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MNI Theatre Review Mapping Report
THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW, SCOTLAND MAPPING WORK Rachel Granger MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE FEBRUARY 2012 This document contains the mapping analysis work undertaken for CH Consulting, as part of a wider review of Scotland’s Theatre Sector for Creative Scotland Nov 2011-May 2012. THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 3 2. THEATRE ASSETS .......................................................................................................... 3 3. SECTOR SUMMARY....................................................................................................... 8 (i) Mature and Stable Sector .............................................................................................. 8 (ii) Portfolio Workers ....................................................................................................... 10 (ii) Rich Institutional Infrastructure ................................................................................. 10 (iii) Hub-and Spoke Organisation .................................................................................... 11 (v) National vs. International Outlook ............................................................................. 14 4. ANALYSIS BY SUB-SECTOR ...................................................................................... 16 (i) Funded Organisations.................................................................................................. 16 (ii) Theatre Companies .................................................................................................... 20 (iii) Strategic Organisations ............................................................................................. 21 (iv) Playwrights ................................................................................................................ 22 (v) Producers and Directors ............................................................................................. 23 5. MEMBERSHIP AND NETWORKS ............................................................................... 25 (i) Sources of Information ................................................................................................ 25 (ii) Membership ............................................................................................................... 26 6. CONCLUSIONS: SPATIAL ANALYSIS, GLUE AND PLATFORMS ....................... 28 APPENDIX .............................................................................................................................. 30 2 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING 1. INTRODUCTION During November-December 2011, a (snowball) questionnaire was sent to key contacts in the Scottish theatre sector, which sought from participants, details about their work within the theatre sector in Scotland. This coupled with asset and funding data provided by Creative Scotland provides the key datasets for the mapping work. Briefly, the mapping work comprises: 1. Asset Mapping – showing key assets of the Scottish theatre sector within a geographical context 2. Spatial-Relational Mapping – showing the ecology of the Scottish theatre sector through relational ties and membership affiliations. Initial asset data was collated from Creative Scotland and partners and a first set of asset maps produced in December 2011. Further asset data was provided during January 2012, and a final set of asset maps are produced here. The survey produced 895 responses of which 506 were complete. These 506 responses produced relational data (for the relational maps) for more than 1400 organisations/people, which has been aggregated to 812 complete sets of organisations/people (692 showing geographical location). This is used as the primary data for the different relational maps produced here. 2. THEATRE ASSETS Scottish theatre benefits from a rich asset base, which provides strategic and financial support to the sector, education and training, community outreach, and specialist services, and which collectively, contribute to the Sector’s competitiveness. Scottish theatre is positioned centrally in an influential network of strategic organisations (Scottish, UK, and International) and is home to several associations and groups of international importance in the arts. These organisations and networks, totalling more than 250, act as the voice of the sector and its constituent parts, provide a platform for further dialogue with the international sector and with other national sectors, as well as providing support for funding, commissioning, information, and exchange of ideas. Theatre assets (Fig 1) comprise building-based theatre companies (132) and companies that are non building-based such as touring companies and those who work in different communities (33). Theatre companies are highly concentrated along the Central Belt, especially