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Dateline: 6th April, 2011
Theatres Bear the Brunt of ACE Cuts Over 73% of the funding cuts announced by the Arts Council England on the 30th March fell on theatres according to an analysis by The Theatres Trust. ACE’s new national portfolio saw more losers than winners, with 97 theatres losing funding or being cut entirely, and only 43 benefiting from an increase. In cash terms, theatre venues will lose a balance of £46.8m of public funding through ACE over the next four years. In its analysis The Trust has identified that there is a clear division between the larger national venues and the regions. The largest venues have absorbed the larger share of the cash cuts. These five major venues - the Royal Opera House, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Southbank Centre, English National Opera (London Coliseum) and the Royal National Theatre - have taken 56% of the total cut to theatres of £59.6m (£33.25m in cash terms over the four years), but arguably have strong national and international profiles and the capacity to access philanthropy and sponsorship. Taking into account the £33.25m saved from the larger venues and the £26.35m cut from regional and other theatres, only £12.8m is being returned through funding increases and new theatres in the portfolio. Mhora Samuel, Director of The Theatres Trust said, "We understand the difficult decisions Arts Council England has had to take and that in the current climate the arts cannot be immune from any cuts. But we have real concerns for those affected, specifically the smaller, regional venues where they will find it hard to adapt quickly and where they have also lost their local authority funding. "These theatres are often the only places where local communities can access the arts and are vital if there is to be investment in the development of the next generation of theatre goers and professionals. Without ACE’s funding they will find it harder to provide a choice of quality programming and attract audiences, theatres may have to close, and local and national economies will be worse off. "In making its choices ACE has significantly redrawn the theatre landscape of England. And when the cuts start to bite, it will be the audiences that end up the winners and losers." The Trust also commended ACE’s investment in theatre companies and touring which will strengthen the position of companies producing and touring work into theatres and arts centres across the UK. However it is concerned that with the ACE and local authority cuts, the landscape of touring venues available to those companies and the audiences that they will be able to reach, will be defined by a postcode lottery, and that ACE’s objective of delivering ‘great art for everyone’ will be deeply affected. Decisions not to fund venues including Derby Theatre, the Northcott in Exeter, and Wakefield Theatre Royal will have a significant impact on those areas. These and other venues that were unsuccessful in their applications will be in a much weaker position to present the work of touring companies, and will be particularly vulnerable as local authority cuts are implemented.
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