More than 100,000 children and young people across the country will get the chance to experience live theatre, many for the first time, as new funding is announced
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy at the National Theatre, London
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy at the National Theatre, London
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy joined stars of stage and screen including Jim Carter, Adjoa Andoh, Adrian Lester, Imelda Staunton and Bella Maclean alongside young performers at the National Theatre to announce a government-backed programme that will open up opportunities for young people in theatre, sports, arts and the outdoors.
At the star studded launch event, the Culture Secretary announced up to £15 million from the Every Child Can programme will support the National Theatre to work with The National Lottery Community Fund and regional theatres across England. Together they will reach young people who may never have experienced theatre because of cost or where they live.
Through the new Nationwide programme, announced today, the National Theatre will work with 12 partners across every English region to bring world-class theatre to more than 100,000 young people. They will be able to explore acting, directing, playwriting and backstage roles, training and workshops will help them develop skills for careers in the creative industries, both on stage and behind the screen.
These enrichment activities will wrap around National Theatre touring productions in each location, helping young people to make the connection between what they see in themselves and what they see on stage. The partners will offer thousands of subsidised £10 tickets to make performances affordable for young people, and productions specifically designed for young audiences will tour to 400 schools across the country.
In addition, a new music theatre programme will create original community productions, inspired, devised, produced and performed by local young people in their own areas, while a Skills Roadshow will bring opportunities directly to young people in areas without theatres. Young people will also have a say in shaping the programme, with a new Nationwide Youth Council giving them a voice in how activities are designed, developed and delivered.
The government has also announced an additional £106 million from the Dormant Assets Scheme for the Every Child Can programme, bringing total funding to £238.5 million, to help more young people access activities beyond the school gates, from arts and culture to sport and nature.
The remaining £173 million will open to organisations across England in 2027, supporting more opportunities for young people to develop new skills, discover their interests and build real-life connections.
I am tired of being told that not everybody can or should have access to the best of what this country has to offer. Arts and culture gives the chance to live a richer, larger life and that chance should be afforded to every young person.
Experiencing the joy of theatre shouldn’t be restricted to only those who can afford it or who were born in the right postcode. This programme takes the very best of the National Theatre and brings it to the doorsteps of our young people across the country, many for the first time ever, to help them find their spark, expand their horizons and encourage them to see a creative future for themselves.
It is appropriate that a National Theatre should live up to its name by taking their work round the country. For young audiences living far away from the NT’s London headquarters, here is a chance to see them close to home and get involved. If this means that theatre-going becomes a habit rather than an occasional adventure, hurrah!
Live theatre has been available in this country ever since the birth of modern drama. It is increasingly costly, so it’s encouraging to all of us who care about the future of live theatre, that central government is playing its part, supporting theatre people and our audiences.
Executive Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre, Kate Varah said:
A young person’s chance to experience the transformative benefits of theatre should not depend on their postcode or what their family can afford. National Theatre Nationwide turns this groundbreaking government investment into practical opportunities for young people in every region: be that a seat at a major production offering a first experience of theatre, seeing a schools show that unlocks their learning potential, the chance to write or make a show themselves or discover a hands-on career behind the scenes.
Theatre has the power to spark imagination, build confidence and bring people together. Working with our 12 partners theatres across every English region, and they with local organisations in turn, means we can build something lasting, shaped by local communities and young people themselves. This is about more than finding the next generation of theatre-makers. It is about giving 100,000 young people the chance to discover what they enjoy, what they are good at, and where their creativity could take them. This is an investment in their futures, in the future of our sector and of our country.
Dame Julia Cleverdon, Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund said:
The new Every Child Can Fund recognises that every child has great potential but not all children get the same opportunities to discover and realise their potential. Offering high quality Enrichment opportunities to young people can open doors, spark passions, build confidence and help them discover what they love, what they’re good at and the difference they can make in their community and the world around them.
Powered and shaped by young people, with funding from Dormant Assets across England, delivered by the UK’s largest community funder - the National Lottery Community Fund - this ambitious programme will invest in young people, listen to their ambitions and deliver the opportunities that matter most to them, regardless of where they live or their background. Our common endeavour through the Every Child Can Fund is to ensure that many more young people have many more chances to flourish, achieve and thrive.
