Critics fume over Youtube star’s billing
THE theatre industry has reacted with concern after a Youtube star was cast in the lead role of a new production, warning it could devalue the training of professional actors.
Tanya Burr, who has 3.7million Youtube subscribers, is to make her theatre debut in a revival of Confidence at the Southwark Playhouse, as she builds her acting career. The casting is likely to ensure the theatre is packed full of enthusiastic young audience members, keen to see their Youtube idol per- form. But the decision has led to consternation in the industry.
Mark Shenton, theatre critic for The Stage, wrote: “We don’t yet know if Burr can act, though I assume that Boundless Theatre’s artistic director, Rob Drummer, has checked her credentials. If anyone with a big Instagram and Twitter following can be thrown into the lead of a play, what’s the point of real actors learning their craft?”