Who owns theatre?

(notes from Open Space, 25 March 2023)

How the artist is valued in society here versus the continent/ other places.

How we are seen matters - the idea ‘success validates you’ Eg. Liz Carr being a successful actor on TV/if not ‘an invisible disabled person’

What people think of arts

Creative Scotland didn't have mechanism to count audiences in communities/ schools. There is frustration we don't have power to change it.

Idea: universal basic income- subsidise artists directly with stipulation they work local to a certain region (Strathclyde etc). Possibility of hubs. Hubs to coordinate payment of artists, or artist paid directly and distribute as they see best.

‘Intermittenent de spectacle’ French model. Prove you work as an artist a man get that for several years.

Proposal: 750 artists over 15 regions paid to work in the regions. 50 artists per region, £15 million over 10 years or five years. How do we choose? Artist responsible for choosing/ random.

Norway model - three years of funding for artists.

How do we distribute across the regions fairly? Can we give incentive for moving/ staying out with the central belt? Possibly make it so you only need a connexion to a place/ not live there.

Artist salaries so low. Having to keep encouraging people to work in industry that pays so little.