There was a clarion call to action at the opening of the Theatre Trust Conference on Tuesday for everyone in the theatre industry to get their finger out and do what they can to influence the British Government in the spending review which is only days away.
Ruth Mackenzie, the freelance producer and theatre consultant who was Director of the Cultural Olympiad last year, called on theatres to stop thinking they can’t do anything to affect government policy. They just need to get through to those who make the decisions that the British people think theatre is important as part of their communities and that means mobilising audiences and supporters and getting the vocal support of those whose votes the government needs to stay in office.
As well as signing petitions, which are too easily ignored, and writing to individual MPs and members of the House of Lords, they can tackle them directly at MPs' constituency surgeries.
The majority of those who actually purchase theatre tickets, she claimed, are women between 35-60, exactly the same as the demographic that those the politicians are trying to seduce into voting for them. Of course that is not the only group whose support theatres need but it is a key area.
In promoting the case for theatres which may face swingeing cuts—and the Arts Council of England, which itself is facing a huge cut and is asking funded organisations to model for 5%, 10% or 15% cuts—we need to make not only an economic case in terms of contribution to the economy and employment but the cash value of the community contribution theatre makes.