Mental Health Support

The Royal Variety Charity has long stood to support those people who dedicate their working lives to bringing joy to millions, but today its mission extends beyond merely financial support, with the aim to champion good mental health practices for all those who work to make the magic happen. The next act in the Royal Variety Charity’s evolution is to help artists and crews thrive offstage and between jobs, as well as implement healthy working practices when doing what they love.

A Foundation of Care

The Royal Variety Charity’s earliest remit was to care for those who had fallen ill, had an accident, or simply hit hard times, and Brinsworth House remains, to this day, the physical embodiment of that promise. However, in recent years it’s become apparent that the concept of hardship has shifted.

The Covid-19 pandemic severely impacted the two industries our Charity most closely straddles: the Care sector and the Live Entertainment sector. The fallout has been felt ever since. Grant requests to the Charity began far more frequently to note signs of poor mental health in their applications. At the same time, the average age of applicants began to drop significantly, and as we moved into 2022, the Grants Subcommittee reported to the Executive Committee and Trustees that applicants for assistance were no longer largely 40 to 50-year-olds unable to work as a result of physical ill health, but increasingly 25 to 40-year-olds, many of whom were presenting with multiple health concerns, with references to anxiety and depression becoming far more common in their applications.

Application numbers continued to rise over the following two years, and it became increasingly clear that this was not merely a phase or a trend, but a seismic shift, not only in the lasting effect of forced unemployment on our sector, but also in the type of assistance being required of us.

The statistics that began emerging only reinforced the lived experience of our Executive Committee. Across the UK, the post-pandemic mental health landscape has reached a critical point. Rates of suicide among men remain alarmingly high, with the Office for National Statistics recording 17.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2023, the highest male suicide rate since 1999. Hospital admissions linked to alcohol and substance misuse have surged, with over one million alcohol-related hospital admissions in 2023–24, the highest since records began, and more than 310,000 adults were in contact with drug and alcohol treatment services - a 7% increase in just one year. These pressures sit alongside a steep rise in mental health-related admissions and an escalating number of young people presenting with probable mental disorders, now estimated to be affecting one in four aged 17 to 19.

Led by our Chairman and Life-President, Giles Cooper OBE, the Royal Variety Charity established its Mental Health Subcommittee in May 2024 to coordinate and strengthen the Charity’s response, with the desire to ensure that those working in the entertainment community have access to the understanding, support and professional help they increasingly need.

Since the launch of our dedicated Mental Health Support Programme, the Royal Variety Charity has gone on to help hundreds of beneficiaries, providing them with funded therapy sessions, and with a plan for continued growth year on year. Performers facing burnout have found therapy and been supported in their recovery, backstage workers needing counselling have been provided with assistance, and long-term industry professionals have accessed support for the first time.

The Royal Variety Charity has further strengthened its commitment to improving mental health across the entertainment industry by forming strategic partnerships with leading specialist organisations. Working closely with the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), the Royal Variety Charity helps to fund psychotherapeutic treatment for those in crisis, ensuring that performers, crew and creative professionals can access qualified, industry-aware clinicians. Alongside this, a new collaboration with Music Support offers specialist help to individuals facing challenges with addiction, recovery and emotional wellbeing, all areas where early intervention can be lifesaving. Looking ahead, we are exploring opportunities to develop a sector-wide mental health framework for the live entertainment industries, working with partner organisations to share best practice, align referral pathways and build a sustainable model of care that recognises the unique pressures of life in the performing arts.

The Charity’s long-term vision for this work extends far beyond providing immediate care; we aim to embed systemic change within the entertainment industries, ensuring that mental health and wellbeing are recognised as integral to professional excellence. A key focus for 2026 and beyond is the development of a Mental Health Toolkit for live performance, designed to define best working practices and embed proactive wellbeing measures at the earliest stages of creative training. Working within drama schools, conservatoires and training academies, this initiative will aim to help the next generation of performers and technicians entering the industry by providing them with the skills, awareness and resilience needed to thrive.

Our long-term goal is to lead our sector’s move from a model of crisis intervention to one of prevention and resilience, creating an environment in which industry professionals can sustain long, healthy and fulfilling careers. The Royal Variety Charity aspires to set a new industry standard in safeguarding mental health and wellbeing, working alongside leading national mental health organisations, training providers and fellow entertainment charities to shape a unified framework of care and accountability across the performing arts.

Together, we can ensure that the UK’s entertainment workforce thrives not just on stage, but behind the curtain and beyond the spotlight - supported, understood and able to shine, for years to come.