Regional theatre is the bedrock of our culture – without it, we bleed

That includes our regional theatres, which have a richness and complexity that not only serves their local communities, but which seeps into and enriches other communities and theatres all across the country.

The loss of any regional theatre, whether it is Nuffield Southampton announcing it has gone into administration or the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh taking the painful decision to hibernate until next spring, is an immediate tragedy for that local community. But it has consequences beyond the immediate loss of art, including the damage done to the social fabric of that place and the local economy.

As Joe Anderson, the mayor of Liverpool – a city that has seen what culture can do to create local pride – says: “Culture is the rocket fuel of the economy.” Liverpool’s cultural sector tells us who the city is as much as its football team does.

The loss of a single regional theatre also has an impact on the whole arts ecology and the diversity of the work that will be made in the future. That’s particularly true when the future is likely to include many more co-productions and partner venues.

London theatres are seldom – with a few notable exceptions such as the Bush and Battersea Arts Centre – distinctly embedded and totally reflective of the local area they are situated in. The Donmar Warehouse could be anywhere in London, and the National Theatre is not of the South Bank, it just happens to be situated there.

London theatres rarely take on the hue of the places in which they are situated or the spirit of that place in the way a great theatre out of London can and often does. I was talking recently with Adam Penford, artistic director of Nottingham Playhouse, in the city in which he was born and raised, and he spoke of how what goes on stage must reflect the character of the city and its rebellious spirit.

That’s true of numerous theatres all across the UK. Every theatre is different in its reflections of the place and space in which it exists and the value that it holds for local communities. It is what makes each and every single one unique and special, not just within that local community but to the wider arts ecology.

A Kneehigh production may tour all over the world, but it is born out of the landscape and spirit of Cornwall, just as much of the theatre produced from the North East reflects that area of the country. It means we produce theatre and theatre artists whose work has a distinctive tang – a tang that often stays with them throughout their careers.

Nobody, least of all me, would deny that the National Theatre is a wonderful thing that serves a real purpose, and must be cherished and protected. Its National Theatre at Home digital programme has brought joy to millions across the world during lockdown. But I would also say that our real national theatre is to be found in the regional theatres, arts centres, fringe venues, local festivals and village halls that are found all across the UK, which are distinctive of space and place, and therefore distinctive in the work they produce.

The crisis faced by regional theatre may not grab the headlines like that of bigger, sexier theatres in London, but it is the bedrock of our theatre culture and a beacon for communities. Without it, we bleed.