The Economic, Social, and Cultural impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Independent Arts Workers in the United Kingdom

Lead Research Organisation: University of Essex
Department Name: East 15 Acting School

Abstract

COVID-19 threatens the performing arts; closures of theatres and outlawing of public gatherings have proven financially devastating to the industry across the United Kingdom and, indeed, the world. The pandemic has sparked a wide range of industry-led strategies designed to alleviate financial consequences and improve audience capture amidst social distancing. COVID-19 has affected all levels of the sector but poses an existential threat to freelancers--Independent Arts Workers (IAWs)--who make up 60% of industry workforce in the UK (EU Labour Force Survey 2017). The crisis has put a spotlight on the vulnerable working conditions, economic sustainability, mental wellbeing, and community support networks of IAWs. IAWs are often overlooked by the industry and researchers, however it is their very precarity that makes them pioneers of adaptability responsible for key innovation within the sector. IAWs may prove essential for the industry's regrowth post-COVID-19. An investigation is necessary into the impact of COVID-19 on IAWs and the wide-ranging creative solutions developing within the industry to overcome them.

There has been increasing pressure to gather 'robust, real-time data' to investigate the financial, cultural, and social potential long-term consequences of COVID-19 on the UK theatre industry. The impact of the pandemic on IAWs is particularly complex and wide-ranging. A TRG Arts survey stated that 60% of IAWs predict their income will 'more than halve in 2020' while 50% have had 100% of their work cancelled. Industry researchers from TRG Arts and Theatres Trust have launched investigations examining the financial impact of COVID-19 on commercial venues and National Portfolio Organisations, but there has been insufficient research into the consequences for IAWs (eg. actors, directors, producers, writers, theatre makers, technicians) and the smaller SMEs beyond income loss and project cancellation data. In May 2020, Vicky Featherstone of the Royal Court Theatre, stated the importance of support for the 'massive freelance and self-employed workforce' she believed has been 'taken for granted' by the industry. Our study fills this gap by capturing and analysing not only the economic impact, but the social and cultural transformations caused by COVID-19 by and for IAWs. We will compare regional responses across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland as well as variations across racial and socio-economic groups. Our aims are to document and investigate the impact of COVID-19 on IAWs, identify inequalities in the sector, investigate changes in the type of work produced post-COVID-19, and help develop strategies for how the sector can move forward from this crisis. We will investigate connections between the financial consequences of COVID-19 and creative strategies for industry survival including social support networks, communication initiatives between arts venues and IAWs, and the development of mixed-media work in the wake of the pandemic. Our study scrutinizes the economic, cultural, and social impact of COVID-19 on IAWs and the organisations that serve them with the aim of informing strategies for sector recovery.
 
Description The global Covid-19 pandemic brought new attention to the precarity faced by freelance workers and the wider notion of what has become known as the 'gig economy' in the UK. The theatre sector has been no different, with successive national lockdowns highlighting the industry's long-standing reliance on a diverse freelance workforce. Freelancers make up the majority of the UK's theatre ecology (88% of its workforce is self-employed or freelance).

Our findings illuminate the corresponding experiences of uncertainty, pessimism, and hope relating to future work and the future of the performing arts sector in the UK. They also show a high level of adaptiveness as theatre freelancers have diversified their skills and careers. From our study, the experience of this initial closure varied significantly among freelancers, but the evidence shows that freelancers were more dramatically affected than other workers in the industry. Our research indicates a boom of innovative practice amongst theatre freelancers over Covid-19 that responded to the closure of theatres and other restrictions by developing digitally based and/or distanced forms of audience engagement. Practitioners shifted their daily practice from the rehearsal studio to Zoom and utilised networking technologies to widen their collaborations and extend their national and international reach.

Upon the reopening of theatres in late Summer through Autumn 2021, our research finds that the absence of unilateral regulation and the pressure to get back up and running often put freelancers and temporarily contracted crew under intense and unsafe working pressures; this was particularly noted in Autumn 2021 as both the Delta and Omicron variants spread through casts and crews daily.