in Edinburgh and Glasgow, but also represented in the West of Scotland and Highlands and Islands. Key educational assets (Fig 2) comprise specialist further and higher education theatrebased courses in 19 institutions concentrated along the Central Belt, and in Fife, 3 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Aberdeenshire, and the Highlands. These include studies in acting (17 institutions), contemporary performance practice, musical theatre, and theatre studies. Community assets (Fig 3) comprise around 300 amateur drama groups, youth theatres, and community-based arts venues. Whilst community assets are concentrated around the conurbations of Edinburgh and Glasgow, they are also well represented throughout Scotland, especially Mid Scotland and Fife. 4 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE Fig 1 – Theatre Companies, Scottish Theatre THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Fig 2 – Educational Assets, Scottish Theatre 6 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Fig 3 – Community Assets, Scottish Theatre 7 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE 3. SECTOR SUMMARY The questionnaire surveys sought to collect 4 main categories of data: Biographic data – relating to gender, age, occupation, and years of experience Primary role(s) within the theatre sector Contacts and personal networks within the sector, including group and board membership details Key sources of information Whilst the project achieved a high survey completion rate, the large number of incomplete duplicate, and contradictory data entries have reduced the number of surveys that could be used for analytical purposes and also the way in which analysis has been undertaken. (For example, 55% of respondents did not complete occupational categories, and 46% did not complete years of experience categories). As a result, whilst the original intention was to analyse by individuals and by occupational categories, in practice this has been organised by organisations. On this basis, there are 519 organisations and a further 248 individuals operating on a freelance basis1. (i) Mature and Stable Sector On average survey participants had 17 years of experience of working in the theatre sector, of which 14 were in the Scottish sector. (The median average values were 15 years and 15 years respectively). From this, one might conclude that the Scottish Theatre Sector has a certain maturity, which provides it with stability and durability. Whilst it could be argued that a mature sector might equally convey one, which is locked-in – that is, it is not exposed to new/young talent and ideas – this is not borne out by the demographics of the sector (Figs 4-6), which are well represented in terms of age, gender, and disability. Fig 4 – Theatre Sector, by Gender (2012) Other, 2 Male, 206 Female, 258 1 NB, where there were multiple responses for each organisation, these have been aggregated to 1 entry. THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Fig 5 – Theatre Sector, by Age (2012) 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 Fig 6 – Theatre Sector, by Disability (2012) Disability, 17 Other, 5 No Disability, 440 9 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE 65+ THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING (ii) Portfolio Workers There is extensive evidence of flexible working across the theatre sector, which could be viewed as evidence of portfolio working: Portfolio Freelancers – The sector is well represented by freelance workers (representing around a third of the sector), who operate across a number of sub-sectors and also hold multiple appointments. On average each freelance worker has 1.33 job/roles, whilst around a third hold 3 or more jobs. As a result, it is not uncommon for some freelance workers to operate in their chosen field of say, dance, drama, music, or writing, whilst also holding a fractional appointment in an associated or different sector. Portfolio Organisations – A significant number of organisations are operating across subsectors or operate in multiple capacities to the sector. For example, 9% of participating organisations provide 4 or more distinct services such as theatre or circus production, writing, education/training, equipment hire, venue hire, consultancy, or professional services. Extensive portfolio working denotes an institutionalised approach to flexible working, which at sector level offers two main advantages. First, it introduces flexibility or slack in the sector, which can withstand periods of financial contraction without incurring losses from multiplier impacts. In other words, a system in which individuals and organisations are not wholly reliant on core budgets or contracts is helpful during economic downturns. Second, a system in which individual workers hold multiple roles or jobs increases both their skills and their contact with other people, thereby boosting the Sector’s density and diversity of human capital and with it, the potential