Jonathan Pryce calls for more school trips to the theatre

Actor Jonathan Pryce has told the Guardian that more young people need to be shown the thrill of live theatre, calling for cheaper tickets and more school trips.

Pryce, star of Game of Thrones and the Globe’s Merchant of Venice, condemned the fact that schools, theatres and the government were failing to invest properly in young theatre goers.

He lamented that more and more pupils were being shown recordings of plays, which he said cannot compare to a live performance.

Speaking to the Guardian, Pryce said: “There seem to be fewer school trips to the theatre. We’re now being told that it’s enough for a young person to experience digital theatre… a public record of a performance, but nothing like a live performance.

“It’s great that places that no longer have theatres can get to see quality theatre, but I’d be happier if money was put in to get those young people into live theatre. It’s an eye-opener when people are exposed to it for the first time.

“The audience in a live performance is the extra cast member. The make-up of that audience and how they respond to the play shapes the performance that night.”

He went on to criticise the current government for not respecting theatre and said that any theatre that gets large public subsidies, such as The National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, should bring their prices down to become more accessible to future generations.