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| Invest in next generation of theatregoers, urges actor Jonathan Pryce | Invest in next generation of theatregoers, urges actor Jonathan Pryce |
| (2 months later) | |
| Playhouses, schools and the government are failing to invest properly in future generations of theatregoers, the actor Jonathan Pryce has said. | Playhouses, schools and the government are failing to invest properly in future generations of theatregoers, the actor Jonathan Pryce has said. |
| The award-winning star of Wolf Hall and Game of Thrones, and a stage veteran, said young people needed to be shown the thrill of live theatre. He called for cheaper tickets and more school visits, rather than offering children filmed productions that he said could never recreate the excitement of the real thing. | The award-winning star of Wolf Hall and Game of Thrones, and a stage veteran, said young people needed to be shown the thrill of live theatre. He called for cheaper tickets and more school visits, rather than offering children filmed productions that he said could never recreate the excitement of the real thing. |
| Research by the Audience Agency has found that the largest age group for theatre audiences is 65 to 74. | Research by the Audience Agency has found that the largest age group for theatre audiences is 65 to 74. |
| GCSE drama syllabuses by the exam boards AQA and OCR no longer require pupils to watch a live performance, a move condemned in April by David Harewood and Zoë Wanamaker, among other actors. | GCSE drama syllabuses by the exam boards AQA and OCR no longer require pupils to watch a live performance, a move condemned in April by David Harewood and Zoë Wanamaker, among other actors. |
| Pryce said: “There seem to be fewer school trips to the theatre. We’re now being told that it’s enough for a young person to experience digital theatre … a public record of a performance, but nothing like a live performance. | Pryce said: “There seem to be fewer school trips to the theatre. We’re now being told that it’s enough for a young person to experience digital theatre … a public record of a performance, but nothing like a live performance. |
| “It’s great that places that no longer have theatres can get to see quality theatre, but I’d be happier if money was put in to get those young people into live theatre. It’s an eye-opener when people are exposed to it for the first time. | “It’s great that places that no longer have theatres can get to see quality theatre, but I’d be happier if money was put in to get those young people into live theatre. It’s an eye-opener when people are exposed to it for the first time. |
| “The audience in a live performance is the extra cast member. The make-up of that audience and how they respond to the play shapes the performance that night.” | “The audience in a live performance is the extra cast member. The make-up of that audience and how they respond to the play shapes the performance that night.” |
| He was speaking to the Guardian before a world tour of The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London – for which Pryce has been praised for his “richly realised” Shylock – and the world premiere next Saturday of his latest production, The White King, at the Edinburgh international film festival. | He was speaking to the Guardian before a world tour of The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London – for which Pryce has been praised for his “richly realised” Shylock – and the world premiere next Saturday of his latest production, The White King, at the Edinburgh international film festival. |
| Over a 45-year career, his awards have included an Olivier for Hamlet. Other roles have included the Bond villain in Tomorrow Never Dies, Cardinal Wolsey in the BBC’s historical drama Wolf Hall, and the religious leader High Sparrow in Gameof Thrones. | Over a 45-year career, his awards have included an Olivier for Hamlet. Other roles have included the Bond villain in Tomorrow Never Dies, Cardinal Wolsey in the BBC’s historical drama Wolf Hall, and the religious leader High Sparrow in Gameof Thrones. |
| Pryce, the son of a grocer, grew up in a small village in north Wales and did not go to the theatre until his late teens. Now 69, he has never forgotten his nervousness about his first visit. | Pryce, the son of a grocer, grew up in a small village in north Wales and did not go to the theatre until his late teens. Now 69, he has never forgotten his nervousness about his first visit. |
| “Young people feel that even more now because there are the financial constraints about going,” he said. “It is worrying.” | “Young people feel that even more now because there are the financial constraints about going,” he said. “It is worrying.” |
| When he got his first acting job, in Liverpool in the 1970s, his wages were only £18 a week, but he could still afford to buy theatre tickets, which then were inexpensive. | When he got his first acting job, in Liverpool in the 1970s, his wages were only £18 a week, but he could still afford to buy theatre tickets, which then were inexpensive. |
| He acknowledged that the National had a longstanding, successful partnership with Travelex, the foreign exchange company, which has enabled huge numbers of tickets to be sold at low prices. | He acknowledged that the National had a longstanding, successful partnership with Travelex, the foreign exchange company, which has enabled huge numbers of tickets to be sold at low prices. |
| But he wants theatre prices generally to be slashed. “The National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, and any theatre that gets huge public subsidy, I’d like to see some of those prices come down,” he said. | But he wants theatre prices generally to be slashed. “The National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, and any theatre that gets huge public subsidy, I’d like to see some of those prices come down,” he said. |
| School trips to the theatre should be on the curriculum, Pryce said. “. This particular government is like being back in Thatcher’s days. She didn’t respect theatre … a lot of funding was withdrawn from theatres. This government is saying that theatre … doesn’t need to be on the syllabus.” | School trips to the theatre should be on the curriculum, Pryce said. “. This particular government is like being back in Thatcher’s days. She didn’t respect theatre … a lot of funding was withdrawn from theatres. This government is saying that theatre … doesn’t need to be on the syllabus.” |
| He said it was partly because of his concern about future generations that he was drawn to productions by young people. “In the mix of doing a big movie like GI Joe or a big TV series like Game of Thrones, to be able to work with young filmmakers is quite exciting.” | He said it was partly because of his concern about future generations that he was drawn to productions by young people. “In the mix of doing a big movie like GI Joe or a big TV series like Game of Thrones, to be able to work with young filmmakers is quite exciting.” |
| The White King is a debut feature film by Alex Helfrecht and Jörg Tittel, featuring Fiona Shaw, Olivia Williams and Greta Scacchi. | The White King is a debut feature film by Alex Helfrecht and Jörg Tittel, featuring Fiona Shaw, Olivia Williams and Greta Scacchi. |
| Based on the critically acclaimed 2005 novel by György Dragomán, which has been translated from its original Hungarian into more than 28 languages, it tells the story of a boy’s love for his father and a family’s struggle against repression under a brutal dictatorship. | Based on the critically acclaimed 2005 novel by György Dragomán, which has been translated from its original Hungarian into more than 28 languages, it tells the story of a boy’s love for his father and a family’s struggle against repression under a brutal dictatorship. |