for cross-fertilisation. (ii) Rich Institutional Infrastructure Scottish theatre is a highly sophisticated sector, which has evolved and specialised over several decades, and today incorporates sectors up and downstream of theatre production itself, much of which is located within Scotland. Whilst this denotes the specialisation of the sector in Scotland and protects Scottish theatre to some extent by not being exposed to external issues (e.g. shocks), it may also be taken as an opportunity for external growth. The sector is served by individuals and organisations who have worked in the sector for several decades. It is well-represented in different areas of performing arts, including specialist areas of drama, dance, circus, and puppet animation. There is strong evidence of strong links between Scottish theatre companies and local playwrights, directors, actors, and other performers, as well as local support services (rigging, freight, construction, lighting, ticket management, digital media) and specialist professional services (such as agents, lawyers and accountants, voice coaches, dramaturgs, researchers). In this respect, Scottish theatre is outstanding; it is specialised, well-represented nationally, and has strong 10 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING vertical and horizontal supply chains, which connect up and down-stream of performances (shown schematically in Fig 7). Fig 7 – Vertical and Horizontal Supply Chains, in Scottish Theatre (iii) Hub-and Spoke Organisation There are several aspects of the Scottish theatre sector that resemble an international ‘industrial district2’ or ‘milieu3’. These include the international significance of the sector, the small size of some organisations (i.e. micro businesses and freelancers), and the existence of specialist support sectors such as professional services, education and training, information sources, and strategic organisations and networks. In addition, the existence of ‘hubs’ (or Talent Hubs), the practice of co-housing of theatre-based organisations with larger theatre companies highlights a more nurturing aspect of the sector, which elsewhere 2 Industrial Districts are sectors that are locally contained and achieve competitiveness by flexibly organising work/trading from 1 small company to another, through supply chains. 3 Milieux are spatially contained sectors have trading and nurturing/support functions 11 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING is a central component of a ‘milieu’. Strategically then, this combination of sophisticated and supportive services and institutions denotes a strong institutional thickness – a richly dense and diverse network of organisations – and allows for smaller organisations and freelance workers to compete alongside larger and mature organisations, some of which operate at a global level. In other respects, Scottish theatre operates as a ‘cluster4’. In economic terms, the sector operates as an innovation system; it is highly innovating and competitive, internationally renowned, nationally specialised, and produces new and exciting work. However the geographical spread of the theatre across Scotland rather than in one town/city or region contrasts with the model of a spatially proximate cluster. In other respects however, the organisation of relationships in the sector around funding, contracts and employment with theatre companies is strongly characteristic of a ‘Hub and Spoke Cluster’. This ‘Hub and Spoke’ organisational structure is notable when the sector is broken down into relationships between sub-sectors. Table 1 illustrates the dominance (and centrality) of theatre companies and other performance-based projects such as circuses, puppet animation and street performances (‘performance’) with other parts of the sector. Whilst it is clear that all areas of Scottish theatre network vigorously within their fields (see Section 5 on membership patterns and information sourcing), the prioritisation of relationships with theatre companies over and above others in their field adds strength to the notion of a theatre-based Hub and Spoke Cluster. Moreover theatre companies (along with circus and performance companies) are the only part of Scottish theatre that has contact with every sub-sector (Fig 8). Fig 8 – Theatre-led Hub and Spoke Networks 4 Clusters are groups of interdependent organisations in the same sector, which benefit from close location and trading 12 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE Actor Artist Dance Music Theatre Performance Community Venue Director and Producer Poetry and Playwright Designer Stage Management Digital Media Support Services Marketing and PR Professional Services Education Research Publishing and Media Public and Strategic Organisations, Networks Other Table 1 – Breakdown of Relational Ties in Theatre, by Sub-Sector Actor 8 -- 4 2 30 5 -- 2 2 2 2 -- 1 -- 1 2 5 -- -- 6 1 student Artist 1 -- -- -- 14 -- -- 1 -- 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Dance 