The National Theatre’s director has shared her fears over the decline in new writing for the stage – cautioning that a failure to act on the downturn risks “betraying” William Shakespeare.
Indhu Rubasingham, who became the first woman and person of colour to lead the National Theatre when she took up her post last year, issued the stark warning as she delivered the Jennie Lee lecture to representatives from across the industry.
“I fear for the decline in the volume and range of voices on our stages across the country,” she said on stage at the Dorfman Theatre on Thursday (26 February). “I fear the effect this constricting and contracting pipeline will have when it hits our stages within the next decade.
“Our failure to mark this moment as a tipping point risks our betrayal of the legacy, pride and heritage of this country – of our leading cultural influencer William Shakespeare, our national playwright.
“I believe these trends are the canaries in the coal mine, signalling a quiet warning about the approaching danger to our democracy, to free speech, to tolerance, to freedom of imagination.”
Rubasingham provided new statistics from the National Theatre’s New Work Department to back up her rallying cry, telling the assembled industry figures that between 2014 and 2024, there has been a 70 per cent decline in theatres receiving open-to-all submissions throughout the year, with a 76 per cent decline in new writing festivals.
There has also been a 44 per cent decline in new work on stages outside of London and a 30 per cent decline in the capital, she added.
Rubasingham continued: “These numbers paint a stark picture. Anyone looking at this will conclude that new work is in crisis.
“Given our unique position at the National, with our privilege of having a team dedicated to New Work, we have just about managed to produce similar levels of new work throughout the decade.
“And I commit to safeguarding this during my tenure.”
Calling for more funding for the arts, the director said: “Investing in the arts when money is sparse requires courage. Courage to act, because we recognise what lies ahead if we do not.
“Playing safe will be the end of us. If we are conservative in style, in content, in process, we might balance the books today, but we will kill the future of theatre and betray Jennie Lee.”
Labour politician Jennie Lee served as arts minister in the late 1960s, and during her spell, government arts funding more than doubled.
“She understood that the arts were not just a luxury for the few, but for everyone,” Rubasingham said. “She saw them as a vital force for unity and for dialogue – even in a time of financial bleakness for post-war Britain.”
The current Labour government last month announced a £1.5bn package to boost cultural organisations.
Culture Minister Lisa Nandy said the money, set to be invested over a five-year period, will save more than 1,000 arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England from closure.
Concerns over funding within the arts aren’t limited to the theatre industry. The recent revelation that the National Gallery is facing a £8.2m deficit in the coming year has reignited the debate over whether museums and galleries should be free.
