So Youth Theatre is pointless... isn't it? Well, that's the message I'm getting. What with cuts, not just in the arts sector, but across youth provision, well actually across everything. I'm not stupid, I know the country is up the proverbial creek but really; is this the right way?
Surely if positive youth provision disappears under the weight of these catastrophic cuts, then we will end up with many children and teenagers with nothing to occupy or stimulate them.
From our work over many years in schools and youth theatre settings we have witnessed a definite shift in young people's ability to imagine. Youth arts and Youth Theatre in particular counteracts that. It enables you to see a bigger picture, to imagine possibilities, to sympathise and empathise with numerous scenarios, and makes you an all round better individual. Now for whatever reason young people have not completely lost the skills needed to imagine, but it has certainly depleted and the imagination they do exhibit in their play looks suspiciously like a PS3 game or a modelling photo shoot. If the opportunity for creative expression disappears completely (as it already is with funding likely or definitely pulled from Creative Partnerships, Extended Schools Services, Find your Talent and many, many more) we will breed a generation whose only creative input is TV, and their output is playing on a computer with no conversation, no interaction, no challenge, no risk, and none of their own imagination. We will raise a generation who fail, simply because they have only developed to interact with a screen and have no clue how to communicate. Surely this is not going to help our future economy?… where will all the new, original and innovative ideas come from? Who will invent? Who will debate? Who will explore? Who will lead?...
Youth theatre has the power to enable young people to feel empowered and worthy. It builds confidence; we have witnessed countless children and young people filled with pride in their own achievements, after performing even in the most modest show. I have been astonished by young people able to firmly put forward their own arguments and opinions, something they would never have considered doing when they first attended youth theatre. We have supported young people taking a leap into further or higher education. Before attending youth theatre their opinions, formed by generally poor experiences of education, would never have let them consider college or university an option for them. Young people learn to work together, to respect each other, to have self discipline and self motivation; to have consideration and a broad acceptance, and be in charge of their own future and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
I could literally go on and on for hours about how much youth theatre benefits the people involved but this would be a very long post if I did, so instead I want to make a request. If we are to really recognise the value of youth theatre and youth arts generally we need to bring about a discussion around the topic in an open forum. We need to make people sit up and take notice and we have to ensure that provision continues so please share.
If you have any thoughts on youth theatre and how you value it, any anecdotes of your experiences or opinions on how beneficial youth theatre is then I encourage you to share them here.
Amy Morris We have a small youth theatre in my village that is very well received. It only runs because it is part of the church and it keeps the children off the streets in an area that is heavily vandalised.
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