Dutch theatres and concert halls are gradually replacing their paid staff with volunteers and temporary workers, according to new figures from the national theatre directors’ association VSCD on Monday, quoted by the NRC.

On average last year, three paid theatre jobs were cut – an equivalent of a 10% reduction in staff over the country as a whole, the NRC says.

‘Theatres are being forced to choose to take a more flexible approach to their staff because of spending cuts,’ the organisation’s director Hedwig Verhoeven told the paper. ‘But there are, for example, more young theatre technicians who work as independent specialists.’

At the same time, the figures show theatre turnover is increasing and more people are going to the theatre and concerts.

The average audience has risen from 350 to 370 and additional income from tickets and catering is offsetting cuts in government grants. Grants now account for 41% of income, compared with 46% in 2014.

‘Theatres are using their buildings more intensively and are often open all day,’ Verhoeven said. Debates, theme evenings and other events have allowed theatres to ‘strengthen their socio-cultural role and reach a wider and more diverse public,’ she said.