A range of answers, but one that stood out. Ellie Hickson, author of Eight and Precious Little Talent, believes that what makes British theatre so great is
We're also losing our fetishistic obsession with diversity. About 60% of this country is middle class – we shouldn't be afraid of trying to reflect that on stage."
Yes, what this country needs is more middle-class theatre.
It is concerning that she describes the need for diversity (and it is indeed a need) as a "fetishistic obsession", rather than say, an interest. If Hickson means diversity as a passing trend hot season then I agree, but I suspect she does not.
The fact is historically, most plays are about the middle-classes, and not in a way that examines the class system, but rather one that takes it as a given. Hence why the post-war surge of John Osbourne, Shelagh Delaney, Harold Pinter et al were considered so vital.
It's important to remember that there is more than one form of middle-class - I considerd myself middle-class until I got to university - then I wasn't so sure. 60% of people may consider themselves middle-class, but that doesn't mean they share the same lifestyle*.
It is not a coincidence that Ellie Hickson is a thoroughly middle-class girl. Public school educated, working with a university-affiliated theatre group, she writes what she knows. This is the crux of the problem. Middle-class writers stem from middle-class audiences which stem from middle-class writers.
In the same article playwright Lucy Pebbble says
The reason British theatre is booming is that the people who go to the theatre – the upper-middle classes – actually have more disposable income than they ever have before.
It is the upper-middle classes who go to the theatre. The tautological reason for this is, casual theatre trips are part of the upper-middle class lifestyle, along with competitive schooling and buying aspirational cookery books. As such, being an audience member does not require a deep love of theatre, only an urge for social acceptable. Theatre becomes another way of keeping up with the Joneses.
Whereas theatre is not part of a lower-middle or working class lifestyle. If you are l-m or working class and in an audience which is not for a musical, it's because you're on a school trip or you are truly interested in theatre. And to gain that spark of interest you need to be drawn into it, most likely by an experience or situation you recognise, but now it is on stage, view differently. Working-class plays begate working-class audiences. But if we want working-class audiences to stick around after they've seen their one John Godber play of the year, theatre needs to accept that it must look beyond it's back garden. Or god forbid, even get some different writers.
Roy Williams understands this:
But I still want to see more diversity – black audiences who are not just going to see a black play."
Exactly. But how is this achieved? The answer is not merely through lowered ticket prices, although that can be a serious problem. We have to strive for it, not dust off our hands because our "fetishistic obsession" has come to an end.
* I could not find a source for the 60% Hickson states. The closest I could find was this article which claims 43% of the population identify as middle-class.
