‘Every child should have a theatre visit before they leave school’ – theatre leaders react to new Labour government

There’s a big cast change going on in the West End – after 14 years of Conservatives at 10 Downing Street, Labour’s Keir Starmer has taken up residency down the road from the Trafalgar Theatre. Maybe he’ll hop along to watch People, Places and Things in the next few weeks – he does, after all, enjoy a good National Theatre production, we’ve heard.

In the meantime, industry leaders from across the theatre world have already started making signals about their wishes and desires. Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre co-CEOs Claire Walker and Hannah Essex, who have been tireless in campaigning on behalf of the theatre community, said today: “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.”

The campaign to facilitate a theatre trip for every school child was launched last autumn, with buy-in from a number of MPs and candidates over the following months.

Elsewhere, Caroline Norbury, chief executive of Creative UK – the national membership body for the cultural and creative industries – said: “This moment of change for the UK is an opportunity to maximise our growth and resilience, if driven by political imagination and ingenuity. We face huge challenges that we need creativity to overcome, since innovation and collaboration are critical to prosperity, health and our place in the world. It’s artists and creatives who imagine a better future for us all – telling the stories that bring us together, inspiring our future leaders, and helping governments work smarter.

“It’s fitting that Keir Starmer stood within the Tate Modern to share early reflections. This signal that a new UK Government will place the cultural and creative industries at the heart of industrial strategy is, perhaps, also a sign of hope that the creative sector is finally also being understood as a public good.”

One tricky roadblock. The shadow culture secretary, the well-liked Thangam Debbonaire, has lost her seat in Bristol, meaning there are currently question marks around who may take on the role. The news should be revealed later today.

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