The theatre review has revitalised and invigorated English theatre, giving artists a new impetus to develop and succeed - £25 million is a relatively small amount when compared to overall government expenditure but it has made a huge impact on the theatre sector. We can’t sustain that growth without continued investment.”

Equity meanwhile stressed that the spending review was crucial for the future of theatre in England, if the government was not going to undo its good work.

General secretary Christine Payne warned: “Unless the momentum of theatre funding is maintained, I fear that rep theatre could go into decline. The future of theatre rests with Gordon Brown.”

Meanwhile Donmar Warehouse artistic director Michael Grandage told the annual general meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Theatre Group that improved funding since the theatre review had allowed the sector to become less “London-centric”.

Culture secretary Tessa Jowell has promised the arts will continue to receive its 16.67% share of Lottery money for the next 13 years. However, the guarantee does not extend to non-Lottery grant funding.