£15m theatre initiative to open up arts opportunities for South West children
Young people across the South West are set to benefit from a major new programme designed to make theatre and creative opportunities more accessible, with Theatre Royal Plymouth among 12 regional partners working with the National Theatre.
The government-backed National Theatre Nationwide initiative was announced by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy at the National Theatre on Thursday, 12 November, with children from Ivybridge Community College and representatives from Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP) joining the launch.
The programme will receive up to £15 million through the Government’s Every Child Can programme, working with The National Lottery Community Fund and regional theatres to reach young people who may otherwise miss out on theatre because of cost or where they live.
The three-year initiative aims to reach more than 100,000 young people nationally, offering subsidised tickets, creative workshops, skills training and opportunities to explore careers in the performing arts.
For Plymouth, the partnership will build on Theatre Royal Plymouth’s existing education, community and engagement work, which reaches between 25,000 and 30,000 people each year across the city and wider South West.
The programme will get under way in earnest in 2027, when the National Theatre brings The Rise and Fall of Little Voice to the Lyric and The Last Wild to the Drum, both in March.
The wider initiative will include subsidised tickets giving 16,000 young people the opportunity to see National Theatre productions at their local venues. Skills demonstrations and workshops will introduce pupils to the work involved in putting on a production, from technical roles to performance.
A travelling Skills Roadshow will also visit areas without theatres, while a new music theatre programme will give 14 to 18-year-olds the chance to create and perform original work with artists and industry professionals.
Young people will also have a say in shaping the programme through a new Nationwide Youth Council and 10 Youth Manager posts outside London.
Other elements include National Theatre tours to schools, youth theatre opportunities through the Connections festival and a playwriting programme called New Views.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “I am tired of being told that not everybody can or should have access to the best of what this country has to offer. Arts and culture gives the chance to live a richer, larger life and that chance should be afforded to every young person.
“Experiencing the joy of theatre shouldn’t be restricted to only those who can afford it or who were born in the right postcode. This programme takes the very best of the National Theatre and brings it to the doorsteps of our young people across the country, many for the first time ever, to help them find their spark, expand their horizons and encourage them to see a creative future for themselves."
James Mackenzie-Blackman, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Theatre Royal Plymouth, said: "Theatre Royal Plymouth is thrilled be a regional partner in National Theatre Nationwide and we are proud to have shaped this ambitious programme with the National Theatre. Our region is full of young people with incredible creative potential but too few of them understand how to harness it. Together, with our partners across the country, this opportunity will ensure more young people across the South West experience world-class theatre and develop their creative skills, in turn, developing their confidence and widening their horizons."
Through performances, practical workshops and opportunities to work alongside theatre professionals, the initiative aims to help young people discover their creative potential and explore possible routes into the arts industry.