The first table read of Wish You Were Here had me laughing out loud, as the eye rolls and the sighs and the sharpness of the writing was lifted off the page by this extraordinary group of women we’ve assembled. The first stagger-through had the whole team in tears as we connected with the heart and grief and loss of it all. The design concept is as much about the walls that aren’t there as the ones that now carpet our Iranian living room. And even before the layers of creativity and production added to the depth and beauty of the show you see now, we knew there was magic here. And that’s what theatre is, or can be: the whole world here in this one dark room.
It wasn’t so very long ago that we weren’t sure we were still in the world building business. In between my first and second interview to join the Gate in 2022, the Arts Council announced their funding decisions, and we were faced with the enormity of transitioning out of the portfolio. Two years on, and I’m not sure anyone thought we’d still be here. In my first week on the job, I had to write a budget for how much it would cost to wind up the company. Since that first week, I have known the exact date on which we will run out of money. With every ticket sold, every donation generously given, every grant secured, that date moves a little further away.
However, at the Gate, our audiences have long been primarily under 30 and our ticket prices have always been under £30. This was previously made possible by Arts Council subsidy, but smaller budgets were also a factor. We work differently now. We expect better. Our productions cost approximately 150%-200% of what they did pre-pandemic, with rising costs and more considered working practices. If we relied solely on ticket sales, we would need to charge £95 per person to break even. The fearless impresarios of commercial theatre make the case that making theatre is expensive and audiences need to pay for it. Our Culture Minister preaches the opposite. They’re both right. What we do has great value, and it is because of this that it should also be shared widely. Even if we wanted to charge higher prices, I’m afraid without the shiny facilities of a newly built theatre, a play that lasts well over 2 hours or a celebrity casting that we are unlikely to attract (or afford), our audiences simply won’t pay that. And even though I know every line in the budget and exactly what theatre costs, I probably wouldn’t either. Which means we are reliant on fundraising and partnerships and experimenting with new ways of working. It’s a daunting task but it’s also exciting. Every day we’re asking ‘why not?’ and ‘what else?’.
We’ve done all we can to adapt and evolve to our new circumstances, paring down our overheads to the essentials, stepping away from the constraints of running a building and towards the complex logistics of producing theatre in other people’s houses. We’re excited to be exploring what the Gate can be outside of Notting Hill and are already finding a camaraderie and solidarity with friends and potential partners around the country. The Gate launched its first regional tour with Grounded around ten years ago, and whilst touring is far from an easy solution, with fewer open slots for visiting companies and tougher financial deals, it is comforting to believe that if we’ve done it before, we can do it again. It is also reassuring to look back at the press release from 1997 headed ‘The Gate is Under Threat’, after a similarly drastic funding cut from the London Arts Board, knowing that we found a way through then.
For today, we have this beautiful production. We have a brilliant company, telling an amazing story and we get to build this world together. Audiences are laughing, crying, hoping and praying with us daily. The magic works because we all believe in it.
That date when we run out of money still exists, but as long as it keeps moving further away, we will keep moving forward. And I am so proud of the work that we are doing every single day. You should wish you were here. I’m so grateful that I am.
Nicola Clements
CEO and ED of Gate