ARDENT THEATRE COMPANY
10-Year Manifesto for Change:
2025-35
INTRODUCTION
VISION, MISSION AND GOALS
PRODUCTIONS
GRADU8TE
ARDENT VOICES
ARDENT RESOURCES
ADVOCACY
TIMELINES AND MILESTONES
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT
MARKETING STRATEGY
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
CONCLUSION: A CALL TO REIMAGINE THEATRE
INTRODUCTION
Theatre aspires to reflect society — but Britain's stages are increasingly reserved for the privileged few. Class-based exclusion affects all areas of theatre - acting, playwriting, and audience access. A 2024 Creative Access report revealed a stark reality: the proportion of working-class actors, musicians, and writers has halved since the 1970s[1]. Despite years of supposed progress, research in 2020 found only 16% of people in creative jobs now come from working-class backgrounds, compared to a third across the wider workforce[2]. The ladder into the industry is broken — and many can’t even get a foothold.
For working-class actors, financial constraints, regional isolation, and the overwhelming dominance of London-based opportunities create near-insurmountable barriers. Those who don’t attend elite drama schools or who lack personal connections often face an impossible choice: abandon their dreams or accept exploitative, unpaid work they can't afford. Regional graduates must contend with relocation costs, last-minute audition calls that rule out affordable travel, and an overwhelming sense of being "outside the loop."
Working-class playwrights face an equally punishing system. Development pathways — often unpaid and lengthy — demand time and resources that many simply cannot spare. Without clear strategies or financial support, the sector loses vital new voices before they can even be heard.
Audiences from working-class backgrounds are also being pushed out. High ticket prices, inaccessible programming, cultural intimidation, and post-pandemic shifts towards at-home entertainment mean live theatre feels increasingly remote. For many, it's not just a night out — it's an unaffordable risk.
Previous government efforts to “level up” the creative arts industry were restricted by narrow criteria — age limits, educational background, and London-centric programming — and they continue to exclude the very people they claim to support. Unpaid internships, low-paid creative roles, and persistent financial barriers continue to shut out early-career actors from low-income backgrounds.
Theatre, if it is to claim relevance, must confront these systemic inequalities head-on. Without urgent action, working-class actors, writers, and audiences will continue to disappear from the industry. Plays will go unwritten, performances unseen, and theatres themselves will grow increasingly disconnected from the diverse society they are meant to serve. The cost of inaction is a hollowed-out, elitist sector — and a loss of the powerful, authentic stories only working-class creatives can tell.
[1] The class ceiling in the creative industries Research by Creative Access & FleishmanHillard UK, 2024
[2] Heather Carey, Rebecca Florisson, Dave O Brien and Neil Lee (August 2020) Getting in and getting on: Class, participation and job quality in the UK Creative Industries, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (PEC) led by NESTA.
VISION, MISSION AND GOALS
CORE PURPOSE
To end class inequality in theatre.
CORE VALUES
No one feels like an outsider
Everyone has the right to a voice
Artists are paid fairly
Theatre is for everyone
KEY GOAL
At least 50% of creatives working in theatre and 50% of audiences attending theatre identify as, or were raised, working class.
KEY AIMS
Create direct pathways between working-class creatives and employers
Bridge the actor training gap between university and drama school.
Increase paid opportunities for working-class actors.
Influence the sector to increase employability for working-class creatives
Remove financial, cultural, and geographic barriers to theatre attendance.
OUR WORK
Our work consists of the following five strands:
PRODUCTIONS
Plays by writers who identify as, or were raised, working class.
GRADU8TE
Career progression programme for graduate acting students who identify as, or were raised, working class.
ARDENT VOICES
A platform for sharing lived experiences from within the industry.
ARDENT RESOURCES
Free online learning tools for early career artists.
ADVOCACY
Using our voice to push for class equality in theatre.
PRODUCTIONS
BOLD STORIES, BIG STAGES
We’re producing powerful plays by working-class writers — and we’re doing it on a scale that demands attention. Our productions feature large casts, regional talent, and national tours. In 2026, Our Country Now will bring four new plays to life across England. By 2035, we’ll have reached every region in the country. This is theatre that travels, connects, and transforms.
Photo credits:
STRIKE! by Tracy Ryan (Southwark Playhouse Borough 2023) - Photo Mark Douet
This Island’s Mine by Philip Osment (Kings Head Theatre 2019) - Photo Mark Douet
STRATEGY
Commission new work and produce existing plays by writers who identify as, or were raised, working class.
Commit to productions involving large creative teams to increase employment opportunities, with a minimum of eight performers.
Build connections with regional theatres leading to national touring productions.
Commit to sliding scale ticket pricing, pay what you can options and free performances.
Increase the proportion of audience numbers from working-class backgrounds.
DELIVERY
A main production every 2 years - either a new production or a revival of a previous piece of work.
Flexible approach to choosing plays in terms of what and where we produce work.
Expand our regional connections and touring circuit.
Increase audience capacity by progressing into larger venues/spaces
Build on relationship with National Theatre to utilize their support for work going into the regions.
By year 2035, our work will be touring to all 9 regions of England.
KEY AIMS
This strand of work contributes to Aims 1, 3 & 5.
ACTIVITIES
OUR COUNTRY NOW: 2026
In Autumn 2026, we will produce 4 x 70-minute new plays written by 4 working-class playwrights - Shahid Iqbal Khan, Florence Espeut-Nickless, Kelly Jones and Diana Atuona - who are based in four different regions around the country (Northwest, Southwest, East and Greater London) working under the umbrella title OUR COUNTRY NOW. A 2-day R&D with the writers and director Daniel Bailey in February 2025 was followed by all 4 writers being fully commissioned. In Autumn 2025, the plays will be workshopped for 1-week with directors and actors as part of the National Theatre Generate programme.
In 2026, the 4 plays will rehearse for 3-weeks in their respective region with a creative team including actors and director also sourced out of that region. This rehearsal process will be followed by a 5-week run in London (4 plays running in rep, 2 plays per night) at the Southwark Playhouse main space and then a regional tour running for 1 week in each of the three regions outside of Greater London – Northwest, Southwest and East of England.
MAIN PRODUCTIONS: 2028-2034
A main production in London and on tour in 2028, 2030, 2032 and 2034 – either new or a revival.
GRADU8TE
FROM GRADUATION TO SPOTLIGHT
Breaking into the industry shouldn’t depend on who you know or where you studied. Our GRADU8TE programme bridges the gap between university and professional theatre, offering training, open auditions, and paid performance opportunities. We’re building a peer network to support early-career actors — because talent deserves a stage, not a postcode lottery.
Photo credits:
ARDENT8 Ensemble 4 - Photo Jimmy Lee Portraits
Beyond Ourselves by Andrew Muir (Union Theatre 2023) - Photo Mark Douet