The widespread use of digital platforms during Covid-19 offered opportunities for freelance theatre workers to establish new creative relationships and collaborations with peers in the UK as well as further afield. Our research indicated an exponential increase in engagement with online social and support networks, more formally as led by organisations and sector stakeholders, and informally, through peer-to-peer and grassroots mechanisms. Many of our research participants spoke of their reliance on freelance support networks for emotional, professional, and creative support, and mobilisation of members of the workforce towards activism and change.
Our research highlights the significance of relationships with both fellow freelancers and organisations in freelancers' feelings of optimism towards their future work. It is troubling then that there appears also to be a significant breach of trust, communication, and understanding between organisations and freelancers
very early in the pandemic, made greater by a series of public policies around pandemic support and recovery. This has made it difficult not only to collaborate on solutions, but to engage in the dialogues needed for recovery and change.

Our research estimates that freelancer-led networks, grassroots activism, and formal activist groups formed or were amplified in great numbers during Covid-19. Large scale freelancer activist groups built off of these concerns, to actively invoke dialogue with cultural organisations, public bodies, and trade unions. Further research is needed, however, to study the long-term impact of these Covid-19 developed activist networks.
Exploitation Route In recent studies on the aftermath of Covid-19 on the Arts Industries our project final report has been cited and added to, including: Theatre After Covid (PI Christopher Balme), the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, Melissa Tyler's "Creating an equitable and sustainable future for freelance / self-employed workers in the entertainment industry" (2022) and "Performing during/after lockdown: A study of the impact of COVID-19 on live performers in the UK" from the British Academy in 2021. Arts Policy Makers, funding bodies such as Arts Council England and the trade union, British Actors Equity, have also found our project outcomes useful for their current reports and strategies. Smaller grassroots organisations such as Women Working Class and the Working Class Artist group have also used our report for their inclusion campaigns within the industry
Sectors Creative Economy,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
URL https://freelancersinthedark.com/home/freelancers-in-the-dark-final-report/
 
Description Our project findings have had many non-academic impacts and been used in government policy documents on digital innovation in the UK theatre industry, in continuing collaborations with British Actors' Equity on Diversity and Inclusion in the industry, in continuing collaborations with the Working Class Artists Group and Women Working Class organisations as well as being cited in industry-led research projects on the recovery of the UK theatre industry post Covid-19.
Sector Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
Impact Types Cultural,Policy & public services
 
Description Citation in Parliament White Paper on Digital Transformation During COVID
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health
 
Description Consultation for the Creative Culture Pledge by Metro-Mayors
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
 
Description Rapid and Agile Project Funding Scheme
Amount £39,739 (GBP)
Organisation University of Essex 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2022 
End 06/2022
 
Description Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre 
Organisation Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution We are mutually sharing our research findings through a sharing of published reports. PEC is publishing an article by our Research Team members from the survey findings in Spring 2021. We are particularly useful for PEC because of our focus on qualitative research and grassroots organizations and individuals. Also our narrow focus on the theatre industry is something of value to their larger, more general creative industries, and quantitative based study.
Collaborator Contribution PEC are sharing their reports with us and promoting or research findings on their study. For us, they are able to provide us a larger context to position our qualitative findings within. As a policy focused research project on the creative industries, PEC will also enable our study to impact cultural policy more directly with Parliament arts policy reports and panels.
Impact Outputs still active. We are publishing an article on our findings with them in Spring 2021 from the Survey findings and will continue with future shared publications.
Start Year 2021
 
Description Culture Commons 
Organisation Culture Commons Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Culture Commons is an Arts Policy Lobbying group who are developing a cultural pledge with UK Metro Mayors in May on their support and contributions to regional arts organizations and the local cultural industries. In May 2021, we are conducting focus groups with regional freelance artists across the country and are developing reports to feed back to Culture Commons to be used in their Metro Mayor Region Panels to be conducted in April which will directly contribute to the development of the Metro Mayor Cultural Pledge in May 2021. The Metro Mayor Regions our Focus Group reports will feed back to are: Greater Manchester, Liverpool, West Yorkshire, Midlands, and London. We also have spoken about future partnerships in their lobbying for the cultural industries in Westminster, beginning in August.
Collaborator Contribution The Cutlure Commons are directly feeding back to regional and national arts policy makers and are providing our research a platform to help inform arts policy for the post covid world.
Impact Regional Focus Group Reports for Metro Mayor Areas (March 2021) Metro Mayor Pledge (May 2021)
Start Year 2021
 
Description "COVID-19 threatening diversity in theatre, research suggests" article in Manchester Metropolitan University Research News 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Article on our findings to date from Dr Josh Edelman on MMU's contributions to the study, particularly in regards to Survey development and arts policy research in relation to COVID-19.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.mmu.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/story/13653/
 
