Cuts in arts funding, whether it’s the Arts Council or cuts to theatre companies and venues, are constantly in the news, but Gina Frost and John Topliff of 3Minute Theatre in Manchester are bucking the trend by running with no subsidy at all:

We knew once the ConDem government came in that our jobs in theatre studies at a local college were threatened. We also knew that as we were in our early 50s that it was going to be hard to find work so we decided to develop a small theatre and do teaching and learning during the day

Frost and Topliff had a lifetime of experience as performers and teachers so it was at that point they decided to try and set up their own theatre. 3MT is based in Afflecks Palace in the Northern Quarter and is literally inside a shop unit where Frost and Topliff have…