We used to think that vandals came from Over There. Today, we breed them ourselves. One of the indisputable successes of Britain since the last world war has been the massive growth of the creative industries. They contribute enormously to the economy, to the prestige of this country and therefore to the pride that we can have in our country.
The Arts Council’s decision to, in effect, destroy the current workforce and achievements of some of London’s venues is unforgivable. There are several examples, but I am writing here about one specific case – the English National Opera. The London Coliseum is a magnificent building, which is very difficult to run successfully, but by any standards a keystone in London’s fair claim to be one of the two foremost cultural cities on the planet. The Arts Council must realise the consequences of what it is doing, which makes it even worse. ENO was given 24 hours’ notice of the decision on 3 November, before the public announcement. It had been decided to kill off one big institution by Easter and ENO was the target. Dr Harry Brünjes, chairman of ENO, told me: “It’s taken about 100 years to build up and 10 seconds to shut it down.”
English National Opera has the most diverse chorus and orchestra in the country, hires 300 permanent staff and many more freelancers and has already proposed plans to both complement the levelling up strategy and continue to produce world-class opera in London. Surely the Arts Council realises that the greatness of London’s creative energy comes from the churn that the centres of theatre, cinema, television, radio, galleries and other dramatic arts have by being in one location. Of course, this happens in other cities. But it is impossible to think of any other city in the UK with the size, money and drawing power of London, particularly with its enormous tourist presence. To dilute this is surely unacceptable. Size matters.
Here are just a few facts. More than 4,000 hours of music made in the 21/22 season was at the London Coliseum. In the same season, 64,000 people saw an opera there (51% were first-time bookers) – and this is in recent “bad times” with Covid etc. In the 22/23 season, 81 performances are scheduled and 3,331 free tickets have been given to under-21s. And this is to say nothing of the scores of schools that continue to enrol with ENO.
In short, this is an all-round success story of the highest order, reaching connoisseurs and initiates. It has taken years to build up this structure and reputation. Now it seems to think that it will take just a few months to cripple it, move it (how and where appears to be nowhere in the picture) and leave one of the great creative locations in London begging for the sympathy of passing strangers.
There is an argument that says that London is already overendowed with public money in the arts. That more should be directed to those less fortunate than the metropolis. And so why should some of them exist on a shoestring while silk and tassels tie up London in luxury? There is a great deal in that argument, but the worst of all worlds would surely be to rob Peter in order to pay Paul. The Donmar, the Hampstead theatre and many other venues in London are of a size not uncommon outside the capital and they have rights to a slice of the cake too. The heart of that matter is that the cake is too small.
Would it never be accepted by the powers that be that we have, in the creative arts, a proved worldwide winner? The more that is invested in the arts, the wider their reach and the greater their global income. They are the new force in British industry. It seems impossible for parliament to swallow that fact.
Even Brexit blight has not cut off the irrepressible surge that drives on everything, from pop music to classical, from drama to dance, from film to theatre, and on they go. What is to stop us becoming the country of the arts? It creates dozens of highly specialised jobs behind the scenes, as well as in the scenes, and often trains British technicians and artists to a level that is treasured around the world. All that’s lacking is the imagination in Westminster to see and to seize the new order. It’s the arts, stupid.
Which brings us back to the astounding success of London and the need to keep hold of the leaders and giants in the current structure. Not cuts, but growth. In the commercial sector, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cameron Mackintosh, Nica Burns and a few others show how high the returns are from intelligent investment, given the substructure of excellence already existing. Do we build on that or do we throw in the towel and slink away, as is now happening with the London Coliseum as a prime example of retreat?
Surely, we can’t let this happen. Haven’t we bled and neglected and wholly underestimated enough of those things that made this country rich in what mattered? It can’t be too late to stop this. There are other theatres just as afflicted, but the London Coliseum can stand for all of them. The Arts Council has been a tremendous help along the way and over the years has done so much to build it up. Now it has taken an axe to its roots. Shame on it.
• Melvyn Bragg is a broadcaster and author
