A five point action plan for the arts

In this time of Trump and Brexit, when the far right are on the rise and arts funding is more tenuous than ever, we need to make a stand.
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Image: Katie West, ‘Decolonist’ Next Wave 2016.

A strategic approach to working in the arts is required if the sector is to survive and thrive in these uncertain times, delegates at the recent Victorian Theatre Forum (VTF) were told.

The forum, presented in early August by Theatre Network Australia (TNA) and hosted by Geelong’s Back to Back Theatre, was subtitled ‘On Advocacy, Empowerment, and Asking For What You Need’. It acknowledged the challenges of making art in a time of rising global tensions, political and ecological uncertainty, and the recent turmoil experienced by the sector nationally. 

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts