Protecting theatre talent in 2023 by James Haddrell

At the beginning of January, I think I write a variation of the same column every year, about new year’s resolutions.

This is the time when we all take a moment to think about what we should change in our lives – big changes like new jobs, improving health or moving house, or small changes, like shifting routines or being more organized.

More than ever, my resolutions are influenced by the run of the pantomime here at Greenwich, which is now approaching its final performances.

For me the pantomime here always reinforces the importance that theatre has in bringing people together, whether that means families enjoying a show together or individuals being part of a collective experience.

Having seen the pantomime cancelled in 2020-21 due to the pandemic, and then cut drastically short in 2021-22 for the same reason, to finally experience a full run with more than 25,000 people coming to see the show has been a genuinely joyful experience.

So, my resolution, which I hope will be shared by many people, is to see more theatre in 2023 – and even more importantly, to recognize the importance to the industry of supporting theatre-makers at the start of their careers.

If we are to see those full houses in the future, after Covid forced so many actors and creatives to swap theatre for a more financially secure career, we have to rebuild our industry and nurture and protect new talent.

Clearly there are support mechanisms already, working to a greater or lesser extent, and I am part of that infrastructure. Venues, sponsors and funders all have the capacity to offer the kind of support necessary, but so too do audiences.

With funding under greater pressure every year, ticket sales are more important than ever.

One of the best places to start for 2023 has to be the Vault Festival, back to full strength and playing from late January around Waterloo railway station.

With more than 500 shows, this is surely England’s most important theatre festival, and the programme this year looks fantastic.

I know it can be overwhelming to try and work out what to see from a line-up that big, so if it helps here are a few thoughts.

The Good Women, set in Switzerland in the 1960s before women were eligible to vote, has been made by a company of graduates from East 15, and tells the story of some of the women who tackled that national inequality.

(In) Good Spirits by Bruntwood International Prize longlisted writer KT Miles is about four spirits occupying a derelict stately home whose repetitive existence comes under threat from property developers.

It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure by FlawBored, which won the Les Enfants Terribles Greenwich Award, is a dark but brilliant satire set in a world where disability gets a radical rebrand to make it cool.

I’ve no doubt I’ll be writing more about the Vault Festival in the weeks ahead, with more recommendations to come, but whatever you choose to see let’s make 2023 the year of protecting new talent, and the year of the shared experience.

 

Picture: It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure by FlawBored – Picture: FlawBored Theatre