In the face of ongoing funding cuts, political instability and a fragmented sector, Scotland’s arts organisations are coming together in an attempt to spark change. State of the Nation is a landmark gathering co-hosted by An Tobar and Mull Theatre, Citizens Theatre and Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland that invites organisations to create a space to start building a unified and strategic response to empower the future of Scottish arts.
Following the conclusion of the Multi-Year Funding application process, many organisations are asking how they can best prepare themselves to be in a stable position before the process begins again. The process encourages collaboration, yet there are currently no formal structures in place to support it. In the absence of shared frameworks, organisations often depend on personal relationships or find themselves duplicating work and stretching already limited resources.
Rebecca Atkinson-Lord, Artistic Director of An Tobar and Mull Theatre comments, After years of firefighting, it feels powerful to be co-hosting an event that’s unapologetically about hope, ambition and collective action. This is our chance to stop reacting and start shaping the future we want—on our own terms. I hope this gathering sparks a renewed sense of agency and solidarity across the sector, and marks the beginning of a movement towards lasting, systemic change.
State of the Nation is intended to serve as the starting point for something more lasting. It is not designed as a polite roundtable discussion but rather as a vital, energised space where organisations can reassess their power as a collective and begin to shape a strategy that works for the entire sector and for the art it supports. The aim is to create a shared space where Multi-Year Funded organisations can form stronger links, speak with one voice and improve how they communicate with each other. In the future, this may evolve into a broader platform where any arts organisation in Scotland, regardless of its funding status, can be connected and included.
With attendance already confirmed from key representatives of the Scottish theatre sector including: A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Beacon Arts Centre, CatStrand, Eden Court, Federation of Scottish Theatre, Lung Ha, Lyceum Theatre, Lyth Arts, North East Arts Touring, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Rockfield Centre, The Touring Network, Theatre Gu Leor, Traverse Theatre, Wonderfools, National Theatre of Scotland, Scottish Society of Playwrights, Toonspeak, Tron Theatre and Equity.
Dominic Hill, Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Citizens Theatre comments, I’m truly delighted to be co-hosting such a vital gathering for our sector. The Citizens Theatre has always been about bringing people together—and now, in our wonderful new building, that sense of welcome has been elevated even further. I look forward to welcoming colleagues from across Scotland into a space that’s been renewed for dialogue, collaboration, and the bold thinking our sector needs more than ever.
The programme will focus on three key areas of discussion. The first is resource sharing, where participants will explore how meaningful collaboration might lighten the load and unlock opportunities that are simply not possible alone. This is followed by advocacy and lobbying, in which the group will consider how to move from a reactive to a proactive position, ensuring that policy is shaped by those who are at the heart of making and enabling art. Finally, the cohort will look to the future to ask how the sector can avoid repeating the same struggles in two years’ time and how to ensure that those who have historically been excluded from these conversations are meaningfully included moving forward.
Louise Stephens, Creative Director and CEO of Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland comments, There is little breathing space in our industry for strategic thought and few spaces for exchange at organisational level. Spaces to exchange ideas, practice and joint thinking are essential to help us effectively advocate for our sector as a whole. For me, it’s part of our responsibility as leaders of organisations – however big or small – to make sure we make these chances to talk and work together, so that our individual efforts and hard work translate into a healthy foundation for the art and artists which are essential to our organisations’ existence. Our sector has been in reactive mode for many years now, so I’m thrilled to help make this opportunity for productive conversation and the chance to genuinely work together for the health of the sector.
Throughout the day, there will be structured panel discussions offering space for reflection and collective learning. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their immediate priorities following the most recent funding decisions. In a dedicated space titled What is Tomorrow, organisations will be invited to share the projects they had hoped to deliver but were unable to pursue due to lower-than-expected funding outcomes. This forum will also offer a chance to explore potential new partnerships to help those projects come to life.
The sector is strongest when it works together. State of the Nation is a space to begin that work and the organisers hope that this will be the start of a more connected, strategic and hopeful future for the arts in Scotland.
A limited number of bursaries to support access to the event are available for FST members and members of The Touring Network, for more details go to https://www.antobarandmulltheatre.co.uk/whats-on/state-of-the-nation-a-strategic-gathering-for-scotlands-arts-sector.
Main Image: Courtesy of State of the Nation
This post was last modified on August 26, 2025 11:19 am