Theatre ‘unattainable’ for many young people says NYT’s Paul Roseby
Hattie Fisk
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
‘This goes beyond politics… The connectivity between a young person and the opportunity here is harder than ever before,’ said artistic director and chief executive Paul Roseby at a recent NYT event.
Alessa Davison for National Youth Theatre.jpg
Artistic director and chief executive of the National Youth Theatre, Paul Roseby, has warned that theatre has become a ‘luxury’ that many young people struggle to access.
Speaking at the NYT’s First Days Gala, Roseby blamed underfunding and the lack of creative provision in schools for the ‘devastating market in the arts’ currently.
Despite describing how much he enjoyed his entry to the arts, Roseby said: ‘I feel that theatre has become very much a luxury. It’s become so unattainable for so many people. Schools can’t do anything. I didn’t do [theatre] formally in school, but what I did do was an after-school club. I was very lucky.’
Continuing to describe which opportunities no longer exist for young people, he added: ‘Over 40% of arts [provision] is cut within state schools. Nearly 80% of arts funding has been cut from every local authority around the UK. We in the arts world are very good at resilience.'
He added: 'So we don’t like to tell the truth when people say, ’How’s it going?’. Actually, it’s not going too well right now.’
Roseby, who has spent 15 years leading the NYT and has recently received an OBE for services to drama and young people last year, was speaking at 7 February at the NYT’s First Days Gala. There, he introduced the evening and spoke prior to the entertainment.
