Working with the new Government so UK theatre can thrive  

Photographer credit © Tom Pullen

The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) & UK Theatre today welcomed the new Government with an offer to work in partnership to ensure the theatre sector can thrive and through this, help to deliver two of the new Government’s key missions: boosting the economy and breaking down barriers to opportunity. 

Theatre is special – an economic powerhouse, delivering transformative social good, embedded in communities across the country. But conditions are increasingly challenging, with public investment declining and production costs rising faster than inflation.  

SOLT & UK Theatre’s key priorities for the new Government include: 

  • Expanding cultural access by funding a theatre visit for every child before they leave school. 
  • Co-creating a sustainable system for investment in theatre buildings.  
  • Collaborating with the theatre sector to strategically review public investment in the arts to achieve the most effective results for taxpayers.  

SOLT & UK Theatre are writing to new ministers and MPs to brief them on the contribution the UK’s theatre sector makes and how we can collaborate to create the conditions for theatre to thrive. 

Reacting to the news, SOLT & UK Theatre Co-CEOs Claire Walker and Hannah Essex said:  

“We very much look forward to working with the new government to champion our world-class theatre sector and deliver the conditions it needs to thrive, such as realising our vision of every child attending the theatre before they leave school. 

“It was great to see our new Prime Minister visit one of our members, the Lyric Hammersmith, during the campaign and see the contribution theatre makes to communities across the UK, entertaining and inspiring local audiences as well as delivering extensive community outreach work. 

“We are well placed and stand ready to help the government achieve their missions of kick starting the economy and breaking down the barriers to opportunity through the power of theatre.” 

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