State of the Nation
Vital State of the Nation conference doubles capacity following surge in demand.
After an overwhelming demand for tickets, State of the Nation co-hosts, An Tobar and Mull Theatre, Citizens Theatre and Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland, have agreed to double the capacity of this landmark gathering. In the face of a turbulent arts ecosystem, Scotland’s arts organisations are coming together in a bid to spark a positive, collegiate response to resource scarcity across the Scottish arts.
Following the conclusion of the Multi-Year Funding application process, many organisations are asking how they can best prepare themselves to be in a stable position before the process begins again. The process encourages collaboration, yet there are currently no formal structures in place to support it. In the absence of shared frameworks, organisations often depend on personal relationships or find themselves duplicating work and stretching already limited resources. The event is designed as a way to work with Creative Scotland to enrich the ecology rather than in opposition to public subsidy structures.
The programme will focus on three key areas of discussion. The first is resource sharing, where participants will explore how meaningful collaboration might lighten the load and unlock opportunities that are simply not possible alone. This is followed by advocacy and lobbying, in which the group will consider how to move from a reactive to a proactive position, ensuring that policy is shaped by those who are at the heart of making and enabling art. Finally, the cohort will look to the future to ask how the sector can avoid repeating the same struggles in two years’ time and how to ensure that those who have historically been excluded from these conversations are meaningfully included moving forward.
The sector is strongest when it works together. State of the Nation is a space to begin that work and the organisers hope that this will be the start of a more connected, strategic and hopeful future for the arts in Scotland.
Friday 24th October 2025, 11am – 5pm
Citizens Theatre, 119 Gorbals Street, Glasgow, G5 9DS