Youth Theatre in England is important, transformative, vibrant … and fragile.

Today we launch the Youth Theatre Census report – a summary of the things we learnt from the biggest survey of youth theatres in England since 2011.

This is the story of 414 youth theatres, working with more than 100,000 young people, employing more than 8,000 salaried staff, freelancers and volunteers and reaching a total audience of more than 470,000 people.

It tells us that Youth Theatres are supporting young people in more ways that ever – through performance, digital, writing and technical workshops and much more.

And it tells us that they’re struggling. 31% of youth theatres get by on less than £10,000 a year – and many have much less. Many are run entirely by freelancers, volunteers and trustees. The average spend per participant is just over £200 per year – a fifth of what it would cost to attend a commercial stage school. 

It’s even harder because youth services are on their knees, so youth theatres are filling in the gaps for their members – providing pastoral, educational, financial and mental health support. These things aren’t optional extras – they’re a key part of the work. You can’t make a play if everyone’s feeling sad.

It’s no surprise that Youth Theatre leaders feel underpaid, underappreciated and isolated. 

Youth Theatre is an essential part of our national cultural ecosystem. Imagine theatre in the future if Youth Theatre didn’t exist – it would be even less representative than it does now.

We hope that this report is the start of real change for youth theatre in England. A catalyst for a national strategy to make this important national activity sustainable for perhaps the first time ever.

Read our full report here.