Looking to enter the theatre world? Then help is just a few clicks away because the UK’s first theatre careers resource, Get Into Theatre, has launched online! The new website provides practical advice for young people with the aim of breaking down barriers to starting a career in theatre.
If you or a young person in your life is keen to explore a theatre career – from performing to prop-making and producing – Get Into Theatre provides clear information, inspirational tips and expert insights. Plus, it has loads of training, work experience and funding opportunities up for grabs. The Get Into Theatre website combats the misleading idea that theatre is always a ‘high risk’ career, and helps support underprivileged young people, especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds, who are less likely to have theatre industry contacts to help them get a foot on the ladder.
Get Into Theatre was co-founded by The Stage, Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, UK Theatre, and Society of London Theatre. It began after research showed that young people from BAME and lower-income backgrounds often don’t pursue a theatre career due to lack of support and information and that a thriving future theatre workforce must reflect the diversity of modern-day Britain.
‘I am delighted to see this one-stop-shop for theatre careers being launched today,’ said Andrew Lloyd Webber. ‘I passionately believe a career in the arts should be accessible to all and that young people with an interest and passion for theatre are able to easily find information on the training and tools they need to succeed. It’s vital that talented young people from diverse backgrounds find a way through and ensure theatre remains as vibrant as the populations it serves. This is just the start. I urge all those who have been successful in the industry to get behind this careers initiative and spread the word.’
Get Into Theatre is just one programme offering help to young people hoping to start a career in theatre. Other careers initiatives include: Theatrecraft, the UK’s biggest careers event for off-stage roles; Inspiring the Future of Theatre, which since launching last year has recruited over 1,000 industry ambassadors to go into schools and talk about off-stage careers; the Creative Careers Programme, raising awareness of creative job opportunities; and Stage Sight, a peer-to-peer industry collective working to improve diversity.
You can find out more about Get Into Theatre at getintotheatre.org – and follow Get Into Theatre on social media on Instagram or Twitter.