ARDENT THEATRE COMPANY
10-Year Manifesto for Change:
2025-35

INTRODUCTION
VISION, MISSION AND GOALS
PRODUCTIONS
GRADU8ATE
ARDENT VOICES
ARDENT RESOURCES
ADVOCACY
TIMELINES AND MILESTONES
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
FINANCES
ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT
MARKETING STRATEGY
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
CONCLUSION: A CALL TO REIMAGINE THEATRE

INTRODUCTION

Theatre claims to reflect society — but Britain's stages are increasingly reserved for the privileged few. Class-based exclusion grips 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 school 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.

Even new government promises to “level up” the industry are hampered by narrow criteria — age limits, educational background, and London-centric programming — that 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 GOALS

  1. At least 50% of actors employed in theatre are from working-class backgrounds

  2. At least 50% of audience members attending theatre are from working-class backgrounds.

KEY AIMS

  1. Create opportunities for artists from working-class backgrounds to connect with potential employers.

  2. Close the gap in actor training between University and Drama School.

  3. Increase paid opportunities for working-class actors.

  4. Influence the sector to increase employability for those from working-class backgrounds.

  5. Remove barriers that stop working-class audiences from going to the theatre.

OUR WORK
Our work consists of the following five strands:

PRODUCTIONS
Plays by writers from working-class backgrounds.

GRADU8TE
Career progression programme for graduate acting students from working-class backgrounds.

ARDENT VOICES
A platform to share thoughts, ideas and experiences from within the industry.

ARDENT RESOURCES
Free online learning resources for early career artists.

ADVOCACY
Using our voice to advocate for class equality.

PRODUCTIONS

We produce high quality theatrical experiences for as many people as possible to access. We are committed to making brave and bold theatre, always looking to raise questions around social injustice. We focus on plays by writers who identify as coming from a working-class background and only seek to produce plays with a minimum cast size of eight actors, both existing texts and newly commissioned work. From 2026, we will start to tour our work out of London with an aim to reach all 9 regions of England by the end of 2035.

STRATEGY

  • Commission new work and produce existing plays by writers who identify as coming from working-class backgrounds.

  • 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 plan to 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

Ardent is committed to enabling opportunities for recent performing arts graduates to access an industry that too often favours the privileged over those who can’t afford to pursue their careers. We continually explore new ways to develop connections between the industry and our alumni.

STRATEGY

  • Broaden our touring circuit through expanded regional partnerships

  • Increase workshop delivery and participation.

  • Provide more paid opportunities.

DELIVERY

  • Develop and expand a peer network to create a central point of connection for early career actors.

  • Continuation of ARDENT8 18-month workshop and paid performance model until 2027.

  • Move to open auditions for our 5th cohort of the ARDENT8 in 2026.

  • Engage a writer and director for Group 5 production in 2027.

  • Review of the programme with an aim to launch a reworked Ardent Graduate Programme in 2029.

  • Commit to a graduate ensemble production every 2 years.

KEY AIMS

This strand of work contributes to Aims 1, 2 & 3

ACTIVITIES

ARDENT8

Our flagship graduate programme ARDENT8 is an innovative, free vocational training programme for recent performing arts graduates, particularly targeting those who have graduated from Universities or HE Colleges based outside of London. Since its launch in 2016, the ARDENT8 project has been unlocking creative opportunities for graduates from working-class backgrounds who might otherwise not be able to access industry opportunities.

The ARDENT8 programme will continue with our fifth and final group in 2026-27 before we pause and review it with an aim to launch a new graduate programme in 2029.

We will commit to a graduate production in London and on tour in 2029, 2031 and 2033.

PEER NETWORK

Launching in 2025-26, our Peer Network is a platform designed by Ardent to provide access to opportunities, workshops, affordable theatre tickets and much more, that is facilitated by the company but driven by those who want to connect with others and share ideas. A form of communication that is safe and friendly and has industry led conversations at its heart.