Entertainment
Outside of The Orange Tree Theatre

WATCH: How grassroots theatre is adapting to modern funding challenges 

Plays being taken to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and theatres face funding challenges to keep their shows on the road. 

Funding for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) was reduced by a further 1.4% on Wednesday, following spending reductions by the government of 16% since 2017. 

As the government gives out increasingly less money for culture in the UK, and arts council funding becomes more highly sought after, theatres and independent productions are looking to different revenue sources for their income. 

Youth in Flames, a production about white identity in Hong Kong during the 2019 protests, is a play going to the Edinburgh Fringe later this year. 

Writer and performer of the one-woman show, Mimi Minton, said: “With ticket sales, we may break even, who knows?

“It’s a tough gig.” 

Tickets can be bought for their London previews here and for the Edinburgh Fringe here.

The Orange Tree theatre in Richmond has shifted to a more American model of membership and patronage. 

Following this style of fundraising has brought them success, as they have seen a 75% revenue increase from 2022/23 to 2023/24.

Find out more about these challenges below.

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