On Monday, the Government released the much anticipated Giving White Paper, which aims to increase philanthropy and giving in the UK. The proposals form part of the wider Big Society agenda and hope to make charitable giving as easy as possible. Following on from the Giving Green Paper consultation in March, the paper outlines a number of changes including:

The Drama and Theatre Manifesto recognizes a common sense of purpose and a shared belief in the contribution drama and theatre makes to the quality of children’s lives in school and beyond.

The Manifesto has been endorsed by these organisations and associations:

Action for Children’s’ Arts (ACA), Equity,   National Association of Teachers of Drama (NATD), National Association of Youth Theatres (NAYT), National Council for Drama Training (NCDT), National Drama (ND), National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA), Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Theatre Education Forum (TEF), Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) England

If you are an Organisation, you can send the manifesto on to your members and invite them to incorporate it into their practice and policy and to disseminate it to their students, participants and colleagues.  .

The Manifesto is a call to action to young people, parents, teachers and theatre practitioners to unify their efforts and ensure that young people have access to drama and theatre.

The sense of unity within the sector that the Manifesto represents is only the first step to its usefulness as an effective tool for drawing support and funding to the sector. At a time of cuts, we need to be able to advocate with clarity the successes achieved by the sector as a whole and be able to evidence why our community is of such vital importance to the UK’s cultural, educational and economic life and to the lives of individual children and young people who see or make theatre and drama

Download a copy of the Drama and Theatre Manifesto here

Visit www.dramatheatremanifesto.co.uk for more information

The Scottish Government has earmarked £2.25 million to support cultural activities for young people as part of its CashBack for Communities programme.

A reminder that if you work in drama and theatre and with children and young people, there are opportunities to get involved in the consultation sessions to develop a statement of common purpose that could unite the sector to advocate for its work at the highest level.

A reminder that if you work in drama and theatre and with children and young people, there are opportunities to get involved in the consultation sessions to develop a statement of common purpose that could unite the sector to advocate for its work at the highest level.

The NCA has submitted its response to Arts Council England’s Achieving great art for everyone consultation, ACE’s ten-year strategy which aims to place the arts at the centre of national life and ensure their continued growth throughout the next decade.

The Departments for Children, Schools and Families and Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) have published good practice guidance, aimed at local authorities, on providing positive activities for young people, particularly on a Friday and Saturday night. The guidance references some good case studies showcasing the work of the cultural sector and aims to encourage local authorities to partner with organisations who could help to deliver a diverse range of arts, culture and sports activities.

The Association of British Orchestras (ABO) has published A Platform for Success: A Five Year Vision for Orchestras. The ABO’s vision sets out the following aspirations:

Maintain our programme of great performances at home and abroad, challenging audiences with a wide repertoire and diverse approach. Place orchestras within the national celebrations towards the London 2012 Olympic Games and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Nurture home grown talent and attract the world’s best composers, performers and conductors to the UK. All these artists have at their disposal a hugely talented and highly skilled pool of musicians, with a rich orchestral heritage. Ensure every orchestra in the ABO commits to an environmental ‘touring charter’ by 2015.

The Conservative party has published its vision for the arts under a Tory government, setting out plans to “provide coherent and sustained support for the arts.” The document outlines approaches to matters of funding, structure, access, and education should a Conservative government be successful in the General Election. The introduction strongly sets out the party’s aims to “build on the success of the arts”, which focus on the following principles:

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) have published an initial review of the Find Your Talent (FYT) programme, launched in 2008.

Last week, we reported that Arts Council England (ACE) had launched Achieving great art for everyone – a consultation on future priorities for the arts, the results of which will inform a ten-year strategic framework and ACE’s future investment decisions, and asked Members to submit comments and evidence to inform our response. Briefly, the consultation outlines five long-term goals that will drive ACE’s development work, inform its funding priorities and strengthen relationships with artists, organisations and audiences.

Arts Council England (ACE) has launched Achieving great art for everyone – a consultation on future priorities for the arts, the results of which will inform a ten-year strategic framework and ACE’s future investment decisions. The consultation represents the first time the Arts Council has brought together all arts forms and development areas into one set of long-term priorities. The NCA will be responding to the consultation, and asks Members to submit comments and evidence before 22 March. This can be sent to nca@artscampaign.org.uk