Art in Times of Extremes

Antonin Artaud’s work was defined by his endeavour to produce work in which audiences found themselves under the same emotional pressures and strains as the actors performing in what would become known as his ‘Theatre of Cruelty’. On the other end of the spectrum of theatrical performances, you can find productions industry-wide known as ‘light entertainment’, something Artaud, I don’t think, was going for at all. Neither, from my point of view, warrant greater or lesser respect nor validity.Theatre and politics also have, as far as we can go back through time and civilisations and scour surviving play texts, wrestled with each other in a constant to-ing and fro-ing over right and righteousness. What happens, however, when funding for artists and political messaging start to go hand in hand? When creatives are being mandated to in terms of what they create and potentially with whom? This has happened rather overtly in the UK this year and I would argue that it is happening in other countries also under perhaps less overt measures. This is Art in times of extremes.

Let’s take a step back

Depending on where in the world and what kind of society, theatre has functioned as a platform to greater or lesser extent for political debate. In Germany, for instance, the theatre we see now is strongly informed by a mid-19 th century desire of the growing middle class to have its voice heard, at a time when it enjoyed limited political power amid growing economic affluence.

A few centuries before then, Shakespeare’s actors and colleagues of the Elizabethan theatre knew exactly how to spot censors in the audience and would quickly amend politically charged text on the hoof – suggesting both a strong desire to keep their heads on their shoulders as well as using performances where censors were absent to voice their opinions critical of the injustices of their day. Audiences would respond depending on their own opinions accordingly, at least vocally and in some cases, as research tells us, by throwing mouldy vegetables onstage, or, even less veiled, directly at actors. Personally, I am happy for my casts that the latter has phased out with time. Still, the performances I have always enjoyed most (as audience member or maker) is when audiences felt empowered to voice their opinions on the action onstage.

Not to mention the inherently politically informed movements of the 50s and 60s and beyond across Europe and the States; the list goes on showing that theatre and its current political climate were rarely separate; they played off each other and made each other relevant to audiences first and, later, history. Too long in fact to give either enough credence or mention before we are completely off topic.

So, what is going on now?

I am far from the first to comment on the rather lacklustre offerings of current work on stages around the most complicated issues of our time. I am not ignoring individual nor the odd mid or large-scale works, yet those also seem far and few between. I want to do some digging around and find out how we got here and from there hope to imagine possible avenues of getting our backs away from the wall again. As it stands, we have either landed ourselves there or were landed there and are still coming to.

Viewing this against the backdrop of European theatre, specifically localising the UK and Germany more in-depth, provides the further advantage to be looking at current producing landscapes against two very different types of theatre industry structures.

On the one hand, the (seemingly) more mobile and flexible model of a free scene, from Fringe to Commercial, with its fundraising culture; and on the other, the more institutionalised, state-funded model of state and city venues. Perhaps there will be the odd occasion where breaking beyond those parameters makes more sense or is simply impossible to avoid, it is good to start somewhere, though.

Crucially

Earlier this year, as the UK was coming towards the end of 14-year-long Conservative Party rule, and importantly only a few months after the 7 th October attacks in Israel and the ensuing mass destruction and killing in Gaza (and now beyond), a statement was issued by the Arts Council England (ACE) stating, that organisations should be wary of ‘activity that might be considered overtly political and activist’. ACE is England’s largest public funding body for the arts, which itself takes its resources through the National Lottery and a budget allocated by government.

It is noteworthy here that, as the Guardian writes further, a spokesperson of Kemi Badenoch’s (now leader of the Conservative Party and then UK business secretary), remarked,

they did not want to hand taxpayers’ money “to people that oppose the United Kingdom itself”.

If you’re a maker in England, from dancer to indie musician, from fine artist to theatre and performance art, community-based to large-scale touring, at some point you will find yourself applying for funds from ACE.

The statement was issued after a meeting with the Department for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) in December 2023. And it took place under vaguely clandestine circumstances, it was certainly not greatly advertised – and it was on: funding – or not – of artistic work in response to the unfolding events in Israel and Gaza.

What would DCMS, a government ministry, have to say to an arts funding body, which rarely if at all, makes decisions around funding based on the artistic contents of funding proposals… It is part of ACE’s decision-making process – and therefore the application process – to deal as little as possible with content. Even trying to talk to them about content you will see eyes glazing over. Typically, applications deal with numbers: numbers of engagement and participation, of performances, public or not, audience demographics, artist demographics, venues, etc. It’s essentially a match funding supplier and if you can raise decent amount of monies elsewhere ACE will fund in accordance with its own parameters. Whilst this can be of annoyance for artists, I do think it can serve a function: why should an assessor decide what is worthwhile exploring or making? Having said that, the parameters are also set by the government in power.

