As we look back on the last year’s successes at Soho Theatre, we also reflect on the ongoing challenge of safeguarding our values of artistic freedom, and inclusion.
We champion and uphold artistic freedom of expression to hold a mirror up to the world. Every night at Dean Street we have six or more shows on our stages, and give artists a platform to express different views through theatre, comedy and cabaret, to hold power to account, say the ‘unsayable’, or to make you laugh. This attracts a wide range of audiences, and can challenge them to think differently and create space for shared experiences.
This also has to work hand in hand with another important value – to be an inclusive and welcoming place for audiences, artists and staff alike, so that everybody who comes to Soho Theatre feels safe, respected and can have a brilliant time.
Many artists, audiences and staff at Soho Theatre are deeply affected by events around the world including in Palestine, Lebanon, Israel and across the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia, Sudan, Congo and elsewhere. There has been a rise in divisive politics with polarising views here in the UK and abroad leading to individuals and communities feeling threatened and excluded. It is right and essential that artists and audiences can and should talk about this in their work and elsewhere, and express different and sometimes conflicting views.
Over the last 12 months, we have met with and spoken with artists and audiences about how we can best protect and cherish these fundamental values alongside each other in these contexts. Sometimes this is relatively easy and obvious, and sometimes it’s very nuanced and difficult, and our conversations have reflected this. Some artists have come together to meet with us or have written to us, and some of those conversations have been hard.
Holding a diversity of views within an inclusive culture requires these difficult conversations and drawing upon expertise and support from others. We are though absolutely committed to working as hard as we can to ensure that we continue to be a vital platform where artists can speak freely, and audiences can enjoy a great night out.
Over the last twelve months, and in response to feedback from artists and audiences we have taken the following steps:
- Prioritised artist and audiences safety and wellbeing – we’ve put in place a number of measures to support artists and audience if something goes wrong during a show, and these are shared with artists when they come to perform here.
- Sought other views and expertise – where we or artists need further support or advice we have worked with other artists, and individuals or companies with a broad range of different experience and knowledge.
- Improved routes for audience feedback – ensuring audience members can be heard and carefully listened to when they feel uncomfortable, and staff know how to support them.
- We create artist-support documents including Content Risk Assessments or Artist Protection protocols on a case-by-case basis, and in conjunction with the artists or show producers so that artists can do their best work with us and feel as safe as possible.
- Updated our content advice process – making this more robust, making sure audiences can find out about the content of shows in advance (if they want to), moving away from just ‘trigger warnings’.
There is always more to do, and we will continue to work on how we can uphold that essential freedom of expression and inclusivity, together with playful creativity, that are central to a great night out at Soho Theatre, and that sees our venues packed with artists and audiences every night.
This work is being kept under careful and close review by our Board of Trustees, which itself has wide representation and diverse views from different industries, experiences and communities, and is made up of people who are passionate about Soho Theatre, our programme and these values.