Freelancers Make Theatre Work secures funding to expand operations

Freelancers Make Theatre Work (FMTW) has announced new funding to support the next phase of its development, aimed at strengthening support for freelancers across the UK performing arts sector.

The organisation has secured a three-year funding package that includes £150,000 from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport through Arts Council England.

Additional support has come from industry donors including Lloyd Webber Theatres, Cameron Mackintosh Ltd, Michael Harrison Productions, Empire Street Productions, Nick Grace Management, Jamie Wilson and Trafalgar Global, alongside contributions from freelance supporters.

The funding is intended to provide stability as FMTW develops its strategy through to 2029, with further fundraising planned to support its longer-term ambitions.

Freelancers account for around 70 per cent of the performing arts workforce, a proportion significantly higher than in the wider creative industries. Established during the Covid-19 pandemic, FMTW has worked to represent freelancers, provide practical support and advocate for improvements to working conditions across the sector.

A six-month consultation process, funded by Arts Council England and involving freelancers and arts organisations, identified demand for an expanded role.

FMTW will contribute to sector-wide discussions on workforce issues and collaborate with organisations including the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) to ensure freelancers are represented within emerging frameworks for standards and support.

The organisation also plans to deepen engagement with theatres and producers, provide workforce insights to inform planning, and work with partners on training and professional development initiatives.

The programme forms part of a wider three-year plan covering areas including fair pay, access and inclusion, anti-racism, career development, regional support, contracts and protections, and employer accountability.

The new funding will allow FMTW to move beyond its largely volunteer-led model by supporting a small staff team and expanding its digital and training provision.

A spokesperson for FMTW said: “After six years of dedicated work building FMTW and advocating for freelancers across the performing arts, we are delighted to have secured support for the next phase of our mission. Freelancers are the lifeblood of our sector, yet too often we are overlooked or left out of the conversation.

“This funding from ACE on behalf of DCMS will benefit freelancers across the country and gives us firmer ground under our feet so we can continue to champion freelancers, strengthen practical support, and keep pushing for a fairer and more sustainable industry.”

Indhu Rubasingham, director and co-chief executive of the National Theatre, said: “FMTW is a crucial and important body for our ecology. An organisation that advocates and supports the largest part of our sector – the freelancers. It also demands and encourages vital dialogue within our whole industry so that we can learn and grow together with the inherent understanding we are nothing without each other.”

Freelance lighting designer Paule Constable added: “Our industry is now entirely dependent upon 200,000 freelancers who work across myriad disciplines, with mixed portfolio careers and complex employment patterns. The challenge facing us all is how we work together despite sitting outside traditionally held structures of power.

“We need to explore and encourage new ways of working as times change. This funding creates exciting possibilities to challenge and learn from each other and make space for freelance voices to be truly heard.”