Ɖ Gardịn vy on cuts in ʈiytrfundñ: a ʈret t plêraitñ
(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 9 Dec. 2022)
In an inḍstri drend v stet s’port, hu wl der t tec a risc on ny plez? Ɖ los wl b flt nt onli in Lundn, bt acrs ɖ cuntri
Frîde 9 Dsmbr 2022
Ɖ storm ovr artsfundñ in Ñgḷnd muvd fṛm oṗra t ʈiytr ɖs wīc, ẃn ɖ artistic d’rectr v wn v Lundn’z līdñ ny raitñhǎzz rzînd in rspons t ɖ wɖdrwl v its Artscaunsl Ñgḷnd grant. Its ǎtgwñ d’rectr, Roxana Silbrt, sd ɖt ɖ los v its stetsubṣdi v £766,455 a yir mnt it cd no longr cntiny t fuñśn az a hub fr ny raitñ. Sevnti-fîv plêraits trnd ǎt fr a crîsismītñ folowñ ɖ anǎnsmnt, mni v hūm credit Hamstid ʈiytr wɖ gvñ ɖm c’rir-mcñ brecs, n ol v ɖm wurid abt ɖ ifct on ɖ frajîl plêraitñ icoḷji v ɖ cuntri f a sīdbed lîc Hamstid cn onli aford t stej gaṛntìd crǎdplizrz.
Ɖ 60-yir-old norʈ Lundn veny z amñ 141 orġnîześnz cut adrift undr Arts Caunsl Ñgḷnd’z radicl ʈri-yir plan t rīśep ɖ crietiv icoṇmi v Ñgḷnd. Cōld t acǎnt bî ɖ dijitl, culćr, mīdia n sport cmiti on Frîde, ɖ ćīf xektiv v ɖ grantgvñ guvnmnt ejnsi cd onli bat awe a s’xeśn v locl-inṭrest criṭsizmz fṛm MPz wɖ ɖ stetmnt ɖt, v cors, evrʈñ wd b mć betr ol rnd f onli ɖr wz mor muni, bt sadli ɖr wz’nt – ptiklrli in Lundn, ẃr it hd bn ordrd t sîfn £24m of t mor nīdi eriaz ovr ɖ nxt ʈri yirz.
A sjsćn ɖt ɖs dmand wz md bî a prīvịs culćrsecṛtri, n ɖ ny wn me hv a freś aproć “on sm matrz”, z no conṣleśn fîv wīcs aftr ɖ ax hz fōḷn, at ɖ end v a nel-bîtñ, 10-de dle impozd bî ɖ Dpartmnt fr Dijitl, Culćr, Mīdia n Sport itslf. Ɖr wz a ʈiatricaḷti t ɖ ritẏlîzd parḷmntri standof ɖt ɖoz armzleñʈ Śecspirịn ejnts Rosencrantz n Guildenstern wd hv aprīśietd, wɖ ɖ comic subplot ɖt ɖ Tori ćer v ɖ ol-parti cmiti hd bn sspndd fṛm ɖ parḷmntri parti pndñ a p’līs invstgeśn, aurz bfr it wz dy t cnvin, so an unḍstudi hd t step in.
Ɖs bacstej ceos mt b funi f it wr nt so sirịs fr ɖ fyćr v an inḍstri ẃć – it wz pôntd ǎt, in ɖ contxt v anɖr ʈiytr cut of wɖt a peni, ɖ Oldm Coḷsiym – jeṇrets £8 fr locl icoṇmiz fr evri £1 v public muni spent. Ẃt xacli z it ɖt z biyñ levld p, in ɖ tīʈ v an eṇji n cost v livñ crîsis, aftr 12 yirz in ẃć ɖ artswrld hz olrdi lost mor ɖn a ʈrd its fundñ in riyl trmz – gen or pen?
Ɖ lîf v a plêrait z enwe ntorịsli pricerịs, wɖ mni dfctñ t ɖ betr-fundd hǎzz v mênḷnd Yṛp t cīp ɖer c’rirz aflot. Yt fṛm Śecspir t Stopard, Aphra Behn t Lūsi Prebl, plêraitñ hz bn a juwl in ɖ YC’z culćṛl crǎn, studid n xportd arnd ɖ wrld. Its practiśnrz hv inrićt ɖ rletd inḍstriz v film, teḷviźn, redio n gemñ. Ɖt Lundn stl rsivz a ʈrd v Artscaunsl Ñgḷnd’z naśnl-portfolio fundñ z cold cumḟt. Venyz ɖt hv bn cut of – Hamstid, ɖ Get, ɖ Donmar – r part v a jônd-up, multiḍmnśnl wrld ɖt dz nt abîd bî poscodz. Ɖ buc stops nt wɖ ɖ artscaunsl, bt wɖ ɖ guvnmnt.