Today’s announcement forms part of the Prime Minister’s programme to improve the experience of young people growing up across the country. The government is rebuilding opportunities for young people, and working with local communities to help the next generation build successful careers from the start.
This investment will ensure they are given the opportunities to develop critical life skills and access training opportunities for adult life. It also provides young people with the offline opportunities they have told us they want to experience through the major ‘State of the Nation’ survey published as part of the National Youth Strategy, and ahead of the government taking the vital step in protecting them from the harms of social media, with the upcoming restrictions launching in 2027.
It comes ahead of Alan Milburn’s final report into youth unemployment due this month, commissioned by the Government to better understand the drivers behind the almost one million young people neither earning or learning.
On top of Every Child Can, the Government is investing in places, people and opportunities that will help young people thrive through its £450 million Youth Matters Fund programme. Driven by the priorities of young people, the Fund will support improvements to hundreds of youth facilities and provide meaningful, in-person activities and opportunities for young people, including sport, music and volunteering.
Funding will support 60 locations across England, selected because they are the most in need of investment. These areas have experienced longstanding underinvestment in youth provision, with young people reporting a lack of access to sufficient opportunities. The 60 local authorities will receive an initial share of £20.7 million in funding from the Youth Matters Fund programme this year. From Middlesbrough and Oldham to coastal communities such as Skegness and King’s Lynn, the funding will help address the imbalance in access to youth services and ensure a young person’s opportunities are not determined by where they live or their background.
The Government is also strengthening the youth services workforce, funding the delivery and recruitment of 1,000 new youth workers and trusted adults, and working with the sector and the National Lottery Community Fund to help youth workers develop their skills and impact.
The government’s National Youth Strategy, Youth Matters, was launched by Lisa Nandy in December 2025 and co-produced with 14,000 young people through a landmark ‘State of the Nation’ survey.
Additional quotes:
Emma Flatley, Interim CEO, Belgrade Theatre, said:
This new investment is a hugely exciting opportunity for young people in Coventry. We were delighted to welcome the National Theatre’s Bacchae schools tour to the city last month, and the response from students showed the impact that high-quality theatre can have when it is brought directly into schools and communities. For many young people, experiences like this provide a first introduction to theatre and the creative industries, opening up possibilities they may never have considered. Every young person should have the opportunity to discover their creative potential and see what a future in the arts could look like, whether on stage, behind the scenes or beyond, and regardless of their background or circumstances.
Building on the Belgrade Theatre’s long history of working with schools and communities across Coventry, we want to offer a programme that gives young people sustained access to theatre, helps them develop skills and confidence, and provides clearer pathways into creative careers. This funding allows us to create something with lasting impact.
Jon Gilchrist, Artistic Director & CEO at Birmingham Hippodrome, said:
National Theatre Nationwide is a true statement of intent and it’s a privilege for Birmingham Hippodrome to be partners. It will ensure world-class live drama can be experienced regardless of geography. But much more than this, National Theatre Nationwide will be shaped by young people for young people, and will provide unprecedented access to the skills and knowledge to support their future careers. This has the potential to create a seismic shift in the national impact of the National Theatre, and to inspire a new generation of theatre-lovers and theatre-makers from every corner of the country. This is an investment in the creative futures of young people from the West Midlands and across the nation, and we are grateful to the NT and the UK government for making this happen.
Vicky Cheetham, CEO at Leeds Heritage Theatres, said:
Leeds Heritage Theatres is delighted to be part of National Theatre Nationwide. This is an exciting opportunity to build on our commitment to young people, working with national partners to bring greater ambition, creativity and opportunity to Leeds and West Yorkshire.
We particularly welcome this investment in our region. Every young person should have the opportunity to experience the extraordinary power of live theatre, develop their creativity and discover new skills. This partnership is not simply about opening doors to theatre today; it is about investing in the next generation of audiences, artists and creative talent, and ensuring that young people across our communities can see a future for themselves in the arts.
Chris Stafford, Chief Executive of Curve, Leicester, said:
At Curve, we are committed to ensuring theatre is for everybody, and following the success and impact of Theatre Nation Partnerships, we are delighted to once again be collaborating with the National Theatre and 11 partner theatres across the country.