'It has been a sort of nightmare': how major theatres abroad fared in the pandemic

Leading artistic directors including Ivo van Hove, Shanta Thake and Thomas Ostermeier reflect on their nations' treatment of the arts during Covid. Introduction by Susannah Clapp

In the disUnited Kingdom there are glimmers of light for the theatre. Some openings are scheduled for 17 May; with further relaxation of restrictions, more are likely to follow in June. The support in Rishi Sunak's budget, which announced an additional 300m for the culture recovery fund, is welcome. Still, there are painful gaps. Some had hoped for a government-backed insurance scheme, and for an increase to the rate of theatre tax relief. Neither were forthcoming. Crucially, while the government bailout has secured the future of vital institutions, the livelihood of large numbers of theatre-makers - actors, designers, stage managers, musicians and others - is still in jeopardy.

In the interviews below, I am intrigued by Ivan van Hove's jealousy of Boris Johnson's generous" speech about the arts. I would rather have the Dutch prompt delivery of cash - less ho ho and more dough - and sadly thunderstruck by Kajsa Giertz's calm assumption that in Sweden the theatre is a part of democracy" that must be affordable to everyone. In contrast, the vocabulary in which the UK discusses the arts often reeks of hierarchy and materialism. Oliver Dowden talks of saving culture's crown jewels": what happens to the plebby bits?