Tackling the erosion and devaluation of the arts in state schools must be a priority for the next government, leading theater figures in England have insisted.
Sir Nicholas Hytner, who ran the National Theater in London for 12 years, said state schools “have been robbed” and that restoring arts education was an urgent issue to ensure there is “not just a new generation of artists, but a New Generation”. generation of audiences”. Nancy Medina, the artistic director of Bristol Old Vic, said the arts should be a “necessity for all students” and not just the “preservation” of independent schools. Theresa Heskins, artistic director of the New Vic in Staffordshire, suggested that the next government commit to giving every schoolchild a theater trip.
Data released by the Cultural Learning Alliance last month shows there has been an overall drop of 42% in the number of arts GCSE entries and 21% in arts A-level entries since Michael Gove’s introduction of the Ebacc system, which excludes all arts subjects. , in 2010. In that time, recruitment of music teachers has fallen by 56% and 42% of schools no longer enroll students for the music final exam, while 41% no longer enroll students for the drama final exam.
Hytner said it was “an absolute outrage” and a “notorious sleight of hand” that the government had placed the responsibility for developing new theater practitioners and nurturing new theatergoers “on an underfunded sector that finds it difficult enough to simply cope to keep above water. water”.
Hytner is now artistic director of the London Theater Company, which operates the Bridge Theatre, a commercial venue. He acknowledged that he is no longer part of the subsidized sector, saying it is “simply not being funded to fill the void essentially left by the disappearance of creative and performing arts education in state schools”.
Hytner acknowledged the impetus given by the government to introducing a higher tax rate for theaters and the Culture Recovery Fund during the pandemic: “I watch with something like anger when the creative industries themselves have to do what they should do. done in schools.”
There was a general expansion of educational, community and outreach work in theaters when Hytner was at the National from 2003 to 2015, he said. “I wish we had insisted at the time that that expansion came with direct funding from the government departments responsible for what we – funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport – were doing now.” For example, he said the education and health departments should have funded such work directly. “Dance companies do a lot [of community work] directly related to health. Ultimately, it proved to be too much of a burden to remove this from core funding.” Still, such work was of primary importance, he added.
The Labor Party, Hytner said, “has identified that arts education in schools needs to be addressed…If Thangam Debbonaire becomes the new Secretary of State [for Culture, Media and Sport] and don’t lose to the Greens in Bristol, then I think that’s quite encouraging.
Medina praised Debbonaire who started out as a professional cellist. “The prospect of a culture secretary who is an artist himself, who is so passionate about the cultural sector and who can directly testify to the transformative power of the arts, is one that the whole sector would welcome,” she said. inviting more policy details from Labour, “specifically around arts education”.
For Medina, the contrast in the arts provision between state and independent schools is stark. “Go to any private school and check out their state-of-the-art play areas and cultural facilities. It is clear that these institutions – the staff, the parents, the students – believe that the arts are important and worth investing in. But it simply cannot be the domain of private education. Art is a necessity for all students.”
Medina highlighted the positive impact exposure to the arts has on achievement in core Ebacc subjects such as math and science, as well as wellbeing, empathy, inclusivity and innovation. Prioritizing arts education would “bolster the next generation of students” who “inherit a world beset by a host of complex challenges,” she said. A foundation in the arts would “provide a toolbox that gives them the best chance to solve them.” Art, Medina added, is not always about depicting things as they are, more often it is about what could be.
Like Hytner, Medina pointed out the importance of students developing skills for the creative industries. “A big problem is the reduction of opportunities for people to exercise,” she said. “Creating theater requires countless highly skilled people. A level of skill that can only be developed through experience. These skills are highly sought after. That’s why the industry is currently experiencing a shortage, as many people have shifted to higher-paying TV and film work since the pandemic. We need these skills not only to fill the roles as they are now, but also to push the boundaries of our art form.”
Heskins, director of the New Vic theater in Newcastle-under-Lyme, said that “to sustain our rich and vibrant theater and arts industry we really need to ensure that we involve our children and young people from the earliest age involving the arts.” . A visit to the theater, she said, “can help broaden children’s horizons, help them learn and increase cognitive skills in all subject areas, and aid in the development of emotional intelligence.” Enabling children to experience “more creative activities as part of their studies” is essential, said Heskins, who observed “a reduction in the provision and marginalization of arts subjects in schools”.
Heskins said theaters have taken on an additional role as “community centers” that help “improve children’s literacy, raise aspirations, improve community cohesion and generate civic pride.” The cost of living crisis is causing many children to miss out on arts experiences, she added. “I would like to see whoever is successful in forming the next government prioritize funding and resources to give children and young people access to as much live theater as possible before they leave school – and commit to provision that will enable every child to can go to the theater at least once before they turn 16.”
Her own first theater experience came during a school trip, said Heskins, who comes from a working-class background. “It wasn’t a career I had considered – until that first school trip when I saw the magic of live performance.”
The government has been approached for comment.