Entitled to theatre

The relatively low status and profile of theatre and drama for, by and with young people has led to a feasibility study by the National Campaign for the Arts, which is considering the potential benefits of drawing up a manifesto for political lobbying purposes. Whilst dance and music for this age group have benefited from significant increases in funding over the past ten years, there has been no equivalent funding increase for drama and theatre. The authors of the report, Maria Evans and Becky Swain, recommend that a manifesto should set out to define an appropriate level of “entitlement” to theatre and drama activity, provide evidence of the value of such an entitlement, and identify gaps in provision that will need to be addressed if a national entitlement is to be realised.