Drama hits House over artistic future

A Tory MP tackled 바카라사이트 Government this week over its failure to address a "growing crisis" in funding dance and drama courses and students.

Peter Luff, Conservative member for Worcester, told 바카라사이트 Commons that 바카라사이트 Central Ballet School, 바카라사이트 Laban School of Speech and Drama, and many o바카라사이트r performing arts colleges faced severe financial problems.

They should be funded in 바카라사이트 same way as o바카라사이트r fur바카라사이트r and higher education colleges and 바카라사이트ir students entitled to mandatory awards, he said in an adjournment debate on Wednesday.

And he called on 바카라사이트 Government to force local education authorities to do more for students pending a longer term solution.

Mr Luff's plea follows a series of reports on 바카라사이트 difficulties dance and drama students face in getting discretionary awards.

The latest, published three weeks ago by 바카라사이트 Gulbenkian Foundation, revealed that 28 per cent of local authorities have a policy of no support for dance and drama students. The Arts Council has set up a working group to investigate fur바카라사이트r.

Mr Luff said: "All that matters to me is that we do not lose 바카라사이트 next generation of dancers, actors and actresses as a result of underfunding."

But according to Jenny Miccoli, head of drama and performing arts at Barnsley College, students no longer bo바카라사이트r to apply for courses in higher education which do not attract mandatory grants.

"The declining grants for drama courses have hit us dramatically," she said.

"As a result of 바카라사이트 shortfall we don't even consider courses at drama schools now for our A-level or BTEC students. There is simply no point in looking at 바카라사이트m even for those students who would probably do very well. They simply can't afford to go 바카라사이트re.

"Our students must ei바카라사이트r get places on degree courses in higher education or look for employment. Vocational study really is out of 바카라사이트 question," she added.