The Cancellation Playbook

It is time to rewrite the playbook. It will take a collective effort to restore balance within arts institutions and remove the chilling effect of cancellation—if we work together, it's achievable.

Rosie Kay (right) and dancers

Right now, there are world-class playwrights who cannot get their plays on stage, talented choreographers who cannot get their dances programmed, and quality writers who cannot get published. Cancel culture is alive and well—and continuing to rob artists of their livelihoods.

The level and ferocity of cancellation is striking. It covers all art forms: art, music, theatre, dance, literature, and poetry—to name a few. It includes a great diversity of artists targeted for their personal beliefs or for the content of their work. No artist and no artistic pedigree are immune from the ideological inquisition.

The history of banned and censored work is long and illustrious. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Salome by Oscar Wilde, and The Crucible by Arthur Miller were all banned either at their conception or thereafter as tastes and moral mores shifted. In the UK, it has been only 56 years since the Theatre Act of 1968 abolished the state censorship of the British stage. Modern bannings and cancellations of high-profile works have tended to be quite major art news scandals. 

One of the important realities of this new cancellation culture is that it has largely evolved away from state sanctions. Since around 2020, we have seen a very different kind of ostracization play out: the canceling of artists due to their own privately held beliefs. Often, the cancellation comes from fellow artists, leading to the epidemic of self-censorship we see in the arts today.

How do we make sense of this?

In October 2023, together with Denise Fahmy, I set up an organization called Freedom in the Arts to draw attention to the intolerant atmosphere in the arts and to signal the beginning of an organized opposition. We have three aims: 1) to protect artists and stop bullying in the arts, 2) to articulate the importance of freedom of expression, and 3) to help organizations and politicians navigate this complex area.

The Playbook of Cancellation in the Arts

Having worked with over 30 artists who have been attacked, cancelled, or quietly ghosted by those inside their own profession, I have noticed that there is a playbook for cancellation. It goes as follows: The Scene-Setting, The Incident, The Investigative Process, The Toll, and then The Conclusion. By analyzing the playbook, it is easier for artists to realize that a formula is being carefully executed against them. They are not alone, nor are they going mad.

The Scene-Setting involves creating a weighty awareness of which thoughts are acceptable in their workplace, and which are not – through ‘training’ sessions (or rather ‘struggle sessions’), forced consultations with activist groups, and changes to organizational policies. The ground is laid to define what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong,’ which virtue signallers and bullies love to take advantage of. For example, in the UK, we have seen cases emerge from policies on women’s rights, Queer Theory, and Critical Race Theory. Other artists are targeted if they have the ‘wrong’ opinion about politics, including vaccines, climate change, or the Israel/Palestine war. 

Then comes The Incident. In our experience supporting artists undergoing cancellation, many are attacked for simply expressing legal and moderate views, or for asking questions. One artist we know was attacked for responding to feedback asked by management around a new Equity policy. Another was sacked for a tweet they wrote two years ago saying something now vindicated by the UK’s Cass Report on child gender care. An artist we know was publicly attacked for liking one single tweet by a feminist journalist. Even being friends, standing next to, or having coffee with a ‘dangerous’ artist can be grounds for the next cancellation. What we continue to see in the arts is mob rule. 

The Investigative Process then becomes the punishment. Artists are often forced to write the ‘hostage apology’, which we’ve seen time and time again does not placate the mob. It is an admission that the bullies were right; they will never accept it, and they tend to demand more and more. As I experienced through my own public cancellation saga, an investigation process is often long, laborious, and painful. Late night replies, huge delays in responses, a lack of due process—you are treated as if you are already guilty. The thought police have already decided the verdict.

The Toll is that an artist’s very sense of self is destroyed. Their reputations, which took a lifetime to build, are under threat within a moment, their future completely uncertain. We have seen the suicides of artists while others have spoken out publicly about this threat to their sanity and life. This is so serious that it is a matter of life and death for committed artists.

So, how does an artist experiencing cancellation get out of it? There are limited choices. You can apologize, shut up, and hope it goes away. But what kind of a life is that for a free-thinking artist?  You might be able to withstand the silencing stress for a while, but it will kill your passion and take a chunk out of your soul. It will also drive you mad and possibly make you ill. Or you can take control: leave or resign and, if possible, go public. This can, of course, be financially risky, but as we have seen with artists such as Winston Marshall, this path is likely better for one’s long-term health and future success.

The Conclusion is bittersweet. The loss of livelihood and financial security experienced by canceled artists (including me) is utterly real. We are slowly finding new networks, new venues, and new collaborations. But how do we reach our audiences? The gatekeepers are currently very risk-averse or partially captured themselves. There has been little leadership on these issues from senior people in the arts, and certainly nothing coordinated at scale—yet. At both FAIR in the Arts and Freedom in the Arts, we are leading by advocating for clear guiding principles, hoping to influence artists, arts institutions, and policymakers all across the world.

First, we must encourage arts organizations to protect artistic freedom and end the culture of bullying. We seek to restore institutions’ impartiality so that individuals, artists, and audiences are free to express themselves in good faith.

Second, artistic excellence must be the north star. We must ensure that quality is centered over identity, and work to repeal mechanisms that would do the reverse. Excellence is not exclusive to certain groups of people; it is available to everybody.

Third, we demand an arts funding system that promotes the health of the sector over instrumentalism, reduces expenditure on arts administration, invests more in arts production, and increases public accountability for arts funding. We also want to strengthen artists’ legal protection for a fairer arts sector.

In order for this counter-approach to succeed, we must articulate why freedom in the arts is so important. It is the very basis of all good art and of a free society. We cannot create in a culture of fear where the qualities that make the arts such a wonderful place to work—creativity, beauty, playfulness, and humor—have been destroyed. 

By committing to a life in the arts, one is committing to opening one's mind to the depths and heights of humanity. As artists, we are not here to know categorically if we are right or wrong. We are here to bring newness into the world, challenge prevailing norms, encourage new thoughts, and inspire people to see the world in a different light. 

In fact, the whole act of creativity is one that dances between doubt and discovery. The best artists know this. A healthy art ecosystem requires a diversity of human experience, and that includes diversity of viewpoint. There is no place for dogma and ideological certainty in the arts; if we stray into dogma, we enter the world of propaganda.

There is a well-known phrase that politics is downstream from culture. What I’ve learned from my own cancellation and those of my colleagues is that culture is itself downstream from the arts. It is in the arts where some of our so-called ‘culture wars’ are being fought: between a set of activists who believe they hold the only correct views, and a set of more tolerant individuals who want to lead with impartiality, balance, and freedom.

It is time for us to be these leaders. To rewrite the playbook. It will take a collective effort to restore balance within arts institutions, to remove the chilling effect of cancellation, and to bring back a sense of vibrancy and collaboration within the arts. By understanding the techniques used to stifle artistic freedom, we can call it out and stop it from happening to others. We now need to unlearn the habit of fear. Courage calls to courage, and you’re not alone. Join us as we throw out the old playbook and replace it with something new—together, we can stop cancellation campaigns before they start, and finally begin to heal.

This is the inaugural essay of our new series, “Make Them Hear You: Stories from FAIR Artists.” Learn more about the series and contribute here.

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