The once respected, massively influential and lucrative newspaper industry is in crisis. Rocked by ongoing allegations of corruption, bribery and illegal practices, the media has become the story. Behind the headlines, newspapers circulation figures continue to spiral downward, with the knock-on effect of ever-decreasing advertising revenue and redundancy now common place across all levels of the industry. At the same time, the explosion of digital media and the possibility and expectation of instant, free, news 24 hours a day has completely wrong footed the industry and left it reeling.

No one would argue that the revelations and reverberations of the past five years have been anything less than extraordinary, but the question no one can answer is whether there will even be a newspaper industry in another five.

“We are not facing a momentous crisis in journalism. We are already in a crisis that is putting the central public service aspect of our role in jeopardy.’

Roy Greenslade, September 2009

Blending fact, anecdote and passionate opinion, Enquirer is a site-specific piece of theatre performed in an empty media office block. This promenade production has been created as rapid response to the unfolding events in the newspaper industry. The show will be updated throughout the rehearsal and performance period to reflect the current state of play.

Leading figures from the following newspapers have given interviews to date: The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Record, The Daily Star, The Guardian, The Herald, The Independent, The Mail on Sunday, The Observer, The Scottish Daily Express, The Scottish Sun, The Scotsman, The Sun, The Sunday Mirror, The Sunday Times, The Times and The Telegraph.

Recommended for ages 14+