The C-Word Debate: Working Class Representation In Theatre & Cultural Industries at Hoxton Hall

Chaired by Lyn Gardner with a panel including John McGrath and Dr David OBrien the panel discuss with the audience solutions to the representation deficit and the real picture within the industry.The post-pandemic challenge for the cultural industry is how to build back more equitably and this subject sits at the heart of #Class Season. The arts in the UK have well documented challenges around diversity within the sector and in recent years there has been a decline in the representation of people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. As a middle-class profession, the arts is notoriously poorly paid, except for a lucky few. The sector persistently suffers from issues of recruitment and retention amplified by the pandemic. Higher education fees, unrecognised funding bias, self-perpetuating bias of Oxbridge networks who hold the majority of the leadership positions also have the effect of limiting access to careers in the arts. What should the industry do to change things. Be part of the conversation.