Calls for wider roll out of Scotland’s school theatre scheme

Industry leaders have called for a wider roll out of Scotland’s scheme to give every primary schoolchild the chance to go to the theatre at least once a year.

The Theatre in Schools Scotland scheme is a joint project between and the National Theatre of Scotland and Scotland's national creative organisation Imaginate.

The pilot is scheduled to run for three years and aims to give every primary school pupil the chance to see at least one theatre performance a year.

Speaking to The Stage, Samuel West, National Campaign for the Arts chair, said that ‘Scotland is showing England the way forward’ and called on education funders and policy makers to provide more opportunities for young people to experience live art.

Rachel Tackley, outgoing English Touring Theatre director, told The Stage that it was a ‘joy’ to see Scotland launching the scheme and suggested it would be great if the scheme could be further developed.

Georghia Ellinas, head of learning at Shakespeare's Globe's education arm, echoed these sentiments and said the experience of live theatre was ‘invaluable’.

She told The Stage: “Not all students have parents who can afford or who are able to take them to the theatre, so schools are in the best position to address that inequity. In many cases, parents have never been to the theatre themselves so do not see it as part of their child’s upbringing. Schools can break that cycle of non-participation by making every child a theatregoer.”