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Kwame Kwei-Armah: Theatre still vital

The artistic director of the Young Vic says theatres have to understand audiences and stay β€˜continually valid’

The artistic director of the Young Vic theatre has told the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ that despite the challenges presented by technology and streaming services, the stage still offered audiences the unique experience of a β€˜human being staring at another human being telling a facet of their story’.

Speaking to HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur, Kame Kwei-Armah said the theatre remained vital. β€˜This is an art form that has existed since ancient Egypt, right up to today’, he said. But he also emphasised those running theatres had to engage audiences and β€˜reach and find them and speak to them in a way that says β€œit’s worth you leaving your house to see a reflection of yourself in 3D”’.

Recent research shows a decline in traditional media engagement as audiences turn to new on-demand services. Kwei-Armah said it was sometimes difficult to attract writers of a certain calibre to make work for the stage β€˜purely because theatre pays so little, and TV pays a lot’.

Kwame Kwei-Armah has had a distinguished career as a playwright and director and has led the Young Vic theatre in London since 2018.

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