Breaking the class ceiling: addressing socio-economic barriers and advancing inclusive practices for working-class artists in the UK arts industry

Maguire, J (2026) Breaking the class ceiling: addressing socio-economic barriers and advancing inclusive practices for working-class artists in the UK arts industry. Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.

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Abstract

I present a PhD by Published Works that demonstrates my work as a playwright and theatre practitioner. I feature my experience as a writer, actor, producer, and one of three Directors of ArtsGroupie CIC, an organisation dedicated to promoting and providing access to arts and heritage in areas of high deprivation. I’m Liverpool-Irish, LGBTQI+, and come from an economically disadvantaged area of Liverpool, growing up with parents who were long-term unemployed. My background profoundly influences my work and has made it a challenge to sustain a living in the performing arts. In the first part of the introduction, I demonstrate how my plays have been shaped by traditions of working-class theatre, including local Northern influences. The second part interrogates my varied methodologies. Finally, in the third part, I discuss the sample of plays taken from my body of work and how they developed. My craft reflects a dedication to creating tangible solutions to address the issue of equitable access to the arts through initiatives like ArtsGroupie CIC. My body of work has contributed new research into the effects of content creation, audience development and the ways in which working-class people can sustain freelance careers in the arts, and the historical contributions of working-class people.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Applied theatre; Arts accessibility; Arts and heritage management; ArtsGroupie CIC; Audience development; Class ceiling; Community Interest Company (CIC); Cultural leadership; Dramaturgy; Economic disadvantage; Equitable access; Freelance sustainability; Inclusive practice; LGBTQI+ artists; Liverpool-Irish identity; New writing; Northern English theatre; PhD by Publication; Playwriting; Practice-as-research (PaR); Regional identity; Social deprivation; Social enterprise in the arts; Socio-economic barriers; Theatre practitioner; UK arts industry; Working-class history; Working-class theatre
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater
Divisions:	Humanities and Social Science
Date of acceptance:	26 February 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	17 March 2026
Date Deposited:	17 Mar 2026 10:49
Last Modified:	17 Mar 2026 10:49
DOI or ID number:	10.24377/LJMU.t.00028200
Supervisors:	Moran, J, Walchester, K and Piesse, J
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28200

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