A new report from the University of Essex has found that over 72 per cent of respondents feel pessimistic about their future in the theatre due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the report, ‘Freelancers in the Dark’, the pandemic lockdowns, which saw theatres and events shut down across the UK, have had a major impact on theatre freelancers.
Dr Holly Maples, senior lecturer at the East 15 Acting School, who led the study, said that the “stops and starts” of the lockdowns meant that theatre workers were unable to plan ahead. She said: “The closures of theatres greatly affected people’s ability to plan and to carry on with the work they had been doing.”
“A lot of people were kind of left high and dry, both by the organisations they were working with [that] couldn’t pay them with the lack of ticket sales, obviously, and a large proportion, perhaps 60 per cent to 70 per cent, didn’t get the government protection [of furlough payments].” She added that many did not know whether they would be able to carry on in their profession.
The results of the study, which will produce a final report in 2022, come despite the government spending millions of pounds supporting theatre with the Culture Recovery Fund.
Last month, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “Through unprecedented government financial support, the Culture Recovery Fund is supporting arts and cultural organisations so they can continue to bring culture to communities the length and breadth of the country, supporting jobs, boosting local economies and inspiring people.”
Dr Maples added that the study found that many freelancers had developed new skills. “Freelancers have also been networking and organising and built up a sense of solidarity as they felt the government and the public were not necessarily valuing what they do,” she said.
