What works to support diversity in the creative industries? Insights from theatre/dance roundtable of the APPG for Creative Diversity

February was the first meeting of the APPG for Creative Diversity for 2021 and focused on theatre and dance. As in previous months, the roundtable raised themes that will be familiar to those who have followed the 2020 sessions. The session also reflected the range of artforms, businesses, organisations, and practitioners captured under this particularly broad umbrella. The roundtable recognised that theatre and dance have a history of not being representative of the breadth of communities that constitute contemporary society. In particular, several participants discussed how they were inspired to…

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Read ‘n’ weep: child literacy on decline as children fail to identify Aslan and Dorothy Gale

Sainsbury’s research reveals that child literacy is on the decline in the UK, with children unable to identify once popular fictional characters. Just 22% of children know the Chronicle of Narnia’s Aslan, 10% The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy Gale and 3% Charlotte Web’s Charlotte.  Instead, children are finding inspiration online, with 30% able to identify Jojo Siwa, an American YouTubber and dancer, 24% recognising Surprise Toys, a YouTube channel dedicated to watching people unwrap toys, and 18% identifying YouTuber Zoella. The news comes as research from Sainsbury’s reveals that just…

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