Theatre Opens ‘Second Stage’ Door for Ex-Offenders to Address Skills Crisis
A new charitable initiative, Second Stage, has launched to tackle the UK theatre sector’s chronic entry-level staff shortage by training and employing ex-offenders
The UK performing arts industry supports approximately 244,000 jobs, powered by a highly skilled and adaptable workforce. It generates £2.39bn in GVA, and a total turnover of £4.44 billion. However, precarious job opportunities and investment lulls are making attracting new talent a challenge.
That is why the new scheme, which will take professional training directly into prisons, aims to increase diversity off stage while providing a vital pipeline of talent, according to a report published in The Stage.
Co-founded by independent producer Edward Snape and marketing executive Jo Hutchison, Second Stage will work with prison leavers during their rehabilitation, support their transition and help them negotiate the “complexities of employment.”
Charity benefit in November
The charity will be supported by theatre production company Fiery Angel. According to West End Theatre, Fiery Angel is celebrating its 25th anniversary and will raise funds for Second Stage at a charity benefit night on 6 November 2025 at the Bloomsbury Ballroom in London.
The evening of music and comedy will feature Rob Brydon, Fascinating Aida’s Dillie Keane, Clive Rowe and Michael Balogun, with further stars to be announced.
RADA-trained Actor Michael Balogun, who has personal lived experience of the criminal justice system, is the charity’s first Patron-Ambassador. Balogun has had roles on stage and on TV, including hits such as TOP BOY (Netflix), YOU DON’T KNOW ME (BBC/Netflix), SHERWOOD (BBC) and the BAFTA-winning VERA (ITV), as well as DOCTOR WHO.
Theatre industry in need of backstage talent
Snape noted in The Stage report that the industry’s historical welcoming nature, combined with a severe skills gap—as highlighted by the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre’s 2024 findings on technical and backstage shortfalls—created a “perfect opportunity.”
- 1 in 5 venues require at least £5m each in the next 10 years just to continue current operations.
- Without significant capital investment in the next five years, nearly 40% of venues risk closure and 40% will become too unsafe to use.
However, if theatres can access the investment they need:
- 54% could provide more jobs for their local communities and 62% would increase or improve their outreach work.
Hutchison, the charity’s executive director, emphasised the project’s rehabilitative power, offering a doorway into a “tolerant and welcoming workforce” for “disadvantaged men” who had previously been left behind by society.
Initially, the programme will partner with male prisons, including HMP Hollesley Bay and HMP Isis, before expanding to engage female offenders.
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UK theatre freelancers weigh hope against funding challenges
The news of Second Stage is likely to be greeted with a complex reaction among the UK’s already strained freelance theatre workforce. On one hand, the initiative provides a beacon of hope and a practical solution to persistent systemic problems.
Freelancers, particularly those in production and technical fields, will welcome any move to alleviate the skills shortage. A properly staffed production team eases the crushing workload and long hours that currently plague existing crews, potentially leading to better working conditions for everyone.
Plus, many in the creative community will feel pride that the sector is actively upholding values of inclusivity and rehabilitation, leveraging theatre’s ability to build supportive and collaborative working environments.
However, a strong undercurrent of anxiety is unavoidable given the sector’s widely acknowledged lack of funding, precarious level of work and late payments. There is concern that the focus and resources dedicated to training new entrants, while laudable, might divert attention or limited funds away from improving pay and conditions for the existing, overworked, and often poorly treated freelance population. For many, simply adding new people to a system that is economically unsustainable is not a true fix for the fundamental financial precarity of the industry.
In a previous news report, Rob Halliday, a freelance lighting designer and programmer and contributor to The Stage, shared his views on the poor payment culture of the theatre industry for freelancers:
We must all be clear on when the money is due, ideally in instalments if it’s a long project, with the last payment before the ‘deliverables’ are handed over and before the opening night – the latter is notionally the standard final payment date for the creative team. It would be hard to do an opening night with the audio, lighting and video files missing because they hadn’t been paid for.
Will any of us actually be that bold? No. Why? Because none of us want to be that difficult, grumpy freelancer who never gets employed again – that would be worse than occasionally failing to get paid. That, of course, means the only way for this to happen would be for us all to agree to do it – and stick to that pledge.
The economic challenge for new prison leaver entrants
For prison leavers entering the theatre industry via Second Stage, the journey will present a unique dichotomy: a genuine sense of belonging contrasted sharply with economic instability.
The initial experience could be overwhelmingly positive. The initiative promises professional training and integration into a “tolerant and welcoming workforce” where many already feel like outsiders before finding their place. This supportive, outcome-focused team structure is invaluable for rebuilding confidence and securing a sense of purpose after incarceration.
Yet, they are entering an industry known for its high commitment and low financial reward. The enthusiasm of the “welcoming community” might mask the reality that they are trading one form of instability, the justice system, for another, economic precarity in the arts. If the industry fails to provide sustainable, fairly paid work—a failure that currently affects many existing creative freelancers—new entrants may quickly become disillusioned.
Arguably, their success will depend heavily not only on the excellent training provided by Second Stage but also on the industry’s capacity to offer secure, salaried roles, particularly in the technical areas where demand is highest, rather than defaulting to the precarious, low-paid freelance model that continues to strain the wider workforce.
Second Stage | A charity breaking down barriers to opportunity