Five Theatre for Young Audiences and Youth Arts companies which lost Four-Year Funding have written to Minister Fletcher to request a meeting: Australian Theatre for Young People NSW, Barking Gecko Theatre WA, Polyglot Theatre VIC, Shopfront Arts Co-op NSW, and St Martins Youth Arts Centre VIC.

“In this latest round of Australia Council operational funding, the youth theatre sector once again bore the brunt of cuts to federal government investment. Five of Australia’s largest, most successful companies will be defunded as of 2022. The rationale that has been offered to these companies does not reference a failure in vision, delivery, achievement or compliance with selection criteria. The reason given by the Australia Council is: “There is not enough money to go around”.

“In a nation of over 4.7 million children there are now only three federally funded companies touring work for young audiences and four creating work with young people. Over the past ten years the Australia Council has withdrawn funding from: Australian Theatre for Young People; Arena Theatre Company; Backbone Youth Arts; Barking Gecko Theatre; Canberra Youth Theatre; Cirkidz; Jigsaw Theatre Company; Lowdown; Monkey Baa Theatre Company; Outback Theatre for Young People; PACT; Platform Youth Arts; Polyglot Theatre; Platform Youth Theatre; Riverland Youth Theatre, Shopfront Theatre; Slingsby; St Martins Theatre; Urban Myth Theatre of Youth; Southern Edge Youth Theatre; and the peak body, Young People and the Arts Australia.

“This latest round of cuts has a significant and urgent impact on the Australian artists and audiences. In 2019, between them, the five theatre companies that have just been defunded:

• Employed 630 staff
• Performed to an audience of 78,890 adults and children
• Involved 45,929 young people in workshops and creative learning”

Read the full letter here: Youth Theatre and TYA Orgs – Minister Fletcher