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Olivier Award-winners highlight importance of youth theatre and work of drama teachers

Calling out the government for not prioritising youth theatre, Olivier award-winners Arthur Darvil, Beverley Knight and Chris Bush spoke to the press on the red carpet at this year’s Olivier Awards.
Calling out the government for not prioritising youth theatre, Olivier award-winners Arthur Darvil, Beverley Knight and Chris Bush spoke to the press on the red carpet at this year’s Olivier Awards.
Adobe Stock / Scott Grinsell

Winner of Best Actor in a Musical for his role in Oklahoma! at the Young Vic, Arthur Darvill said that youth theatre was essential for his career, and that is it ‘not taken seriously’ because it is ‘so intangible.’ Claiming he would not have won the award without his youth theatre in Birmingham and the teachers he had at school.

Discussing his teachers, he says he is ‘standing on [the] shoulders’ of ‘those people whose passion it was to enthuse and give us the opportunity to play and get stuff wrong and to create and be free.’ He claims that the youth theatre was great for ‘people finding their voice’ and for ‘kids who don’t fit in who need community and friends’, not just those who went on to become actors.

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