After a nice cup of tea, the favourite British pastime must be arbitrarily dividing ourselves up into distinct classes based on generational wealth. British improv is not immune.
šš¼ such a well-written piece. I recently did one re: working class creative voices, which was actually influenced by The Guardian article you reference in the first line. The older I get the more Iām conscious of it, and the more I want to push the industry to make a change.
Also having previously worked within property, 10% of architecture coming from privately educated backgrounds feels low, based on the people I met š«Ø
thanks so much for reading and totally agree with your article too - i think we essentially read each others' minds!
i've struggled to articulate the feeling of being from 'actually quite a secure background' and still feeling off/not-belonging/actively excluded. I think there's just a level of privilege above most people's experience, which is especially prevalent in the arts?
You're right re architecture, that figure felt conservative to me. I wonder if its bundling in some construction sector people to lower the %? Plenty of food for thought anyway.
You could be bang on with the point about including the construction sector, that feels more accurate!
I understand what you mean about struggling to articulate it. I grew up in the suburbs in a single parent household, so it wasnāt an inner-city council estate like some classmates and friends, but it was very far from others who lived in new build houses on fancy estates.
I think weāre more aware of either side, perhaps?
Thereās a delusion that improv is a community. Itās not. Itās a cult-like clique. Community are inclusive, clique are exclusive.
The only way to participate is if you have money and if you donāt, you are a āyes-personā, by that I mean donāt ever tell the truth or donāt ever fall out of line, if you do youāre kicked out/ excluded.
Improv is very much divided amongst class lines, more so than any of the āboxesā, because those who make it through have the means to.
The indie stages, started by people with financial means , the players you mentioned, are like a cartel, gatekeepers of who gets stage time, giving space to people who can give them stage time.
agree with a lot of this. i've been fortunate/unfortunate enough to be on most sides of the power structure, and ultimately while there are problematic individuals, its actually the structure itself that's the issue and the limited spaces controlled by a small clique.
i think most concerning is that those who hold influence are quite blind to the advantages they've had or continue to have. Or they *are* aware, but ultimately don't care because they either control or get cast on the top shows, or feel they've grafted on an 'indie night' for their position. well done, except improv in London is not a meritocracy - the city's improv theatres are commercial enterprises. You get welcomed in if they feel you can make them money. Or more accurately, lose them less money than they already do.
i'm also not naive enough to think i've not been part of the problem too in the past. but i'll willingly call it out now for what its worth
šš¼ such a well-written piece. I recently did one re: working class creative voices, which was actually influenced by The Guardian article you reference in the first line. The older I get the more Iām conscious of it, and the more I want to push the industry to make a change.
Also having previously worked within property, 10% of architecture coming from privately educated backgrounds feels low, based on the people I met š«Ø
thanks so much for reading and totally agree with your article too - i think we essentially read each others' minds!
i've struggled to articulate the feeling of being from 'actually quite a secure background' and still feeling off/not-belonging/actively excluded. I think there's just a level of privilege above most people's experience, which is especially prevalent in the arts?
You're right re architecture, that figure felt conservative to me. I wonder if its bundling in some construction sector people to lower the %? Plenty of food for thought anyway.
You could be bang on with the point about including the construction sector, that feels more accurate!
I understand what you mean about struggling to articulate it. I grew up in the suburbs in a single parent household, so it wasnāt an inner-city council estate like some classmates and friends, but it was very far from others who lived in new build houses on fancy estates.
I think weāre more aware of either side, perhaps?
Thereās a delusion that improv is a community. Itās not. Itās a cult-like clique. Community are inclusive, clique are exclusive.
The only way to participate is if you have money and if you donāt, you are a āyes-personā, by that I mean donāt ever tell the truth or donāt ever fall out of line, if you do youāre kicked out/ excluded.
Improv is very much divided amongst class lines, more so than any of the āboxesā, because those who make it through have the means to.
The indie stages, started by people with financial means , the players you mentioned, are like a cartel, gatekeepers of who gets stage time, giving space to people who can give them stage time.
agree with a lot of this. i've been fortunate/unfortunate enough to be on most sides of the power structure, and ultimately while there are problematic individuals, its actually the structure itself that's the issue and the limited spaces controlled by a small clique.
i think most concerning is that those who hold influence are quite blind to the advantages they've had or continue to have. Or they *are* aware, but ultimately don't care because they either control or get cast on the top shows, or feel they've grafted on an 'indie night' for their position. well done, except improv in London is not a meritocracy - the city's improv theatres are commercial enterprises. You get welcomed in if they feel you can make them money. Or more accurately, lose them less money than they already do.
i'm also not naive enough to think i've not been part of the problem too in the past. but i'll willingly call it out now for what its worth