Research

There is a large discrepancy in the gender balance of composers, lyricists and playwrights credited for main stage theatre productions in the UK, according to new research.

Data compiled by writers Kate Marlais, Meg McGrady and Sarah Middleton, with the support of Mercury Musical Developments (MMD), analysed 500 productions with runs of two weeks or more, across 132 UK venues with a capacity of 200 or more. 

They found within musical theatre across the UK, 83% of composers were male, as well as 78% of lyricists and 65% of librettists. It also found that during 2022, 60 male, 24 female and three non-binary musical theatre writers were commissioned to create new shows. 

The gender imbalance was largest in London, with males credited for 77% of productions based in the capital, compared with 69% outside the capital.

In the West End specifically, composers were 91% male, lyricists were 90% male and playwrights/librettists were 77% male. 

MMD, the UK’s membership organisation for musical theatre writers, has committed to five years of initiatives to support and champion female and non-binary writers, funded by the Jane Goodman Charitable Trust. 

In 2023, it will host a free five-day residential to support a group of female-identifying MMD members and writers. It also plans to launch the Jane Goodman Writing Fund in January, which will fund female-identifying and non-binary MMD members by covering costs for writing time, equipment, assistance or career-enhancing opportunities.

The leading concerns for art galleries in the UK in the coming year are staffing issues and rising costs, a new survey has revealed.

The Heritage Risk Barometer 2022, published by Ecclesiastical, a specialist heritage insurer, identified the top four concerns over the next 12 months as the recruitment and retention of volunteers (cited by 81% of respondents), increasing costs (78%), recruitment and retention of staff (77%) and crime (77%).

The survey aimed to identify the top risks within the heritage sector, focusing on concerns including the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, the recruitment crisis and responding to climate change. 

Over the next three years, the top concerns for galleries were identified as competition from other types of attraction (79%), political uncertainty and the impact of changing government policy (79%) and the ease of access and adaptation for visitors with additional needs (79%).

In the longest-term outlook, covering the next five years, concerns remained focused on staffing and running costs, with 90% of respondents citing recruitment and retention of volunteers as their biggest concern. 

Other long-term concerns included maintaining and repairing heritage buildings (78%), the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on visitor numbers (76%) and lack of diversity among trustees and management boards (76%). 

“The arts sector is facing unprecedented economic uncertainty as inflation and the cost of living soars,” said Faith Kitchen, Customer Segment Director at Ecclesiastical Insurance. 

“Art galleries are having to face huge challenges and many are looking at ways they can cut costs while still maintaining visitor numbers. We hope the Heritage Risk Barometer 2022 will help art galleries think about the risks they face and how best to protect their organisations for the future.”