On 13th March the Drama and Theatre Education Alliance launched the Drama, Theatre and Young People's Manifesto at the National Theatre, London.
The manifesto calls for every child and young person to have an entitlement to drama and theatre throughout their education.
We've been working on the manifesto for the past year because we believe in making drama and theatre an essential part of the human experience. Participating helps us to express what we care about, and why; reminding us of who we are and what we can be.
Drama is a source for cultural capital, identity and heritage; it inspires us to take risks, think critically and builds social cohesion through collaboration. It can change and shape our lives through developing creativity, cognition, empathy and resilience. Children and young people thrive in schools where drama is accessible to all through the curriculum and our mission is to enhance creative learning in any way we can. To ensure that every child has an entitlement to drama and theatre the Manifesto calls for:
High quality drama teaching to be made a curriculum entitlement for every child and young person
High quality theatre experiences to be made a cultural entitlement for every child and young person
Young people to be supported to enter the theatre workforce
A world class education workforce and infrastructure in drama and theatre education
The Manifesto has been developed by an alliance of drama and theatre organisations including: Action for Children’s Arts London Drama London Theatre Consortium National Drama NST (Nuffield Southampton Theatres) SCUDD (The Standing Conference of University Drama Departments) Theatre Education Forum and Theatre Workout
Read the full manifesto here.