If I was talking to an alternative version of myself rn – the one that stayed in Devon and took over the farm, I’d say: ‘Remember that whilst all the current narrative about saving theatres is incredibly important, the issue is much broader and interconnected. It's also about...

...the musicians you listen to, and the talent behind the Sunday night TV dramas your mum loves. The painters you learnt about (or didn’t) at school, and the
local panto that your dad pretended not to like but was always the first one to boo. It's about circus, cabaret...

...and film (remember those cinema birthdays?), the festivals only your brother went to because you didn't like mud (lol), the local kids choir, the amateur theatre group you were in, rural touring, pub theatres, the buzz of autumn carnivals. The drag bar you secretly visited...

...before you came out, the local cultural and community space where your mum went to weekly craft club and which brought everyone together during the foot and mouth crisis. It's about the teachers that gave you confidence to learn a musical instrument, the writers of hymns...

...your granddad used to sing, the groups that performed educational pieces at school, the Harvest Festivals, the Young Farmers productions you directed, and so on. Culture impacts EVERYONE in some way. Much more than many acknowledge.' #OurWorldWithout culture is no place to be.