Specialist Risk Group: when it comes to theatre insurance, it pays to plan ahead

Regardless of the type or scale of production, SRG client director Andy Rudge explains why it is important to be covered from day one. 

“The creative process usually starts with workshops or R&D and can evolve hugely before it reaches the actual stage. Therefore, it’s vital to protect that whole cycle from beginning to end, to prevent things slipping through the cracks,” he says.

Rudge and Geen, who both joined SRG to set up the theatre department last year, have decades of experience between them. 

“When people ask me what I do, I don’t say I’m in insurance, but that I work in theatre,” says Geen. “The vast majority of clients we work with are creative and really interesting people. They don’t tend to look at things in the same way you might find in other sectors.”

Both say that clients are often unaware of the full spectrum of risks they’re exposed to. There are all kinds of lingering devils in the detail, from liabilities around investors to audience safety and equipment damage. SRG will discuss and help identify these potential pitfalls and also prioritise them to make sure nobody gets caught out.

“You need to be looking at insurance from the time you start initial workshops” – Andrew Rudge, Specialist Risk Group client director

As well as productions, they also work with individuals. 

Geen cites the example of a prop maker he advised a few years ago: “He was worried sick that if something he had made for the production malfunctioned and caused an injury, he could be in real trouble. So, we quickly arranged a bespoke insurance policy that meant he could get some sleep during panto season.”

But even experts cannot predict everything, a notable example being the Covid-19 pandemic, which Rudge says prompted a significant shift within the industry. 

“If you’d told anyone in the UK prior to Covid that they would have to close their shows for up to two years due to a communicable disease, they wouldn’t have believed you. But since then, I think people are much more aware of risk, and the idea that things can and do go wrong,” he explains.

He emphasises that exposure to risk starts earlier than many people realise. 

“Generally speaking, I would always say that you need to be looking at insurance from the time you start initial workshops. If you hire a space, for example, the owner of that space will expect you to at least have public liability insurance. And if you’re engaging people to participate, you’ll also potentially have an employers’ liability risk,” he says.

Rudge explains that the most cost-effective solution is usually always to take out a single policy to cover the entire production life cycle. “This way insurance can be a support to the creative process, rather than be a distraction from it,” he adds.

Careful forward planning also prevents unexpected costs – such as a star pulling out and needing to be replaced, or a set being damaged and needing to be rebuilt. As Rudge puts it: “Insurance needn’t be too expensive, but it certainly costs not to have it.”
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As its name implies, SRG has built a reputation on the back of its experience in a range of niche specialisms. Whereas a generic broker may be able to arrange cover for buildings, liabilities or legal costs, they may not be able to provide a holistic package for an entire production.

SRG also offers genuine industry insight and experience, with the team regularly attending opening nights. Rudge laughs as he recalls one from a few years ago, when he suddenly realised that the producer had neglected to mention a scene in which a huge wall of flame shoots out from the stage.

What general advice would they give to those starting out in the industry? “Read your contracts carefully,” says Rudge. “Quite often, there are stipulations made by venues, hire companies or other stakeholders that will place certain responsibilities on the contracting party – those will often get missed. Also, consider other ways risk might attach, for example, how the non-appearance of cast or crew could affect your ability to stage a performance. Can you mitigate this with understudy arrangements or are you exposed? Insurance might not always be the answer but should be part of the process.”

Live performance always carries an inherent element of risk, but with a combination of careful planning and expert advice, all those involved in theatre should be able to focus on what matters most – making the work.

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For more on SRG’s services, visit srentertainmentandsport.com/theatre or contact:
Andrew Rudge - arudge@specialistrisk.com - 07353 126 144
Simon Geen - sgeen@specialistrisk.com - 07353 113 309