Being a thespian is almost synonymous with being English. In fact the people of the UK are so consistently wild about theatre that they spend millions of pounds per year doing it and seeing it.
This October (21-28) the Third National Amateur Week will once again celebrate those who live, breathe and attend the glorious thing that is amateur theatre. And if a recent survey is right, that means just about everyone!
The world of amateur theatre encompasses those organisations in which volunteers are actively involved in creating theatrical events for and by themselves and for their local community. The mission of Amateur Theatre Week therefore, is to encourage and develop new performers and audiences as well as to raise awareness about the many benefits of amateur theatrics.
Amateur theatre runs the entire gamut of theatrical endeavour from community theatre companies, amateur dramatic and opera societies, youth groups, schools, colleges and university drama. In the UK alone, it is estimated that around 500,000 people actively take part each year in amateur theatre, and perform for up to 7.5 million people.
This year the final day of Amateur Theatre Week (ATW) also coincides with Make A Difference Day on 28 October 2006. This is the UK’s biggest celebration of volunteering, co-ordinated by Community Service Volunteers.
Any amateur theatre groups interested in taking part in Amateur Theatre Week 2006 are encouraged to register their interest online or by post. ATW is particularly interested to hear from community-based amateur theatre groups that involve disadvantaged, refugee or small inter-cultural groups.
Artists who have given their support to Amateur Theatre Week include mega music theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Asked about his involvement Lloyd Webber said, “I am delighted to give my support to Amateur Theatre Week. Amateur theatre makes an enormous contribution to local communities and in some parts of the country provides people with their only access to live theatre. I wish every success to all the groups taking part.”
Matthew Kelly, Winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in 2004, credits the amateur world with kick starting his career and passion for the arts. “Amateur theatre provided my first introduction to acting,” he said, “and I am proud of my continued association with this vitally important part of both the nation’s cultural provision and the local community.”
Many highly successful film and theatre actors have had their first taste of performing in amateur or youth theatre productions prior to pursuing their professional training and careers. UK superstars who have trodden the amateur boards include: Robbie Williams, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jude Law, Patrick Stewart, Orlando Bloom, Helen Mirren, Derek Jacobi, Ben Kingsley, Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew Kelly, producer Cameron Mackintosh, and more recently, Operatunity winners, Jane Gilchrist and Denise Leigh.
Amateur theatre is one of the most popular voluntary activities in the UK. Data indicates that 468,700 people actively participate in their local amateur theatre groups across the country and perform in venues that vary from professional theatres to local church halls. These amateur groups also include millions of young schoolchildren, people colleges, universities and youth theatres.
At the end of 2002 the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) and the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain (LTG) carried out a national survey of its 2300 affiliated amateur theatre groups and 92 venue-based companies. The results of the surveys were revealing, particularly in identifying and articulating the value of amateur theatre in terms of its benefits. These benefits included its capacity to engage amateur performers and their audiences as well as being a boon to the UK economy.
The survey results discovered that the total annual turnover of NODA affiliated amateur theatre groups was in excess of £38.5 million per annum. In addition the survey noted the capacity for amateur theatre to: Raise more than £2.3 million for charity, involve more than 468,700 people, present more than 30,000 performances, and attract over 7,930,000 attendances per year.
The National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) was founded in 1899 and is the major representative body for amateur and community theatre in the UK. The Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain was founded in 1946 and is the association for independently run amateur theatres. NODA has a membership of over 2,300 amateur societies and 3000 individual members throughout the UK.
And amateur theatre is not just popular in the UK. Every European Union Nation has a government-funded representative body for amateur theatre that supports the many thousands of amateur theatre groups across the EU. This includes funding international festivals to celebrate the diversity of amateur theatre and to promote it as a unifying and humanitarian international movement.
In a world where hyper-professionalising has left many people feeling that they simply cannot participate, amateur theatre represents one of those idyllic cosy corners where you can just be yourself and give something a whirl.
To more information about Amateur Theatre Week, visit www.amateurtheatreweek.org.uk
www.noda.org.uk
National Operatic and Dramatic Association
www.aitaiata.org
International Amateur Theatre Association
www.amdram.co.uk
A free website for the amateur theatre community. It includes free resources for groups and individuals interested in amateur theatre.
www.nayt.org.uk
The National Association of Youth Theatres
www.littletheatreguild.org
Little Theatre Guild of Britain
