{"id":2264,"date":"2023-08-16T10:02:25","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T10:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/?p=2264"},"modified":"2026-05-15T10:32:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T10:32:34","slug":"why-join-a-youth-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/young-performers\/why-join-a-youth-theatre\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Reasons to Join a Youth Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why youth theatre is important for young actors and how you can get involved.<\/h2>\n

Youth theatre is a lifeline for many young people. It\u2019s a safe place where in-person connections thrive, creativity is celebrated, and individuals are accepted. For some, youth theatre can even become a home and a family.<\/p>\n

Here are seven reasons why your child may want to join a youth theatre if they want to become a performer, including what a youth theatre does and how you can find one that\u2019s close to you:<\/p>\n

1. Youth Theatre Inspires Young Actors<\/h3>\n

Youth theatre can ignite a love of theatre in young people and help prepare them for pursuing a career in the performing arts industry. Actors who started out in youth theatre include Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Daniel Craig, Matt Smith, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rosamund Pike, and Zawe Ashton.<\/p>\n

James McArdle, a\u00a0PACE Youth Theatre<\/a>\u00a0patron and\u00a0alumnus, is now a successful actor with credits that include\u00a0The Tragedy of Macbeth<\/em>,\u00a0Life After Life<\/em>,\u00a0Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Mare of Easttown<\/em>. He says, \u201cI owe everything to \u2018PACE\u2019. Not just the skills I learnt that I can use when acting, but how to have confidence in myself.\u00a0It helped me find joy in meeting new people and not be afraid of being me. It taught me I had value and worth, which has been a vital part in becoming an actor, but also just in growing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Youth theatre isn\u2019t only inspiring the next generation of actors, but backstage artists too. Benedict Rattray, a former member of the\u00a0Backstage\u00a0group at\u00a0Trinity Youth Theatre<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Tunbridge Wells, is\u00a0now working professionally in the West End. He says,\u00a0\u201cTaking part in the Trinity Backstage Youth Theatre gave me excellent hands-on experience in a wide variety of technical areas, which I was able to take forward with me while studying stage management at drama school. The experience of working in a professional venue from a young age also substantially prepared me for working in the industry when starting my career. I would thoroughly recommend it!\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Youth Theatre Brings People Together<\/h3>\n

With the rise of social media, there\u2019s a lot of socialising through screens. However, drama games at youth theatre break the ice and can bring people back together.<\/p>\n

Jenni Mason, the Artistic Director of\u00a0PACE Youth Theatre, says,\u00a0\u201cFor this generation of young people, life is even more complicated as they navigate their way around the pressures of social media and spend less time interacting and more time than ever in front of a screen. Promoting the importance and the benefits of being creative and having access to arts experiences is more important than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to this, youth theatre can help to heal what may have been lost due to Covid-19 restrictions. Many young people were isolated during formative years in their development and may now struggle to be around other people. Youth theatre brings them into a shared, in-person space filled with drama games and improvisations that are the perfect antidote to isolation.<\/p>\n

3. Youth Theatre is Good for Mental Health<\/h3>\n

Many youth theatre members and alumni talk about the benefits youth theatre gave them during difficult times.<\/p>\n

A student from the\u00a0National Youth Theatre\u2019s\u00a0free\u00a0Stepping Up course<\/a>\u00a0explains,\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve got low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, but when I come to NYT, I feel like my anxieties are lifted and I\u2019ve learnt social skills that help me be less reserved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Youth theatre can also be a rock in some people\u2019s changing lives. Holly Mankelow (18), a member of\u00a0Trinity Youth Theatre, says, \u201cI found youth theatre during a huge transitional period in my life when everything was changing. To have a constant in my life where I could relax, be myself and explore the thing I really loved doing was so precious to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Youth Theatre has Positive Long-Term Impacts<\/h3>\n

In 2022,\u00a0Youth Theatre Arts Scotland<\/a>\u00a0(YTAS)\u00a0and the\u00a0Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities<\/a>\u00a0carried out research into the\u00a0long-term impacts of youth theatre participation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kenny McGlashan, the CEO of\u00a0YTAS\u00a0says,\u00a0\u201cWe can see the power of youth theatre very clearly in the results of this research project. We were able to identify six key long-term impacts of participation in youth theatre.\u201d<\/p>\n

These are:<\/p>\n