by Theatre: Do midweek shows earlier
When the National Theater leads, other venues should follow. Since February, the NT has been trialling 6.30pm performances on Tuesdays and Thursdays, following public consultation. This change is in line with flexible post-pandemic work patterns, but also responds to the common desire to chat and eat after the show. Both are central to a good night out, and if some restaurants now close earlier, the theater should respond in kind. I would go further. Public transport, especially in and out of London in the evening, is now chronically unreliable. Here’s even earlier midweek start times – how about 5.30pm? – and an exhaustive “weekend” (Sunday/Monday off) for hard-working theater professionals. Time to rethink time. Dominic Cavendish
Classical music: Stop trendy fads
Another deeper crisis is down to the practical difficulties of reviving a sector damaged by the pandemic; any sense of what the word “classic” really means. The result is that anyone can now wear the “classic” mantle. I would say that the word implies continuity with the vast body of masterpieces of the past, with their associated techniques and values such as beauty and coherence. Movers and shakers in the classical world should actively seek out those composers whose work reflects fidelity to those values, rather than fashionable political causes. Ivan Hewett
Television: Save the documentary
If the history podcast boom can teach the television world one thing, it’s that we still need education. In one way, the TV documentary is booming, but I, for one, was messing with murdered corpses (always female) and participating in “exclusive access” brand management exercises (always male). Few people on British TV are allowed to make serious factual series – David Olusoga, Adam Curtis, James Bluemel – and only the excellent Sky Documentaries and BBC Four’s excellent Storyville series (almost always an overseas buy-in) flying the flags for the public. cerebral and the earth. Tell us, entertain us – but, God, in this age of online ratings, please educate us. Chris Bennion
Art: Focus on the aesthetic
Some art historians hung up on symbols; others love to interpret form. More often, however, such classical analysis is rare within our museums and galleries, perhaps for fear of feeling old-fashioned and elitist. The dominant method today is to treat works of art primarily as if they were historical documents. An emphasis on form is out of fashion; material lives in vogue. There is room for such an approach, of course, but there is a risk of overlooking or even ignoring the aesthetic qualities that are the main attractions of art. We have to correct the balance. Alexander Juice
Opera: Ignore the Philistines
Opera is not just for performances, opera is not elitist, opera is great fun, opera speaks to our deepest needs and feelings. It seems extraordinary that we should have to reaffirm these basic truths in the face of growing philosophies, but they must create a collective slogan in 2024. Our big companies must adapt their overhead structures and inflexible business models to create a small scale. musicals that can reach a wide audience. It could even be that the English National Opera could lead the way, and make Manchester, along with the London Coliseum, the center of British opera innovation. Nicholas O’Kenneth
Books: Stop lazy editing
Publishers, get out the blue pencil. Too many books are rambling on to undeserved lengths, their sentences informal and vague. The problem spans fiction and non-fiction, initials and household names, and next year’s “highlights” look worse so far. The industry has spent years devoting itself to editors, the veterans who know how to reinvent and destroy. And while it’s not as exciting as social media “likes” or merchandise sales, editing is still, after writing, the skill that books depend on. Being so lazy is a false kindness, and it benefits neither the readers nor – in the long term – the writers themselves. Cal Revely-Calder
Film: Bring back the art of comedy
Who here remembers to laugh? In the cinema it was a common sound until about ten years ago, when franchise blockbusters, after the top of the box-office food chain, began to eat all rival genres around. As a result, plenty of studio films are now “funny” – or at least try to be – but pure comedies are thin on the ground. So as the Star Wars, DC and Marvel empires fall, it’s time for the romcom, the urbane farce, the teenage raunch-fest et al to steal back the initiative. Remember what a good time you had with Barbie? Non-branded movies can be so funny too. Robbie Collin
Radio: Surprise Ambridge again
Rob Titchener’s death from a brain tumor felt like a line in the sand for The Archers. Timothy Watson played with a subtle curse and was the best fictional villain on British radio for the last decade, but as long as he was alive, his presence towered over Borsetshire, the characters could not move forward. As 2024 begins, then, the show is at a crossroads. Will series editor Jeremy Howe develop another horror villain, and push Ambridge deeper into the comic? Or will it nestle things back into the familiar realms of Pip Archer’s self-confidence and angst on The Flower and Produce Show? I prefer the third way: to be surprised by something fresh. The Archers must stand boldly in a post-Rob world. Charlotte Runcie
Pop: Prioritize musicianship to combat AI
There is too much music and too little time. You can listen to more than 100 million tracks online right now; thousands more appear every day. And that will only get worse in 2024, thanks to advances in so-called AI. I’m no Luddite: AI tools can provide shortcuts for creative artists. But they can also be used to replace creativity altogether. Type a sentence, get a piece of music. Is that all we need? The best way to combat AI is to improve the number of flesh and blood musicians, so my wish for the next year is the same as the last one: to protect our small venues. Audiences are still down 16.7 per cent on pre-pandemic venues, with 125 community venues closed in 2023. The Government should offer generous rate schemes and more protection against noise complaints. But we also need rehearsal spaces, subsidies for youth clubs, music education – anything to get real musicianship back into the British bloodstream. Neil McCormick
Dance: Teach dedication and discipline
With the green locks now behind them, Britain’s leading ballet companies need to remember, reflect and (re)define who they are and what they do. In terms of both geography and art, Scottish Ballet and Northern Ballet “already exist”. But what differentiates the two biggest touring companies, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Ballet? And does the Royal Ballet want to be “just” a world class clean company with the world’s best dramatic repertoire – or the one with the most uniquely refined, expressive and effective style of delivery? The latter is embedded in the company’s history, but only diligence and discipline across the board will prevent it from fading. Mark Monahan