So, what was said at this meeting?

Is a sharper lens being thrown at demographics involved or marketed to then, a strong factor, I can imagine, when it comes to determining the contents of work? What does that tell us not only about political biases but the stage we are at when it comes to challenging power? Equity (UK’s largest art workers’ union) asked to be able to review the minutes of the meeting under the Freedom of Information Act, which were astoundingly shallow and curt (click here for more).

Despite ACE peddling back since in its usual confused messaging, the event raises many questions, among them: how many applications so far have been scrutinized under the viewpoints discussed, the rest of us get to know embarrassingly little of? If this instance was fairly unsuccessful for now, when will it not be?

Censorship is a big word to throw around. Yet if artists are asked to think of consequences for creating politically challenging work that deviates from official positions, I am not sure what else you can call it. Not having alarm bells go off at the prospect of this happening would speak for great desensitisation at best or (ethical) apathy at worst. At a time of political polarisation in the extremes, dialogue under the protection of free speech could not be more crucial.

Signs of the times and of times to come

I’ve always felt strongly that life and theatre are reflections of each other. Political oppression doesn’t start and end with artists – that would be obscene. It is another sign of our time that now is not the moment to ‘wait and see’ – any longer. 2024 has the highest count of democratic elections held worldwide, ever. Nearly half the population around the globe gets to cast votes this year in more democratic processes than seen before in human history. And another crucial one has occurred in the last few days that is guaranteed to shape the public discourse in more extreme ways.

Art has played a strong role alongside for audiences (and makers, I’d argue) the whole time. Political fear is dominant – and we cannot allow ourselves to shy away from and stagnate now on the most difficult debates of our age. We need our artists and venues to actively stand tall against any social injustice ailing our society and to dream taller of how the world can be shaped instead. For our democracies to uphold and develop, unrestricted and unrestrained voices need to be able to critique and contribute to the political discourse.

Next article in Art in Times of Extremes:

How did we get here? (Neo) Liberalism and its Functionaries.

And lastly: It’s easy to find one’s voice when the tide has turned – will you find out how creative freedom and voices have been stimied where you are and comment below?⬇️

Art in times of extremes, time to create
Photo by Canva
Alice Kornitzer
Theatre Director and Dramaturge -UNITED KINGDOM
Alice Kornitzer is a European theatre director and dramaturge, and artistic director of Sharp Image Company and Pick Up Productions. Her directing work has been Offine-nominated in London and in 2018 she was a recipient of the European Theatre Conference Artist Residency Scholarship. With an international portfolio, the stories that most compel her capture the macro structures and events of the world in the microcosm of the human potential. Working with a European-British cultural understanding and aesthetic, she believes in a theatre of Hope – in pursuit of truth, justice and against oppression. These are the themes echoing in her critical and creative writing. SharpImageCompany Twitter and Instagram: @SharpImageComp

Headshot credit: Stephen Ambrose

Back to Home

Editor's Note: At StageLync, an international platform for the performing arts, we celebrate the diversity of our writers' backgrounds. We recognize and support their choice to use either American or British English in their articles, respecting their individual preferences and origins. This policy allows us to embrace a wide range of linguistic expressions, enriching our content and reflecting the global nature of our community.

🎧 Join us on the StageLync Podcast for inspiring stories from the world of performing arts! Tune in to hear from the creative minds who bring magic to life, both onstage and behind the scenes. 🎙️ 👉 Listen now!

Alice Kornitzer

Alice Kornitzer is a European theatre director and dramaturge, and artistic director of Sharp Image Company and Pick Up Productions. Her directing work has been Offine-nominated in London and in 2018 she was a recipient of the European Theatre Conference Artist Residency Scholarship. With an international portfolio, the stories that most compel her capture the macro structures and events of the world in the microcosm of the human potential. Working with a European-British cultural understanding and aesthetic, she believes in a theatre of Hope – in pursuit of truth, justice and against oppression. These are the themes echoing in her critical and creative writing. SharpImageCompany Twitter and Instagram: @SharpImageComp Headshot credit: Stephen Ambrose