Description "COVID-19 threatening diversity in theatre, research suggests" press release on ABTT website 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact ABTT are a technical theatre arts membership organization. This press release on our study was particularly used to recruit for the Survey, using findings from our interviews to help recruit ABTT members to become research participants.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.abtt.org.uk/new-survey-addresses-the-pandemic-experiences-of-theatre-freelancers/
 
Description "Nearly a year on, UK Freelancers are still in the dark" -article for Exuent Magazine 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact Article for Exeunt Magazine reporting on our study to date, also promoting our survey for a wider audience.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL http://exeuntmagazine.com/features/nearly-year-uk-theatre-freelancers-still-dark/
 
Description 'We have far more power than we realise': Challenging gender inequality in the theatre industry" 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact A blog post public-facing write up of our research data gathered from our gender focus group especially focusing on the thoughts and feelings of freelancers on gender based inequality in the industry. The post also spoke of recommendations of best practice to assist cultural institutions
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://freelancersinthedark.com/2022/02/04/challenging-gender-inequality/
 
Description A press release "COVID threatening diversity in theatre, forcing diversification, research suggests" -published in a number of regional and national press sources and the Stage (UK) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Media (as a channel to the public)
Results and Impact An article, "COVID threatening diversity in theatre, forcing diversification, research suggests" releasing our early findings and promoting our Survey and focus group recruitment. Published in a wide number of regional and national press sources for the theatre industry.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://northwestend.com/?p=2171
 
Description Creative Micro-Commission Workshops 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact In October and November 2021 we held 6 creative workshops with artists developing micro-commissions of artistic practice on themes coming from our research themes. The workshops were held in London, Plymouth, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Birmingham
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description Creative Micro-Commissions Blog post 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact This was a general blog post on our micro-commission creative workshops we conducted across the country. We summarized the themes coming from these creative workshops and research participants creative expression of their experiences over the pandemic
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://freelancersinthedark.com/2021/10/27/creative-micro-commissions/
 
Description Cultural Value Conference speaker 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Dr Maples was a guest panellist sharing the research study's findings with industry, academic, and policy-makers on the impact of covid-19 on the arts sector
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.culturalvalue.org.uk/changing-culture/
 
Description Engagement focused Website with Monthly released newsletters and blog posts 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Our project website, Freelancers in the Dark, updates our research participants, creative industries workers, and general public on our study. We release a monthly newsletter at the end of each month, on our study findings to date and other information, and blog posts. We have used this to engage research participants, recruiter future participants for our survey and focus groups, and share our findings. We have had interesting feedback and reflection via email from those engaging with our website and newsletters.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://freelancersinthedark.com/
 
Description Identity and Giving Voice 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact A write up focusing on themes from our Creative Workshops and Micro-commission on freelancers feelings of identity and perceived value of artists by the UK government and society
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://freelancersinthedark.com/2021/12/15/identity-and-giving-voice/
 
Description International Federation for Theatre Research conference roundtable on COVID-19 and the arts 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The research team presented a roundtable panel at an international theatre research conference on their COVID-19 research study
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://iftr.org/news/2021/july/iftr-galway-2021-programme
 
Description Roundtable on our project for a Cultura Industries Masters Class with students at Queens Belfast & National University of Ireland Galway 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact Members of our team, including Dr Kurt Taroff, Dr Ali Fitzgibbon, Dr Holly Maples and our two postdoctoral researchers, Dr Laura Harris and Dr James Rowson shared information on our project findings to date, particularly from the data from 80 interviews conducted in the autumn and our current survey findings, to creative industry postgraduate students from Queens University Belfast and NUI Galway -invited by Dr Patrick Lonergan (NUI Galway) and Dr Kurt Taroff (Queens Belfast)
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
 
Description twitter and facebook page 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact We have actively been posting on our facebook page, Instagram, and twitter feed (@freelancersITD) to share other studies work on COVID-19s impact on UK freelance theatre workers and to share our current findings. We currently are particularly using these sites to promote our survey and focus group participants, and also to further publicize our study. This has been useful for engaging both industry interest and research participants. I have recently recruited a number of working class artists to our study through social media, a demographic group we have found difficult to reach by other methods.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.facebook.com/FreelancersITD