Who is theatre for?

(notes from Open Space, 25 March 2023)

- One person felt that Scotland had a better grasp of the value of arts and theatre. That in some ways this made it more accessible and ‘for everyone’. We discussed that there are National days for poets and arts residencies.

- Some folks expressed that working class communities did not feel as connected to formal forms of arts and theatre.

- We discussed cities where there is a culture token that you can use across the city. We said the cost of this would be a barrier to many folks. We discussed how many people don’t connect paying taxes with having cultural spaces and a cultural offer. That they don’t know or feel it’s ‘for them’.


- We discussed how those who get to make theatre / arts often end up with ownership over creativity.

- We discussed how funding applications and those making theatre can often gatekeep access to arts and theatre making or spaces - either on purpose or unknowingly. Funding felt like a barrier to some folks for who theatre is for. They felt funding processes were:

- a tick box exercise
- not ‘for me’
- confusing when you have never done anything like that before
- like begging for something others with resources ‘ Social Capitol / connections don’t have to think about


- Someone raised how arts can be seen as social work in Scotland. We discussed how this can be a sticking plaster over acute need within services. Art and theatre is a good tool for communities when they have access to it in social service settings such as prisons. We however also highlighted how this stops art from being a free form of expression or made for its own sake. We discussed how some communities might not want or like what is ‘socially prescribed’ for them. This decreases forms of expression and a sense of ownership.

- we discussed that if you aren’t part of a community you are unlikely to understand or know the barriers. That you aren’t likely to know the barriers you might be creating - for example theatre or theatres being in places where alcohol is served can be exclusionary to folks from Muslim audiences / communities. At the same time plays in pubs opens theatre up to new audiences. As does arts or theatre in hospitals.

- Who makes Art gets to determine who it is for even in subtle ways.

- One person said they were  interested in our conversation topic
‘because when I grew up it didn't ever occur to me I could go to the theatre’ ‘except for maybe pantomimes - which I didn’t like at all. They were cheesy and not very interesting. Obvious sorts of humour’

‘Later on through a fluke of circumstances I ended up in a different social circle than who I grew up with and where I grew up. Friends were more middle class and the environment was different and I started going with them. I thought it was good because it was interesting and it was live and happening in front of you’

- We discussed again in more detail how we all pay through our taxes to have access to our cultural offer. We wondered do people need to know this so there is a better sense that theatre and art is ‘for them’ as it’s supposed to be in theory for everyone/every citizen.

- We then chatted over how there might be backlash to raising awareness of our taxes paying for a cultural offer. We imagined people saying ‘I don’t want to pay for
things that aren't 'for me' or part of other other’s lives or that aren’t ‘needed’

- We thought also thought alternatively that through raising awareness people might feel a deeper or better sense of belonging in theatre being ‘for them’. As they have a right to it.

- We questioned - How might we foster a feeling of belonging within arts and theatre from young a young age? Could learning about your rights (ie Article 31 UNRC access to rest, culture and leisure) help. Might citizenship learning opportunities or seeing how taxes work for everyone, help?

- Someone expressed that ‘I went to a school where no one would listen to education or teaching about taxes or rights or stuff. Kids from my school would probably tell folks where to go’

- We then questions if there was a Co-creative youth led project around that? (Ie taxes, rights citizenship and arts) How might we design learning opportunities, maybe through interesting out there theatre or arts, that give young people a better sense of ownership and agency in making theatre, arts and understanding their rights. If the thing is designed with the young people and the outcomes led by them what might you end up with?

- Without these kind of opportunities we discussed that you end up growing up without agency or knowledge around your rights. You don’t feel theatre and arts are ‘for you’.

5 bullet points

- Who theatre is for is often subtly and explicitly shaped by who makes theatre

- There is a disconnect where often folks feel
theatre isn't ‘for them’ even though we do all pay in for a cultural offer through our taxes

- If there was better childhood learning opportunities around
citizenship, taxes and UN rights of the child (ie article 31 right to leisure, rest culture) would
sense of ownership around arts being ‘for us’
or ‘for them’ change?

- Folks who feel theatre/arts isn't ‘for them' are often locked out of freedom of expression and just making stuff (affording to be able to make also compounded with this)

- Scotland seems to have a better sense of the intrinsic value of art and theatre. However using art in place of social work can limit creativity. People can feel art has to have a social purpose. Folks might feel making art for arts sake isn’t ‘for them’

Caveat - Art does do a useful social job/ it is also good for its own sake.