1 -- 4 2 12 4 -- -- 3 -- -- -- 1 2 1 1 -- -- -- 3 -- Music -- -- 2 -- 19 -- -- 1 1 -- 1 -- -- 1 -- 2 2 2 -- 2 -- Theatre 27 1 18 14 [142] 35 1 -- 26 12 9 -- 9 16 6 6 19 -- -- 46 5 Health Performance 6 -- 4 5 28 15 -- 1 7 3 1 2 6 1 1 3 2 -- 1 16 -- Community -- -- -- -- 3 -- -- -- 2 -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Venue 5 -- 2 1 19 2 -- -- -- 1 -- -- 1 1 -- -- 2 -- -- 8 -- Director/Producer 2 -- 1 -- 19 3 -- -- 4 1 -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- Poetry/Playwright 3 1 -- -- 25 3 -- 2 6 3 -- -- 1 3 -- -- 5 -- -- 8 -- Designer 1 -- -- 1 8 2 -- -- 1 -- 3 -- -- 1 -- -- 1 1 -- -- -- Stage Mgt 1 -- -- -- 6 2 -- 3 1 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 -- Digital Media 1 -- 1 -- 3 3 -- 1 -- 1 1 -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- 1 Museum Support Services 1 -- -- 1 7 2 -- -- 1 1 1 -- -- 1 -- -- 1 -- 2 -- -- Marketing/PR Professional Services Education -1 --- --- -1 -10 --- --- -2 -6 -2 --- --- --- --- --- --- -2 --- --- 4 2 --- 3 -- -- 2 22 2 -- 2 1 1 1 -- 1 -- -- 2 3 -- -- 4 -- Research -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Publishing/Media -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Public/Strategic Organisations, Networks 4 -- 5 3 38 4 1 4 3 1 -- -- -- 5 2 1 1 1 -- 13 1 Health (v) National vs. International Outlook Looking further at the relational links within Scottish theatre, there is evidence also of a strong national focus to the sector with comparatively fewer incoming and external links to the rest of the UK and overseas (Table 2). Put another way, just 1 in 17 relationships among survey participants were English (Scotland England) whilst 1 in 58 were international (UK World) (Fig 9). This appears to be broadly consistent across age groups, gender and occupations, although it is noted that actor and director sub-sectors enjoy a slightly stronger international profile. As several strategic organisations and associations are based in London, this is also read as a more internationalised sub-sector. Overall, the predominantly national set of relationships could be viewed as further evidence of a nationally specialised sector or conversely, as a potentially locked-in sector with modest exposure to external ideas and skills. Fig 9 – Geography of External Links THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING 15 Scotland Percent Scottish UK International Actor Artist Dance Music Theatre Performance Community Venue Director/Producer Poetry/Playwright Designer Stage Mgt Digital Media Support Services Marketing/PR Professional Services Education Research Publishing/Media Public/Strategic Organisations, Networks Other Total Total Table 2 – Destination of Relational Ties 78 9 34 24 448 104 4 45 33 61 21 16 12 24 26 25 48 1 -88 70 9 32 23 416 99 4 41 25 56 20 14 12 24 25 25 47 1 -75 89.7 100 94.1 95.8 92.8 95.1 100 91.1 75.7 91.8 95.2 87.5 100 100 96.1 100 97.9 100 -85.2 4 -1 1 25 3 -4 8 5 1 2 --1 ----9 4 -1 -7 2 ----------1 --4 1 1102 -1018 0 1 65 -19 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING 4. ANALYSIS BY SUB-SECTOR Scottish theatre is a highly complex sector, which incorporates several sub-sectors and associated industries. For ease of analysis, these have been categorised as: Acting Art Dance Music Theatre/Drama Performance - such as circus, puppet animation or street performance Community work Venues Direction/Production Poetry and Playwrighting Design – such as set design, costume design Stage Management Digital Media Support Services – such as casting agents, equipment and prop hire, theatre freighting Marketing and PR Professional Services – such as theatre consultants, lawyers and accountants, voice coaching and dramaturgy Education and Research Publishing and Media Public and Strategic Organisations, and Networks Other – such as health organisations, faith groups (i) Funded Organisations Some theatre companies receive public funding for their work, either on a long-term basis (as Foundation Funding) or shorter period (as Flexible Funding). These include both building-based theatre companies plus those who work in different communities with no fixed base. As Fig 10 and 11 illustrate, these centrally funded organisations have a disproportionate reach across the entire sector, with some organisations such as the Citizens Theatre possessing strong outward as well as incoming links, and acting as a nexus for multiple connections. Furthermore as Fig 12 illustrates foundation-funded organisations are able to reach across sub-sectors – connecting with theatres as well as other parts of the sector – and over space. (The relational maps of each Foundation-funded organisation are contained at Appendix 2.) 16 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE Fig 10 – Reach of Foundation and Flexi-Funded Organisations THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Fig 11 – Dominance of Key Foundation-funded Theatre Companies 18 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Fig 12 – Spatial Expanse of Foundation Organisations Foundation-funded organisations (Red), Theatres (blue), Other sub-sectors (Black). 