Sussex theatre in financial crisis from Covid turns to crowdfunding to survive

ITV Meridian's James Dunham speaks to cast and crew

A theatre group in Worthing has made a direct appeal to people to help provide thousands of pounds of financial support to keep going.

Conn Artists company formed in 2013, and like all areas of the arts, the last two years have been the tough with cancelled shows and restricted audience numbers.

The group has now launched a crowdfunding page in an attempt to raise £2,000, to go towards the cost of building sets, creating costumes and travel and accommodation for the cast.

The theatre industry has been badly hit during the pandemic, being forced to close for many months due to Covid-19 restrictions. A lot of companies attempted to stay afloat by taking their offerings online, but that hasn't stopped loss of jobs.

Ross Muir is artistic director at the Conn Artists theatre group and says funding is vital: “So much funding has been redirected towards keeping buildings open and that there hasn't been enough money to go around and necessarily support other worthy projects that artists and companies like ourselves want to produce and get out on the road and start pleasing our audiences again.

“It’s been a very difficult time. We're fundraising because the arts and theatre simply need some form of subsidy.

"Like all theatres and theatre companies, the pandemic has made life very difficult on the funding front.

"For some theatres it's still really quiet, waiting for audiences to come back, whereas for other venues, audiences were willing to come back sooner. So it's been a rocky time trying to balance the books financially, and just keep going.

"We pride ourselves on giving local artists an opportunity, and we invite our audiences to become stakeholders in their regional theatre.

"Live theatre and the arts are the life, blood and soul of communities, and that's why we're so passionate about what we do. Theatre is unique and magical.

"The social aspect of people coming into a venue and meeting their friends and family, to have a shared experience with performers on stage, and be transported somewhere that improves their wellbeing beyond every day life, is invaluable.

Conn Artists Theatre Company was founded in 2013, growing steadily over the last nine years.

The arts provide employment to people who are not just on stage says production manager Matthew Pike,

“There is an army of people behind the scenes putting it all together, from sound engineers to lighting engineers to people who just work on the stage as crew, so it's their livelihood as well. 

“So by getting life theatre back up and running gives all those people a chance to make a living and do what they love to do.”

Actor Jenny Rowe said, “It's great to be back on stage and actually performing in a room with real life people.

Jenny Rowe, Actor

Last month (December 2021) Rishi Sunak announced £30 million funding would be available to support organisations in the arts, such as theatres, museums and orchestras through the winter until March 2022.

The measures mean small and medium-sized companies - those with less than 250 employees - can be reimbursed by the government for the cost of statutory sick pay for Covid-related absences of up to two weeks per employee.

"Eligible" hospitality and leisure businesses "impacted by Omicron" will also be able to apply for a one-off cash grant of up to £6,000.