The Future of The Living Room Theatre: A Manifesto for Independent Art
By Michelle St Anne, Artistic Director, The Living Room Theatre

For 25 years, The Living Room Theatre (LRT) has existed on the fringes—an outsider in an industry increasingly tethered to commercial viability and institutional approval. We had no venue, little producer support, and yet our audiences came. Our short, sold-out seasons reaffirmed the impact we were having—not just in numbers, but in the visceral effect our work had on those who experienced it. Our work is not easy, but it is necessary.

To our incredible strength we are independent, not as a branding exercise, but as a necessity. Independence allows us to create work that is courageous, beyond a genre and theatrical expectation, at times, difficult. It gives us the space to question, to provoke, and to challenge the narratives that dominate our social and cultural landscapes.

An independent arts organisation like LRT provides space and provokes reappraisal of false narratives and societal complacency. Too often, art is treated as an accessory to life rather than an essential part of it. The work we make is about opening wounds so they can be understood, about shaking the foundations of the stories we’ve been told to believe.

The increasing presence of men in top arts positions has led to a depletion of female voices—voices that challenge patriarchal systems and disrupt the status quo. This isn’t just about representation; it’s about the slow erasure of perspectives that demand accountability and change. Too often, producers act as additional gatekeepers, offering opportunities based on personal interests rather than artistic merit. This insular approach limits who gets presented in traditional venues, further restricting diversity and making competition for the few available slots increasingly fierce.

So, the future of The Living Room Theatre is not going to be about playing it safe. Our upcoming projects, including Ostinato, The Tales Project, and The White Chair: Skeletal Works Past and Present, continue to push boundaries—both artistically and thematically. These works interrogate systems of power, the erasure of women’s voices, and the very nature of performance itself. They are experiential and deeply human.

But independence comes at a cost. It means resisting the pull toward work that guarantees ticket sales over impact. It means navigating a funding landscape that favours institutions over individual risk-takers. And it means constantly proving that art—real, uncompromising art—has value beyond its ability to entertain.

So, what does the future of The Living Room Theatre look like? It looks like an organisation that refuses to be convenient. It looks like a stage that holds space for the silenced and the uncomfortable. It looks like a theatre that is as much an act of defiance as it is an act of creation.

As we step into our next chapter, we invite our audience, supporters, and fellow artists to stand with us—not just as spectators but as active participants in shaping the future of independent theatre. Because without independence, we risk losing the raw, urgent power of art itself.

The Living Room Theatre has never asked for permission, and we won’t start now. The work continues. The challenge remains. And the future is ours to carve.

Michelle St Anne is the Artistic Director and Founder of The Living Room Theatre. She is dedicated to dismantling entrenched narratives, amplifying underrepresented voices, and pushing the boundaries of contemporary theatre.