19 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE (ii) Theatre Companies Fig 13 shows the impact of theatre companies more generally across the sector. Just 14 organisations (out of a total possible 812) were not connected to this main group illustrating the importance of all theatre companies in connecting the whole sector. Of special interest is the cluster of relationships around some notable organisations, including The Federation of Scottish Theatres, National Theatre of Scotland, Play Pieces, The Arches, and John Stalker Productions. These organisations also tend to have a wider national and international outlook. The Arches, a multi-purpose venue in Glasgow is especially effective as a platform or nexus for multiple (incoming and outgoing) interactions (Fig 14). Fig 13 – Relational Network of Theatre Companies THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Fig 14 – Relational Network of The Arches (iii) Strategic Organisations Strategic Organisations in Scottish theatre comprise public authorities, strategic commission organisations and associations/networks that serve the sector. As Fig 15 illustrates, these organisations are also dominated by relational ties to and from key theatre companies. Fig 15 – Public and Strategic Organisations, and Networks 21 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING (iv) Playwrights Playwrights are highlighted as an interesting sub-sector of the Scottish theatre sector. Playwrights serving the Scottish theatre sector tend to be located across the Central Belt of Scotland but are especially well-represented around Glasgow and across the Highlands and Islands (Fig 16). As Fig 17 illustrates, playwrights also have a wider spatial outlook, with relational ties spreading across Scotland (rather than one geographical area) and to other parts of the UK and overseas. This tends to suggest that Scottish-based Playwrights are successful in exporting their work to the rest of the UK and that Scottish theatres import from works for Scottish audiences. Fig 16 – The Location of Playwrights in Scotland Playwrights (Red), Connections to Other Theatre Organisations (Black) Fig 17 – National and International Outlook of Playwright Ties 22 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING As Fig 18 illustrates, Playwrights play a central role in Scottish theatre but are not overdominated by theatre companies. The relational network originating from playwrights is well represented by playwrights (black), theatre companies (blue) and other parts of the theatre sector (white), and this diversity of ties links with the idea of a sub-sector that enjoys lots of internal networking (Table 1, p13). Other sub-sectors are dominated by the theatre-based Hub and Spoke Cluster relationships, which effectively force out other internal relationships. Fig 18 – Playwright Links with Other parts of the Sector (v) Producers and Directors Producers and directors are also highlighted as an interesting sub-sector, which displays different tendencies in terms of relational networks. Many producers and directors operate on a freelance basis and are concentrated around the key conurbations of Edinburgh and Glasgow (Fig 19), locations that serve them well in terms of local links with theatre companies. It is apparent that whilst the outlook of many theatre companies tends to be national (across Scotland) and to some extent international, the outlook for producers and directors is more local in orientation (Fig 20). 23 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Fig 19 – Location of Producers and Directors Fig 20 –Local Outlook of a Glasgow-based Director 24 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING 5. MEMBERSHIP AND NETWORKS During survey, participants were asked about their membership to theatre-based organisations and also their primary sources of information, the key findings of which are presented here. (i) Sources of Information Although individual theatres (their websites, social media presence, and leaflets) are an important source of information for the entire sector, there are several strategic organisations and networks who were cited as being important for information provision. As Table 3 illustrates, these included the strategic organisations, Creative Scotland (especially the Opportunities portal of the main website and RSS feeds), the Federation of Scottish Theatres, Equity, and to a lesser extent the National Theatre of Scotland. The importance of the press was noted as particularly important, especially The Stage and The Guardian. For individual sub-sectors, the importance of the Playwrights’ Studio and Scottish Society of Playwrights was noted, as was SSCAN (Scottish Street and Circus Arts Network), and Promote YT for youth theatre and Imaginate for children’s theatre. Whilst the use and significance of web-based communication is much in evidence in Scottish theatre (e.g. the internet forum of SCOT NITs and SSCAN, and the personal twitter feeds of Mark Fisher, for Theatre Scotland), the importance of local word-of-mouth and social interaction (e.g. in bars!) should not be overlooked. A third of all survey participants noted the importance of local word-of-mouth in securing information about the sector. For this reason, whilst Scottish theatre is in every respect a contemporary digitised sector its continued growth and competitiveness rests to a large extent on the networks of individual members, either formally through board and group membership activities, or informally through local word-of-mouth. 