Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Working in theatre can feel like a lottery at the moment, says NICK AHAD, so the Mercury Theatre's plan to commission new work by picking a winner out of a hat might offer hope to writers trying to get a foot in the door.
Tuesday, 20 February 2024
After 10 years in leadership roles, RACHAEL WILLIAMS reflects on what it means to lead an arts organisation during a time of economic crisis.
Following Northern Ballet's confirmed switch to using recorded music for some of its 2024 tour, HUGH MORRIS interviews four musicians from the Sinfonia who candidly discuss income, mistakes made during Covid and Arts Council England funding.
The risks of professional music-making are equivalent to gambling, argue researchers GEORGE MUSGRAVE, SALLY ANNE GROSS and MAIKE KLEIN as they examine the relationship between optimism, risk and mental well-being among musicians.
MICHAEL RUSHTON reports on the pros and cons of increasing US government spend on culture and the challenge of justifying taxing people with no interest in the arts in order to fund them.
Tuesday, 13 February 2024
As arts funding declines, theatres are increasingly looking to cost-effective programming to make ends meet. Brian Logan asks if stand-up comedy could help protect UK playhouses.
There's no getting away from the carbon footprint of music festivals, with UK events using over 12 million litres of diesel annually. But many are searching for greener alternatives, as Suzanne Bearne reports.
Jonny Best considers how Arts Council England's remit has shifted since its inception in 1946 and shares his thoughts on activism and gender-critical views in the subsidised arts sector.
With a general election on the horizon, Andrew Stewart reflects on a decade of Conservative arts policy and the challenges awaiting the next Culture Secretary.
Young British opera artists are leaving the UK and setting up themselves up as students abroad to work around Brexit obstructions, warns Edward Docx in this profile of British tenor David Butt Philip.
Tuesday, 06 February 2024
As debate around the restitution of museum artefacts rumbles on, the UK has limited the leeway public museums have to return objects. Angelica Villa reports.
Composer Howard Goodall details the 'root-and-branch dismantling' of music education since 2010 as he calls for government to rethink further reductions in resources.
American tenor Holden Madagame shares how transitioning impacted his music career and how operas can create welcoming environments for trans performers.
Diluting access to art will ultimately affect the quality of the art we see in the future, writes Poppy Burton, as she analyses the current level of government funding.
The National Centre for Creative Health has gone live with an online toolkit designed to help others develop their own approach to creative health.
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Ian Youngs takes stock of the challenges facing British theatre despite a slew of new shows set to open in 2024.
As Independent Venue Week gets underway, Dale Maplethorpe reminisces about the potent magic of attending your first gig, while sharing the memories of music industry professionals.
For more than a century, philanthropy has sustained US museums. But as wealthy, older donors make way for a younger, less engaged generation, Julia Halperin finds arts organisations are facing a funding crisis.
After postponing plans to revamp its museum, the Bank of England is facing scrutiny over its role in improving the nation's financial education, reports Phillip Inman.
Colin Hambrook considers how the cultural landscape has changed for disabled people since the first Unlimited festival in 2012.