Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has announced up to £15 million from the Every Child Can programme to support the National Theatre to work with The National Lottery Community Fund and regional theatres across England.
Together, they will work to reach young people who may never have experienced theatre because of cost or where they live.
The National Theatre will work with 12 partners across every English region to bring world-class theatre to more than 100,000 young people. The young people will be able to explore acting, directing, playwriting and backstage roles, while training and workshops will help them develop skills for careers in the creative industries, both on stage and behind the screen.
The theatre partners will also offer thousands of subsidised £10 tickets to make performances affordable for young people. Productions specifically designed for young audiences will tour to 400 schools across the country.
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."
Executive Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre, Kate Varah said: "A young person’s chance to experience the transformative benefits of theatre should not depend on their postcode or what their family can afford. National Theatre Nationwide turns this groundbreaking government investment into practical opportunities for young people in every region: be that a seat at a major production offering a first experience of theatre, seeing a schools show that unlocks their learning potential, the chance to write or make a show themselves or discover a hands-on career behind the scenes.
"Theatre has the power to spark imagination, build confidence and bring people together. Working with our 12 partners theatres across every English region, and they with local organisations in turn, means we can build something lasting, shaped by local communities and young people themselves. This is about more than finding the next generation of theatre-makers. It is about giving 100,000 young people the chance to discover what they enjoy, what they are good at, and where their creativity could take them. This is an investment in their futures, in the future of our sector and of our country."
