Why We Need Touring Theatre Now More Than Ever
In the wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic, many people are looking hopefully towards the reanimation of London’s west end, but for those who cannot easily access the Capital, regional theatre provides a vital artistic experience that can spark a life- long passion.
With the arts and culture world slowly starting to open up after nearly five months of enforced closure, there is still no clear idea or guidance as to when normal service can resume. I find myself thinking about my 30-something year love affair with theatre, and about the experiences that have led me to commit to it as a hobby, passion and career.
I grew up, I now see, in a fairly unusual family. We were, by all accounts, working class. My parents didn’t own their house, there were no annual holidays, shiny gadgets or new cars. But my mother adored everything to do with the theatre with such a fierce passion that it was impossible not to catch the bug.
So, in lieu of any package holidays or latest consoles, at least once a month we would attend our local theatre, or make the hours’ journey to the West End for a real treat. Fast forward 20 years, working as a producer, I was dumbfounded by several young people telling me they had never before attended the theatre. I realise now how privileged I was.
Theatre was such a fabric of my childhood, that it never occurred to me that it wouldn’t be for others. But for so many, this simply isn’t the case. Passions are often fuelled by early childhood experiences, and, unless our caregivers see value in those experiences themselves, they are unlikely to go out of their way to engineer them.
There are many reasons why theatre in major cities may not be accessible. Let’s face it, theatre is expensive. By the time you’ve factored in tickets, travel and a meal, a family day out could easily rack up to hundreds. You can see why many families would rather put that towards a longer holiday or their weekly food shop.
There is, as well, a time element. In a society where even children have packed social calendars, taking a whole day out to travel to see a show just isn’t practical. For those living in rural or isolated communities, or with additional needs, there are even more hurdles to jump through before you can even get into the auditorium.
This is where regional theatre is an absolute lifeline. These powerhouses of creativity – run on next to nothing with some of the most committed and passionate staff you will meet – offer a huge variety of small and mid-scale touring shows that are, for some people, the only way to experience the arts.
The tickets are generally cheaper, or sometimes free, and many of these venues are centrally located in the town, making it easier for people to do a full days’ work and head to a show, or team an 11am kids performance with afternoon errands. Several also have cafes attached for quick and reasonable food options, and play areas for families.
The work is also often more artistically led, and typically more diverse. Many smaller regional arts venues simply don’t have the capacity or the cash to bring in big commercial shows. Smaller shows are more affordable for venues, meaning they can take more creative risk, therefore bridging a vital gap for people who otherwise may not attend theatre at all.
Since a major part of inclusion is tied up in representation, it is more important than ever that audiences also see themselves represented on stage. If you haven’t been brought up attending theatre, the idea can seem alien, intimidating or utterly irrelevant.
For a teenager from a rural village, who has never even been to London, or a single parent family, the bright lights of the West End seems like a totally different world to the one they inhabit day to day, which reinforces the belief that theatre is not for them.
But they may just feel a bit more comfortable about going to see a play at their local community centre, or taking their kids to a show in their nearest library.
The wider the demographic that are given the opportunity to experience theatre, the more people can shake up their notions of what theatre is and who its’ for, the more diverse the theatre workforce of the future will be.
Notwithstanding the fact that the majority of theatre exposes us to other worlds and other points of view, helping us become more understanding, empathetic and generally more well-rounded human beings.
I hope beyond hope that some of the smaller, grassroots theatre companies that I know and love are still in a position to keep touring once the world emerges from its current state. If they don’t, we risk narrowing the scope of the next generation of theatre lovers and makers to anyone with disposable income living near to the M25.
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Written by Fiona Moon
