Dirty Dancing producer Karl Sydow claims regional theater funding at ‘crisis point’

Theatre producer Karl Sydow has claimed the funding situation in the regions has reached “crisis point”.

The Dirty Dancing producer, whose recent work includes City of Glass at Home in Manchester, also said in an interview with The Stage that audiences are reticent to take risks on shows as they are not marketed well enough.

Sydow said: “It’s tough to keep theatre alive outside London. Subsidy has been heavily cut back and the cost of everything has gone up. Most regional theatres are not well funded enough to market new shows properly now, which puts original work at risk. If audiences are not kept informed of what’s on, they are not going to take a risk on something new.”

“The lack of funding and support for the arts in the regions has reached crisis point,” Sydow added.