The arts sector will perform again
Lifestyle blogger IMOGEN ALLEN, 22, from Snelston, says we now need to support our arts and culture institutions more than ever
THE economy is beginning to reopen, but the economic uncertainty is staying in place.
Unfortunately, one of the sectors it is hitting the most is the arts and culture institutions.
This is the sector which contributes heavily to the social and economic fabric of society – it is the theatres, art galleries, the comedy clubs and live music venues to name a few.
For the arts industry, productions and venues had to temporarily close and, as a result, income dwindled.
Many individuals in the arts industry are also freelancers and may have been unable to apply for the self-employed income support scheme offered by the government.
But luckily, today I can write about the good news.
The Government is now providing a financial support package, which totals £1.57 billion – with the aim to safeguard and stabilise the sector.
It is critical to ensure venues can get back up and running again, whilst ensuring social distancing can be practiced.
It is no surprise the financial support package comes with a warm welcome from the sector.
Especially because many theatres, music venues, art galleries and other cultural institutions said they were at risk of collapsing.
Naturally, there will be a note of caution attached to the financial package, as the arts sector awaits further details for the reopening plan, how and when they can do so.
It will also be a waiting game to see how the support package will be allocated, where the money will be targeted within the arts industry and whether additional income support could be available – as we know, Covid-19 has impacted incomes across the country. The sector fundamentally relies upon visitors in any form, ranging from concert and theatre goers to historians.
An Office for National Statistics survey recorded the number of annual theatre goers as 34 million.
The impact of temporary closures and cancelled productions has also resulted in a large list of refunds for the customers.
So, to think of our local surroundings, we typically have events like Ashbourne Festival at this time of year. A huge annual event for the town, which has been impacted.
In terms of local arts venues, Derby Live Theatre and Buxton Opera House are among those that have been closed during this time.
However, as we’ve seen with many other businesses, there is somewhat a new way of working.
For example, Derby Live Theatre has organised a digital Derby Folk Festival, which will ensure that ticket holders can directly support the artists and the return of the festival in 2021.
It’s just another example of how supporting local comes into play.
Some West End musicals have also taken matters into their own hands and an example is Six, a musical which is focused on Henry VIII’S six wives.
Performances will be at a series of drive-in locations across the country and it’s quite fortunate for the cast as they will operate in bubbles of six.
The ability to host a drive-in event will obviously also support the jobs of stage managers and freelancers involved in the production.
As an arts charity, The Globe Theatre are also offering online virtual Shakespeare productions, digital downloads and resources – in return, asking for voluntary donations to support their future and reopening.
Therefore, as each venue, gallery and museum is different, there is no one-size fits all for social distancing measures.
We can assume that the next step for life after lockdown in the arts sector is to navigate the social distancing measures in their own way.
This may not be sustainable from a cash-flow perspective for all individuals and venue’s within the art’s sector.
Some news articles report that the funding may have come a little too late for some. I find that heart breaking to write.
But going forward, if we can gauge the level of support and community that we’ve seen throughout lockdown, there is hope for the arts industry to continue bringing joy to us all.