“The Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Opera House and Ed Sheeran’s manager have signed a letter urging Boris Johnson to avert a ‘crisis which is threatening our industry’ since Brexit,” reads an unsigned article in Thursday’s (4/29) BBC News (U.K.). “More than 300 arts figures warned the prime minister of a ‘mountain of costly bureaucracy and red tape’ for EU tours. Their letter said the government had ‘a limited window’ before ‘work will be lost and businesses will go under.’ The government said it was ‘working flat out’ to help touring artists. Concerns about obstacles to UK performers and crews travelling to and performing in Europe—and vice versa—are growing, with the live shows and foreign travel now on the horizon after being on hold during the pandemic…. The letter was organized by The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM), and the signatories include the British Fashion Council, the Association of British Orchestras, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and Shakespeare’s Globe theatre. It said that, in the ‘absence of a clear plan,’ the government must now prioritize negotiating special work permits for all creative professionals and provide an emergency funding package…. The creative industries generate £111bn for the UK economy every year.”
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