25 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING 157 134 116 109 61 45 36 32 31 30 19 18 18 16 16 16 15 14 12 11 11 11 The Pub Traverse Bar Tron Bar Total – All Sources 5 2 2 1321 36 30.1 26.5 25 14 10.3 8.2 7.3 7.1 6.9 4.3 4.1 4.1 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.4 3.2 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.5 International 11.9 10.1 8.7 8.2 4.6 3.4 1.7 2.4 2.3 2.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.8 UK Percent of People Creative Scotland Word of Mouth Federation of Scottish Theatres SCOT NITs National Press Playwrights Studio Individual Theatres Equity (Scotland) SSCAN The Stage Theatre Scotland/Mark Fisher Agent Voluntary Arts Scotland Imaginate National Theatre of Scotland Promote YT Spotlight Arts Professional The Guardian Scottish Society of Playwrights The Herald Traverse Percent of All Sources Scotland Total Table 3 – Principal Sources of Information (219 sources) 437 (ii) Membership A total of 257 membership groups were identified during survey with the sector (Table 4), to which nearly half (46%) of all participants are connected to. From this, one might conclude that Scottish theatre is a highly connected sector and the variety of groups in existence highlights the institutional thickness of the sector. Overall, these different groups related to: Public and Strategic Organisations (Boards) Theatre Companies (Boards) Local Area Groups (Committees) Special Interest Groups (in specific fields) 26 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Total – All Sources Cited 823 27 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE 34.2 27.4 11 5.5 4.4 4.1 3.5 2.3 3 3 3 3 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.2 1.9 1.9 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 823 365 International 15.2 12.1 4.9 2.4 1.9 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.1 1 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 UK Percent of People 125 100 40 20 16 15 13 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 9 8 7 7 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 Percent of All Groups Equity Federation of Scottish Theatres Scottish Society of Playwrights Arts & Business IETM Spotlight Promote YT Independent Theatre Council BECTU Highlands and Islands Theatre Network SCDA Scot Nits Arts Marketing Association Theatrical Management Association (TMA) Culture Sparks Stage Management Association Playwrights’ Studio Scotland SSCAN (Scottish Street and Circus Artists Network) Articulation Edinburgh Festival Fringe Promoters Arts Network (PAN) Audience East Scotland BAFTA Cutting Edge Theatre EIS Young Audience Scotland Scotland Total Table 4 – Principal Boards and Membership Groups (257 Groups) THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING 6. CONCLUSIONS: SPATIAL ANALYSIS, GLUE AND PLATFORMS Scottish theatre is a highly sophisticated sector that has evolved over several decades, exhibits a strong institutional thickness, is flexible, and also has a wide sectoral expanse. All of these features combine to provide competitiveness and durability. Scottish theatre has a distinctive organisation. Whilst sub-sectors are well-developed and also well-represented, they are dominated by relationships with theatre companies and circus and other performance-based companies. The centrality of theatre and performance to the entire sector, presumably in their role as primary agents of funding and employment opportunities, create a type of Hub and Spoke arrangement, which dominates the entire sector. On the one hand, theatre and performance companies act as the glue that binds together the whole sector, the dominance of an elite group of theatres (especially Foundation-funded organisations) effectively militate the benefits of the Sector’s institutional thickness. The existence of multiple roles in organisations, freelance workers with jobs in different subsectors, the development of “talent hubs”, and the (de facto) role of some organisations (many Foundation-funded) as a platform or nexus of activities, reduces the clarity of this Hub and Spoke arrangement. Within the sector, there is evidence of flexible working and small and larger organisations co-working and competing, which to some extent resembles an industrial district, whilst there is evidence of nurturing