Over at The Guardian's Theatre Blog, Lyn Gardner is bemoaning the fact that Anya Reiss, at only seventeen years of age, is to have her debut play 'Spur of the Moment' staged at The Royal Court Theatre. Gardner argues (according to Arts Council England's recent Theatre Assessment) that writers face 'continuing problems in making a career with less support for writers aged over 25'. The report also found that many older writers 'struggle to make a living wage'; compare this to many young people who, at the age of eighteen, are confronted with the prospect of progressing to university, and in so-doing attaining debts which often exceed £15,000. With there being little guarantee of graduates finding full time, permanent employment in the current economic climate, the idea of starting adult life in debt deters many young people from going to university; many are then faced with the thankless (and often fruitless) task of finding full time employment or signing on. Anyway, I always thought part of the enduring appeal of becoming a penniless writer was the fact that financial gain was always secondary to creating and pursuing a career which you have a genunine enthusiasm for.
Far from belittling Reiss' achievement, I believe that young people should be encouraged to work hard (as Reiss has obviously done) in order to accomplish career and personal goals. In the midst of recession and our money obsessed culture, young people have become increasingly apathetic as well as being much maligned by adults and the media as being responsible for the multitude of problems which engulf our society. Rather than criticising Reiss for being successful at the expense of older, more established writers, such as Bryony Lavery and Caryl Churchill (who have already enjoyed notable career successes), she should be congratulated and held up as an example to her contemporaries of how richly you can be rewarded when you dedicate time and effort to something you have a passion for.
(Sources: Here and here.)
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