Gregor_The_Beggar is an AM and Deputy Leader of Plaid Cymru and further serves as Minister of Culture and the Environment. He is also the founder and Chief Editor of Y Ddraig Goch

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Editorial – Welsh Theatre, reorganization and funding for a dying institution

In the Senedd this week, I had the privilege to be seated when we saw the reading of the Protection of Theatre (Wales) Bill 2020 which is a simple piece of legislation aiming to explore new avenues of funding and organization for Welsh theatre. Most notably the Bill mandates the funding of Welsh theatre by local authorities and creates a new organization for the management of Welsh theatre called the Welsh Theatre Association.

Many of my colleagues already highlighted key issues with the legislation, particularly in the areas of existing funding by the Welsh Government towards the Welsh Arts Council to an amount totaling £30 billion+ and various other subsidies and grants for different fields under the portfolio which I myself manage. I already know and have seen different briefings detailing funding for the preservation and protection of Welsh culture especially in Welsh theatre. However, I myself came to the legislation with a different opinion which I wish to express thusly.

We must consider the mandating of funding from a budget towards the preservation of specifically Welsh theatre. We cannot expect such support to necessarily be cheap and it is imposing a major burden from the Senedd on the independence of spending and the autonomy of budget for our local Government and councils. This coincides with the creation of a separate Welsh theatre association which has a mandated funding for their preservation and for the actual programs they wish to promote. When the entire program is already costing immensely for the taxpayers, an expansion of such costs alongside the existing Welsh Arts Council feels like excessive spending from a party which claims fiscal prudence.

However, there is a greater issue at stake right now. We have to consider the actual history of the Welsh theatre and whether it is truly worth it to expand.

The National Theatre of Wales is the largest Welsh theatre operation in the nation

The Welsh Arts Council and the actual definition of Welsh theatre combines itself with an innate Welsh culture. Our history of the theatre itself only arises predominantly from industrialization through Wales which brought theatre into our urban centers. This coincided with movements for a greater Welsh identity and the theatre has commonly been seen as a way to express a unique cultural identity. There is no doubt from any side of the isle that the Welsh Arts Council is important and that we should be promoting and simulating excitement around Welsh language, Welsh literature and Welsh ideas rooted in both our own tongue and English. However, the mechanism of specifically theatre seems an odd choice to prioritize at this present moment.

Welsh theatre as it stands likely sees overall up to 15 to 20 productions yearly. This is a cost which is footed somewhat by some private sources but has a large and sizable contribution from the taxpayer. Shifting this cost to local councils will take away not only the autonomy of the budget which is a fundamental principle belief of mine but also will be taking away a large degree of taxpayer dollars for what is essentially funding operations which will take place predominantly in our national theatres primarily in the south. As a proud Northerner, I do not wish to see my local council have funding be dedicated to fund what is essentially a privilege which will be enjoyed in Cardiff. There are obvious exceptions of course for Welsh oratory and Welsh literature but overall the large scale modern productions which is commonly what we associate with the theatre take place within the halls of Swansea and Cardiff.

Considering how much we are spending on it as a nation, we should be expecting there to be a relatively high demand for such a service and while I must admit that much of the performances are incredibly entertaining especially within the Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, there is little overall taste for it among the Welsh people.

I do not believe that a community like the ones which I live in would be a community which would treat the theatre as a common treat. In fact, we can see the theatre industry as a whole plagued with issues of demand as the real demand from the common everyday man is taken by cheaper endeavours. Welsh football is what is attracting the people of Wales to partake in modern Welsh culture and Welsh pride while the movie industry offers a unique opportunity to present our culture before a new medium. To fund endeavors like the Opera feels like it is seeing Wales as a culture which must be celebrated in the higher arts or it shall not be celebrated at all. We should be funding measures which matches the demands of the people of Wales and matches the areas which we see the people of Wales turnout for and enjoy. That is the purposes of the culture portfolio and my personal mission in that field.

This coincides with concerns originating currently that Welsh culture isn’t even being seen in a real sense among Welsh theatre. The Guardian released an article in 2018 surrounding the supposed oppression of Welsh theatre. If we cannot take action to make sure that what we want achieved is actually being achieved then I don’t see how programs like those laid out in this new bill will help

Ultimately however, it is a bill of noble intentions and tries to stir the hearts of Welsh pride in this country and I commend those efforts. The preservation and expansion of Welsh culture is an upmost concern and Plaid Cymru has been championing this cause since our foundation. It is hoped therefore that we can find some new ground to find a consensus on to build up our cooperation on expanding Welsh culture in a way which connects with ordinary Welshmen throughout this country.

Gregor_The_Beggar, Deputy Leader of Plaid Cymru