news.com.au, Sarah Sharples
2 August 2025

Insiders reveal the “devastating” issues impacting Australia’s entertainment sector after a company’s $7.5m collapse as a crisis looms.

This tough time is particularly hitting artists, with disappearing profits which were already razor thin and “skyrocketing” costs smashing touring, according to Theatre Network Australia’s interim general manager Steph Spiers.

“Small companies and independent artists may not know if a season of a show is going to break even until sometimes halfway through the run because people aren’t booking until the day of the show,” she explained.

“That has a flow on impact on stress levels and the mental health of artists that are weathering that changed condition.”

The fallout from the pandemic includes a skills shortages particularly in technical and production roles, Live Performance Australia’s Matt Francis said, while it’s now 30 to 50 per cent more expensive to put on a production and tour.

But these conditions also have concerning implications for the diversity of Australians in arts and entertainment, Ms Spiers cautioned.

“It also means people that aren’t in position to take that kind of risk are maybe being excluded. As you need to have a certain level of financial safety net and not have caring responsibilities and other kinds of constraints in order to feel comfortable about putting on a show and not even know if it’s going to pay for itself,” she said.

“We have concerns around equity when things in the arts get really tight because essentially it means only one type of person can be an artist, who has a fair amount of privilege and financial safety nets, and we know it’s not representative of all Australians.”

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