Adolescence screenwriter calls for urgent investment in UK theatre

Award-winning screenwriter Jack Thorne has called for urgent investment in UK theatre during a keynote conference speech.

The creator of the Netflix hit Adolescence was speaking yesterday (24 June) during the 2025 Theatre Conference at the Southbank Centre, organised by Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and UK Theatre.

Thorne said: “The future looks bleak for our creative industries unless we act now. Unless we let our government know the situation we’re in. Unless we get them to recognise that theatre doesn’t make sense in pockets of Britain but rather needs to be present in the entirety of Britain.”

He also drew on his own experiences growing up and seeing affordable regional theatre – something that is becoming increasingly difficult today.

“What once was plentiful and available to all is increasingly becoming rarefied. Drama teaching in schools has been largely abandoned. Drama GCSE is becoming niche.

“Theatre outreach work is being cut back on. Theatres are contemplating shutting their doors.”

Thorne’s speech coincided with new sector data from SOLT and UK Theatre, which states that nearly 40% of venues risk closure without urgent government or capital investment.

Thorne continued: “There has been a 15% drop in regional theatre performances since 2019. These figures show that number is only going to grow.

“If you let this happen, the money you make from theatre and film and TV is going to dwindle to nothing.

“The growth of creativity happens in unexpected places – the next Daniel Kaluuya is hiding from you. To find him, you have to invest.”