ALT As a queer, mixed raced, state-educated child of an immigrant from the North East of England, I'm not the kind of person on paper who automatically gets given the mic. The Establishment don't tend to want to hear from our sort. But I hope this can show the Powers That Be that publicly funding access to the arts for all pays cultural dividends. Because even though some voices may not be as well-monied or as well-platformed, they are just as valid and just as strong and they deserve to be part of the conversation.

ALT The skills we used to make this show were learned across more than a decade of us trying stuff out and honing our craft. Not everything we made in the past worked, and that is not only okay, it is good! It is part of the process. Makers need the space, time and money to fail, so can they know what success looks like. Giving grassroots theatre-makers money is never a waste. It is an investment in our collective cultural future. The artists of tomorrow need public funding today.