Get Into Theatre was established to help increase diversity in the industry. Nick Smurthwaite investigates what impact the site has had so far, and what more is left to do.
As part of the drive to make theatre more diverse – and less of a white, middle-class enclave – Get Into Theatre was launched in 2019. It was designed to be accessible to anyone hoping to make a career in the performing arts, whether it is acting, producing, set design, front-of-house, make-up, teaching or stage management.
Their smart, informative website was established in response to two industry reports, one commissioned by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, the other by UK Theatre and the Society of London Theatre. Both reports concluded that there were still barriers to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as young people from the global majority entering the industry.
In the five years since its launch, there has been a huge appetite for the information and guidance provided by the Get Into Theatre website, reaching more than one million users. In 2023, they recorded that 28% of sign-ups were from young people from the global majority, 31% from a low-income household and 9% identifying as disabled.
Director of Get Into Theatre, Alex Duarte-Davies, says that one of the first obstacles to overcome when it comes to explaining how theatre works, is to demystify the various job opportunities. She says: ‘A lot of people don't realise you can make a living or a sustainable career in the theatre, as well as not knowing what roles exist. We list how much money you can make in different roles in the theatre.
‘When I first started working in the theatre, I took every job I could get – box office, stage door, front of house – so that I got to know everyone in the building and what other roles existed that I might want to try.’
As with any other profession, some training is required for most of these roles, whether it is in-house or study-focused. There are funding paths that exist for young people who may not be able to cover the cost of their training and many drama schools offer bursaries and other forms of financial support. Both the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and the charity Open Door, offering a part-time training programme to young people hoping to get into drama school, are also worth exploring.
One of the key findings of Centre Stage, the 2016 report commissioned by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, was that drama school intakes needed to be more diverse. Former Young Vic boss Kwame Kwei-Armah, interviewed for the report, stated: ‘It is incumbent on drama schools not just to increase (diverse) intake, but to revolutionise the curriculum so that it is as diverse as the country we live in and the student base it serves. It is time to enable today's drama students to walk in and announce, “I'm here, and I don't have to give up something of myself to succeed in this environment”.’
Testimony was also provided by actor Giles Terera, best known for his performance in the musical Hamilton. Terera trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, where he is now deputy chair. He reported that staff from Mountview actively go into schools in ‘marginalised communities’ in order to get kids interested in the performing arts.
‘Drama schools and institutions have a responsibility to demystify the industry,’ says Terera. ‘If you are a young person of colour wanting to get into different areas of theatre, you have to be made welcome. Otherwise, you assume it's not for you.’
Alex Duarte-Davies points out that, in order to access a theatre career, you don't necessarily have to go to drama school. ‘There are many universities that offer career-ready courses, both in technical theatre, performing and directing. There is also learning on the job. Many of our producing theatres offer apprenticeships for backstage skills.’
Although Get Into Theatre was specifically created for young people, it has also become a teaching tool for secondary teachers, careers advisers and further educators. Earlier this year it launched the Teacher's Toolkit, designed by a combination of industry professionals and drama teachers, complete with theatre career lesson plans and a careers poster, illustrating the different theatrical careers and projected salary bands (everyone loves a display board!). The toolkit won the award for Outstanding Drama Education Resource at the MDEE 2025 awards in January (see below). There are also blogs and videos detailing different apprenticeships and drama schools training opportunities.
Launched in partnership with Get Into Theatre, the Ambassadors Theatre Group's (ATG) Creative Learning team created the year-long project Work In Theatre, which succeeded in engaging 275,000 young people, teachers and emerging artists. Led by Hollie Coxon from ATG, the project fostered local relationships between those working in the performing arts, as well as teachers, opening the door to thousands of young people interested in careers in the arts.
Indeed, so successful was the project that Get Into Theatre and ATG are seeking to launch a second wave of Work in Theatre later this year, ensuring a new cohort of young people from a variety of backgrounds have detailed access to information and insight into theatre careers all year round.
For Alistair Smith, editor of The Stage and one of the driving forces behind the push for greater diversity and inclusion, it is a question of what's best for theatre. He says: ‘There are countless reasons why theatre should strive for a more diverse workforce, not least because diversity enhances the work itself. However, for me, the most compelling reason is that theatre's fundamental role is to tell a society's stories. To do so authentically, it must reflect that society – both on stage and behind the scenes.’
Clearly the joint initiatives of Get Into Theatre and Work In Theatre have been enormously helpful – and accessible – to thousands of would-be theatre practitioners, and an eye-opener for those who are attracted to live performance but don't have a clue how to access training or careers advice.
However, Alex Duarte-Davies is not complacent: ‘There is always going to be work to be done,’ she says. ‘Vast skills gaps still exist in the theatre industry, and we're still seeing people from similar backgrounds stepping into leadership roles. But it is getting better and our work is definitely having a positive effect.’
For more information, visit getintotheatre.org