WHY THE THEATRE CEO ROLE IS BIGGER THAN EVER BEFORE
The Stage
One of the clearest messages to emerge from the devolution discussion I chaired earlier this week at the Society of London Theatre/UK Theatre Conference was that the political landscape in which theatres operate is becoming fundamentally more complex and demanding.
That complexity looks set to increase. In a speech made in the same week, Andy Burnham argued that devolution should become a central organising principle of government rather than an add-on, signalling his ambition to see more parts of England benefit from deeper devolution and, over time, greater powers. Against that backdrop, our discussion reinforced that one of the defining challenges for theatre leaders is how their organisations build influence, uphold their values and navigate an increasingly fragmented political landscape.
English devolution is reshaping where decisions are taken, while local politics is more and more disjointed. Twenty years ago, about one in five local authorities was under no overall control. Today, that figure stands at almost one in two.
Elected mayors and strategic authorities – such as the Greater London Authority or Greater Manchester Combined Authority – are assuming greater responsibility for economic development, regeneration, skills and place-making, while political control at local level is becoming less predictable. The result is a more complex civic landscape in which the people making decisions about culture, investment and regeneration come from a broader range of political backgrounds than ever before.
