In 2002, the then-Scottish Arts Council (SAC, now Creative Scotland) asked Bonnar Keenlyside (BK) to undertake a Review of Youth Theatre in Scotland to inform the positioning of youth theatre within
SAC strategy.

One of the objectives was to collect evidence to support or challenge anecdotal evidence that youth theatre in Scotland was not meeting the needs of young people at the time.

Youth theatre in Scotland had grown in importance following the publication of Scotland’s National Cultural Strategy, the focus on children’s creativity and the investment in Scotland’s theatre resources. It was also recognised that youth theatre can aid the personal development of young people, encourage the development of skills, and bring separate communities together thereby meeting government objectives of life long learning and social inclusion.

The areas of investigation were…

• map youth theatre and identify geographic gaps
• ascertain reasons for any geographic gaps
• establish details of activity and participants for each organisation
• establish the socio economic profile of participants and determine gaps relating to access and opportunity
• look at youth theatre activity
• investigate staffing and funding issues
• ascertain available pathways beyond youth theatre and gaps in opportunities
• examine opportunities and gaps in training
• examine the role of Scottish Youth Theatre at the time
• investigate demand for a national umbrella body

Outcomes

The report identified that two of the main barriers to the development of the youth theatre sector in 2002 were a lack of information and opportunities to network. It was considered that networking would enable practitioners to share best practice and expertise and that this would enable the sector as a whole to develop. There was also considered to be a value in providing young people with the opportunity to network, enabling young people to see how other youth theatres work and to break down barriers.

There was a general lack of information about resources and opportunities. It was felt that a database of tutors and specialist practitioners would be welcome across the sector.

There was a frustration with the lack of available training. There was felt to be a need to raise the levels of professional skills within the sector, and for experienced and trained drama workers to have the opportunity to refresh skills and learn about new practice. The lack of a career structure within the youth theatre sector, with its poor pay and conditions, was also considered to be a barrier to the development of the sector.

Another barrier to the development of youth theatre was the lack of consistent funding. Additional resources would enable the youth theatres to provide a quality, professional service for example employing professional staff, hiring additional specialist expertise or commissioning new work especially for youth theatre.

The establishment of a membership organisation for youth theatre in Scotland was therefore considered to be vital for the development of the sector. The role and activities of a membership organisation would be, amongst others, to…

• enable networking
• act as the representative agent for youth theatre and to lobby and undertake advocacy for the sector
• provide training
• act as an information hub
• provide a central database of practitioners
• act as the link organisation between youth theatres in Scotland
• initiate connections and collaborations between youth theatres including internationally
• provide a festival or showcase of youth theatre work

The impacts of this activity were considered to be…

• an increase in the professionalisation of the sector
• an increase in the profile of the sector
• providing youth theatre in Scotland with a single voice
• enabling opportunities to share and experience the work of other youth theatres
• the development of the sector, providing support, information, training and advice.