March 2017: Extracts from a submission to the Labour Party’s report “Acting Up – Breaking the Class Ceiling in the Performing Arts”

The Problem

I currently run a social enterprise called Making Theatre Gaining Skills CIC which, since 2011, has been delivering a range of training programmes in coastal areas of deprivation across West Sussex and Hampshire. We’re mainly funded by the DWP as uniquely, the point of what we do is to provide people with employability skills through theatre production tasks. We’re not actually encouraging people to become actors as the aim is to offer transferable skills such as team work, communication, resilience etc. But what is interesting is that a high percentage become enthused by the making of theatre and change their view of an industry that they had previously dismissed as ‘not for them’. It is in this context that I have learnt that parents from working class families often discourage their children from becoming actors for a variety of reasons:

• They have no experience of a world that seems highly competitive
• They worry that their children will fail
• They worry about the insecurity of the profession

Middle-class parents have a completely opposite view. They are familiar with the world as they go to the theatre and are members of the ‘tribe’ that dominates this cultural area. They generally believe their children will succeed, not fail, and treat applying for entry to RADA as simply a challenge that needs to be overcome, just as their other children might apply for medical school. The extreme competitiveness actually makes it attractive. They share the working class parents’ worry about the insecurity but will simply do all they can to work their contacts to provide their children with the best possible prospects.

Research conducted by the Institute for Policy Studies in Education at London Metropolitan University found that gender, social class and ethnicity did not appear to have a bearing on young people’s aspirations to creative careers. However social class did appear to affect their perception of how accessible these careers were for ‘someone like me’ and the risks they would have to negotiate in realising these aspirations.

All of which leads to my conclusion that it comes down to one issue: confidence.

It’s no surprise to me that so many Old Etonians are working as actors as they share the good fortune of studying at a school that guarantees confidence beyond anything. What that means is that their pupils head off into the world ready to try anything. Contrast that with the disadvantaged child who may not have supportive parents and attends a standard comprehensive. They are fearful of anything new, would rather not put themselves forward because they can’t cope with failing and as a result lead much more restricted lives. Confidence gets you a long way in life and is essential if you are to navigate the world of acting. Starting with the business of applying to drama school, fighting for decent parts when you graduate, finding an agent and most of all, dealing with rejection.

How things have changed – and got worse

Between 2017 and 2011 I was Director of the National Council for Drama Training (NCDT) – later renamed Drama UK – which was responsible for the accreditation of drama school courses. 30 years ago there were maybe 25 accredited courses spread over 10 established schools – now the number is more like 100, not to mention the ever-increasing university courses. In 2011 the drama schools pushed through a merger with NCDT which led to a change in policy and the accreditation of the school, rather than the individual course. Not surprising that the number of courses expanded hugely as a result. The new regime struggled on for a couple of years until the most established schools (RADA, Guildhall, Bristol Old Vic etc) pulled out of the accreditation process and Drama UK was forced to fold. There is no longer any organisation dedicated to supervising the standard of drama training and protecting aspiring actors from being ripped off.

This expansion has, in my view, been highly damaging as it has expanded the pool of graduate actors making it even harder to get work. Inevitably, those with supportive parents and free accommodation in London will manage to hang on for longer. The agents and casting directors will not complain about the increase in young actors as it simply gives them more to choose from – the government might feel concerned about the cost of university loans which are unlikely to be repaid any time soon.

A solution

Previously, in 1999, I took over Greenwich Theatre in London as Executive Director. At that time, the theatre was closed following funding cuts and would have remained closed had not the local council been committed to saving it. We decided to focus on two key areas: the presentation of musical theatre and the establishment of free performance training for local young people.

Our first step was to produce a research study into the barriers facing BAME performers in musical theatre (published June 2005, funded by Youth Music and produced in partnership with Asphaleia Boost) The aim of this study was to establish whether young aspiring performers face barriers related to ethnicity/race in accessing employment or education in Musical Theatre.

The research made over 20 recommendations, suggesting that all contributors to the industry address the issue of opportunity for aspiring young performers by:

• debating the issue of colour blind casting
• investing in new Musical Theatre work reflecting different cultures
• implementing equal opportunities policies in casting and employment practice
• reviewing entry requirements, audition materials and curricula at HE level
• identifying positive discrimination targets and strategies at HE audition and admission level that are closely monitored
• developing innovative programmes to engage young BAME people in singing and dance at an early stage
• encouraging the development of BAME Musical Theatre professionals to operate at a senior/strategic level, to influence programming and to provide a positive role model for young people
• promoting the Musical Theatre world to different cultural communities as a positive and respectable learning and career choice for their young people

Most of GMTA’s objectives were linked to the recommendations of the report. In particular, the recognition that intensive skill training should be offered to young people at an earlier age than is usual meant we were able to develop a new Level 3 training programme that was accredited by the Open College Network and later adopted by Greenwich Community College for mainstream delivery. 55% of the students on the GMTA programmes identified themselves as BAME and a high percentage went on to access HE training and progress into professional work. The project worked because there were very clear objectives which were delivered in a series of 5 steps:

1. Work in partnership with local schools in key areas of deprivation by offering half day ‘tasters’ in musical theatre. Over 4 years over 300 young people took part.
2. Invite the young people who showed interest to participate in a one-week course at the theatre culminating in a performance their families could attend.
3. Progress the most promising performers on to a two week intensive course in the summer holidays which provided a Trinity qualification in musical theatre.
4. Encourage the most talented to audition for a two year, full-time course, based at the theatre which would be the equivalent of a Level 3 BTEC in Performing Arts but with much higher level of tuition and guided learning hours.
5. Ensure that the graduates from this course audition for the top drama schools (not as straightforward as you would imagine).

All the component parts of this 5-step programme were delivered free of charge as they would be in a school or FE college situation. However, the costs of running the two year course were greater than an equivalent BTEC due to the intensive, conservatoire elements. For example, each student had at least one private singing lesson a week, there were daily dance classes (streamed for ability) and all the tutors had professional performing or directing experience.

This pyramid approach meant that in a very short space of time 14 young people aged 17/18 were fully prepared and ready to audition for drama school. 4 got places and a further 6 went to university. We also supported young performers who had participated in other theatre projects.

Although GMTA set out to increase the number of BAME performers, there is no doubt it also gave opportunity to white working class young people. We were able to recruit a high number because we offered access to a professional theatre, we looked for referrals from local dancing schools and we hosted a number of productions to showcase their talent.