Graeme Farrow, artistic director of the Wales Millennium Centre, has expressed his concerns about the future of actors like Michael Sheen in Wales due to severe arts cuts. With funding becoming a major concern in the arts industry, Farrow believes that Sheen could be the last of his kind in Wales. Meanwhile, in an interview with the BBC’s Politics Wales, Farrow urged the Welsh government for a 10% increase in arts funding to “steady the ships” and support the industry better. Farrow has noticed a panic throughout the arts industry due to a lack of support and funding.
Artistic director Farrow told the BBC that he hopes to keep having big productions such as Branwen in Wales, but funding needs to increase to make that happen. National Theatre Wales saw its grant from the Arts Council of Wales scrapped in September, and chief executive Lorne Campbell has expressed concern about the industry’s future. Freelance theatre director and producer Yvonne Murphy said it came down to “where we place the importance of arts and culture in Wales”. She added that less than 1% of the annual budget is not enough when considering the return on that investment.
Farrow stated that the cost of opening the Welsh Millennium Centre has increased by £1m per year since 2019. In the Welsh Government’s 2023-24 budget, the Arts Council of Wales received a commitment of £33.3m to distribute public money. However, this amounted to less than 0.2% of the government’s total budget. Plaid Cymru’s culture spokeswoman Heledd Fychan said there was no “champion” for the arts in Welsh government and urged the deputy minister to engage with the sector. The Welsh government has said it recognises the valuable contribution that culture makes to the economy and wellbeing of those in Wales and has provided £1m of support for the sector over two financial years due to cost increases in the sector.
The arts industry has faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as cuts in funding and governmental support. It remains a crucial aspect of society, with the evidence base for the impact of the arts in education, health, and the economy being abundantly clear. As Farrow and others plead for increased funding for the arts, it signifies the importance of culture in securing a better future for Wales and its people
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