CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, April 04, 2023

Beverley Knight hails growing diversity of theatre audiences

Olivier awards | The Guardian: Theatre audiences are becoming more diverse, said the actor and singer Beverley Knight, who credited the Olivier award-winning musical Sylvia for attracting “people of all kinds of everywhere”.

1 comment:

CrimsonCreek said...

Theater as a medium is inherently universal. For thousands of years, it’s been appreciated by people of all backgrounds all the world over. However, as the working class of the western world and people of color of all social classes have been excluded from theater, it has sadly become a medium only for old, rich, white people. As the digital age has taken over, theater has become more accessible, drawing in all sorts of audiences and taking it back to its roots. I’m very happy to see this shift towards a once again diverse audience. The best stories are the ones that haven’t been told before, and inviting diversity into theater is the best way to have new stories told. While it’s true that theater audiences are getting more diverse, it’s important to make sure that the audience can see themselves on stage and in the stories. Diverse writers, actors, and directors, making the shows that they want and telling the stories that they want are what bring in diverse audiences that are passionate about the craft.