new talent through co-housing of activities and collaborations that resembles a milieu. Collectively, this makes Scottish theatre difficult to summarise as a one size fits all model, and difficult to disentangle from other sectors and industries. Notwithstanding this, there are several aspects of Scottish theatre that are worthy of mention and that have been highlighted through the relational analyses: As a whole, Scottish theatre is a predominantly national sector, with a tendency towards national rather than international relationships. Most freelance workers and small companies are located close to centres of opportunity, most notably around the theatre and performance companies in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow. Actors, directors/producers, and playwrights exhibit a wider geography, which suggests that they are key areas of both export (to the UK and overseas) and import to Scottish audiences. Support services (such as agents, set production, props and equipment production/hire) and specialist professional services (such as theatre-based consultants, accountants, and voice coaches) have a more local outlook. Centrally funded organisations (through Foundation and Flexible Funding) also exert a strong influence on the entire sector, many of which are also theatre companies. These organisations plus a small number of strategic organisations and venues exert an extraordinary influence on the entire sector, and accordingly, could be seen to act as platforms for wider connections. The Arches, Play Pieces, and new and emerging hubs are especially strong in their role as platforms and as a nexus for connections. Scottish theatre is served by a large number of membership organisations, who represent different areas of Scotland and/or different parts of the industry, provide 28 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING connections to other parts of the sector, as well as providing key sources of information. They comprise both face-to-face and local organisations, as well as web-based organisations. The breadth and number of these organisations further illustrate the institutional thickness of Scottish theatre and their role in connecting different parts of the sector. The fact that so many participants cited the importance of both national and web-based organisations, and local/face-to-face organisations does tend to highlight the complex ecology of the sector and the importance of social-professional networks. 29 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING APPENDIX 30 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Creative Scotland Word of Mouth Federation of Scottish Theatres Scot Nits National Press Playwrights Studio Individual Theatres Equity (Scotland) SSCAN The Stage Theatre Scotland/Mark Fisher Agent Voluntary Arts Scotland Imaginate National Theatre of Scotland Promote YT Spotlight Arts Professional The Guardian Scottish Society of Playwrights The Herald Traverse HITN SCDA The List TMA Promoters Artist Network Hi-Arts HTC IETM Arts Marketing Association Casting Call Pro Conflux Glasgow Life Ideas Tap Stage Jobs Pro The Scotsman Arts and Business Scotland Circostrada Network Cultural Enterprise Office Dance Base TAB The Arches ABTT BBC BECTU Culture Sparks Edinburgh Festival 31 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE 157 134 116 109 61 45 36 32 31 30 19 18 18 16 16 16 15 14 12 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 8 8 8 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 Scotland Total Scotland Total Table A1 – All Sources of Information Cited ISAN Northings Scottish Government SSP Young Audiences Arts Council Central Station Creativity Portal Discover Fine Acting NTS Puppet Animation Scotland Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Stage Management Association STTC Theatre Management Association Articulation Audiences East Scotland Catherine Wheels CEC Citizens Theatre Confab Devoted and Disgruntled Dundee Rep Theatre Eden Court Theatre Event Scotland Glasgow City Council Royal Lyceum Moray Council Mull Theatre National Association of Writers NEAT The Pub! Puppeteers UK Reid Kerr Actors and Techs SCDA Scottish Storytelling Centre SMA SQA Starcatchers Subway Advertising The Briggait The Visitors Traverse Bar! Tron Bar! 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Organisations mentioned once Organisations mentioned once 113 10 THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING A2 – Ego Networks (and Reach) of Foundation-funded Organisations Fig A2(i) – Ego Network of the Citizens Theatre Fig A2(ii) – Ego Network of Dundee Rep 32 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Fig A2(iii) – Ego Network of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Fig A2(iv) – Ego Network of the Traverse Theatre 33 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE THEATRE SECTOR REVIEW: MAPPING Fig A2(vi) – Ego Network of the Tron Theatre Fig A2(vii) – Ego Network of Horescross Arts 34 MAP NETWORK INTERACTIVE
