National Theatre programme to bring £10 tickets and school tours to young people in every English region

Young people in every English region are to be offered subsidised £10 theatre tickets, school performances and workshops under a new four-year National Theatre programme. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced it at the National Theatre alongside actors including Jim Carter, Adjoa Andoh, Adrian Lester, Imelda Staunton and Bella Maclean.

The programme, called Nationwide, will receive up to £15 million from the government's Every Child Can programme. The National Theatre will work with The National Lottery Community Fund and 12 partner theatres across England to reach more than 100,000 young people who may never have experienced theatre because of cost or where they live. The announcement did not name the partner theatres.

National Theatre touring productions will visit each partner area, with thousands of £10 tickets on offer. Shows designed for young audiences will tour to 400 schools. Young people will also be able to try acting, directing, playwriting and backstage roles, with training and workshops to build skills for careers in the creative industries. A Skills Roadshow will visit areas without theatres, and a new music theatre programme will create community productions made and performed by local young people. A Nationwide Youth Council will give young people a say in how the activities are designed and delivered.

The government also announced a further £106 million from the Dormant Assets Scheme for Every Child Can, bringing its total funding to £238.5 million. The remaining £173 million will open to organisations across England in 2027 to support activities beyond the school gates, from arts and culture to sport and nature.

Ms Nandy said: "Experiencing the joy of theatre shouldn't be restricted to only those who can afford it or who were born in the right postcode." Kate Varah, Executive Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre, said a young person's chance to experience theatre "should not depend on their postcode or what their family can afford".