ONE wonders what its fate would have been if it did not have high-profile alumni, or a long history and a big name.
Several arts companies have applied and failed to gain regular funding from Creative Scotland, and have not received government help.
The national funding picture is uneven.
Yesterday, Scottish Youth Theatre (SYT) was saved – again. Now it has a year to expand its scope, and re-order its own internal business so that by this time in 2019, a crisis point is not reached.
Fours years after the former First Minister, Alex Salmond, sanctioned a £1m package that included funding for SYT, history has repeated itself.
In 2017, the theatre company, based in Glasgow, applied for a three-year funding package from Creative Scotland, but did not succeed.
Without its funding - which would have filled a financial hole previously occupied by the Government funds from 2014 - the company says its cash flow situation would have been dire, and would have to close by July. Now, and with crucial financial help from Baillie Gifford, the government, this time led by Nicola Sturgeon, who expressed her concerns about the company in Parliament, has once again saved the company.
SYT is not officially designated a “national company”, in the same way as Scottish Opera or the National Theatre of Scotland are. However, it is becoming close. Twice now the government has stepped in when the ‘arms-length’ body, Creative Scotland, has decided against funding to save it. And again, the arms-length principle, which is meant to stop politicians intervening in arts funding, has been temporarily mislaid, or set aside, for this case.
Jackie Hardacre, the chief executive, acknowledged that the talks with Scottish Government officials had been “challenging.” And a review of the entire company’s operation seems to be beginning.
However, unless the government decides SYT should become ‘officially’ part of the national companies, and benefit from regular, annual direct funding, it seems that it has a year to raise more funds, and expand and refine its work.
One cannot imagine the Government would find more money again, this time next year.
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