World Theatre Day is celebrated annually on March 27th, serving as a global platform to highlight the significance of theatre arts. Established in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute, the goals of the day are to promote theatre worldwide, raise awareness about its value, and enable theatre communities to showcase their work on a broader scale.
The UK boasts a vibrant theatre industry that significantly contributes to its economy. Recent studies indicate that the sector delivers £2.39 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) and supports approximately 205,000 jobs, including freelance positions (Sound Diplomacy, 2023). In London alone, theatre attendance reached 16.4 million in 2022, reflecting a 7.2% increase since 2019 (Society of London Theatre, 2022). It quickly becomes very clear just how big of an economic importance theatre plays in the UK.
Despite the thriving nature of the theatre industry, there is a concerning trend regarding youth engagement in creative arts careers. Between April 2022 and March 2023, the number of filled roles in music, performing, and visual arts declined by 35,000, representing an 11.3% year-on-year decrease (Arts Professional, 2023). Additionally, the number of students enrolling in arts-related subjects has been decreasing, indicating a potential future talent gap and leading to continuous defunding of the sector.
Supporting young people in theatre
It’s important for us, as educators, widening participation and outreach professionals, to do everything we can to foster a new generation of theatre enthusiasts. By integrating theatre into education, facilitating access to performances, promoting it as part of extracurricular activities and highlighting those diverse career paths we can encourage and support young people in choosing the right option for them.
In DANCOP, a variety of targeted programmes that we facilitate are either linked with the theatre and a focus on creative industries or use the theatre space as part of workshop delivery. This includes past programmes such as Discover the Dramatic Arts, The Cinderella Project and work with the Roma community just to name a few; you can find the case studies for each of these programmes on our website, highlighting how powerful the use of theatre can be in supporting young people to not only consider future careers, but build key transferable skills.
World Theatre Day serves as a reminder of the transformative power of theatre and the importance of nurturing the next generation of artists and performers.
To find out more about World Theatre Day, you can visit www.world-theatre-day.org.
Useful links
Drama Subject Guide – UCAS
getintotheatre.org
What can I do with my Performing Arts degree? – Prospects UK
Why study Drama?
Blog content written by Karolina Tauer