Theatre group ‘boosting youngsters’ mental health’

● Threatened company claims ‘cheap, quick fix’

The “life-changing” chance to do drama offers a “cheaper, quicker” fix for crippling mental illness among young people than overstretched NHS services, Scotland’s closurethreatened youth theatre company has claimed.

The Scottish Youth Theatre said it had “saved” thousands of young people battling mental health problems since it was founded more than 40 years ago by providing the kind of help which the NHS could not offer. Chief executive Jacky Hardacre, who is seeking direct government funding for the Glasgowbased youth theatre as talks to secure its future continue, said: “What we do is not about putting on a play, what we do saves young people. I remember one young woman at an audition a couple of years ago who said she came because her mental health was on a downward trajectory.

“Her low self-esteem was clearly evident. Within four weeks she was strutting around the stage like a woman on a mission. No amount of counselling or medication could achieve that, and that young woman understood that. That’s why she came, and we have thousands of other stories from people like that saying SYT changed their lives.”

The young woman Hardacre recalled was Kirstie Mathison, from Glasgow, who first attended SYT aged 11 before returning in her late teens to help overcome debilitating shyness, anxiety and other health issues. Now 20 and doing some acting in short films, she said: “Performing really helped me to come out of myself. I used to find it difficult to even say ‘Hi’ to someone. At SYT I learnt how to interact with other kids in a safe, non-judgmental environment. It gave me confidence.”

The theatre company, whose alumni include Gerard Butler and Karen Gillan, sparked outrage among supporters when it warned last week that it would be forced to close after Creative Scotland rejected its latest bid for investment.

Becoming a national company, funded directly by government, would end the financial uncertainty of competing in regular applications to the beleaguered arts quango, theatre bosses believe.

The Scottish Association for Mental Health said NHS services were not meeting demand from young people, with thousands waiting for specialist help.

The Scottish Government expects to “reach agreement on the best way forward very soon”.