by Laura Day

On the first day of lockdown, I didn’t watch the news. I didn’t look at the statistics. I suspended my BBC notifications. Instead, I listened to a podcast, hummed to music, watched the RSC’s production of King Lear and dozed off to ‘greatest hits from west end musicals.’ I spent the entire day sliding down the golden escape route which the performing arts industry offers us; hiding from a much scarier reality.

When I turned to the heaviness of the news the following day, engulfed by an overwhelming ‘new normal’ (which seemed anything but), I relied on the fruits of performing arts to pick me back up. That’s why, when I read an article entitled ‘Covid 19: Performing Arts forgotten and neglected’, I was more confused than angry – how could the Government starve an industry keeping up the nation’s morale? Theatres went dark, performances cancelled, dreams dashed. And while many worked tirelessly deploying innovative tactics to keep the sector alive, our government made anything but a song and dance about supporting this vital industry.

The RSC’s King Lear at the Barbican Centre, London — The RSC’s *King Lear* at the Barbican Centre, London

Although the Government’s Culture Recovery Scheme (a £1.57 billion fund to ‘tackle the crisis facing our most loved cultural organisations and heritage sites’) was welcomed by the industry, it wasn’t enough; recent figures show that 70% of theatres are now under threat due to a complete loss of revenue and no legitimate answers on when performances will resume. However, instead of supplementing their support, billions were invested in a tone-deaf advertising campaign lambasted and lampooned by the industry and beyond which was ultimately scrapped. Its posters, encouraging those employed in the performing arts to retrain in cyber, serves as yet another example of this Government’s failure to support the industry.

Perhaps the campaign wasn’t even necessary, because 19% of respondents to a Musicians’ Union survey said they were considering abandoning their careers as musicians altogether, with a further 20% actively looking for other work outside theatre. The UK is in serious danger of a significant talent drain in a sector which is rightfully a source of great national pride.

However, the resilience, creativity and determination of the performing arts has not been dampened; indeed, its creative spark is arguably shining brighter than ever before. For example, Doorstep Productions, founded by Maria Friedman and Adrian Der Gergorian, provides opportunities for out of work actors by bringing a slice of the West End to the thresholds of barely crossed doorsteps, serving as just one example of the laudable adaptability of the industry. Furthermore, the explosion of social media platforms such as TikTok in recent months has seen previously overlooked forms of art (such as sea shanties) rise to popularity, changing lives such as Nathan Evans’ overnight.

The Arts is about more than actors on a stage. It’s about more than musicians playing instruments. It’s about more than painters wielding their brushes. It’s about a deep connection with their audience. It’s about the wide-eyed child eager to dance on the stage. It’s about preserving the lights along this dreaded tunnel guiding us toward the final beacon of freedom.

#Savethearts

ST.ART does not own the rights to any images used in this article.