Manville calls for more regional theatre funding

Actor Lesley Manville has said regional theatre needs to be betting funded.

Speaking to the Guardian, Manville said her biggest issue with the industry is that “there is not enough money thrown into regional theatre”.

“Repertory theatres are not funded properly any more,” she said. “There still is a bit of a north-south divide. I’d love to see regional theatres given more funding. When I was starting out, it was amazing. You could go anywhere. It was a real training ground.”

She added that training in theatre offers opportunities screen work does not.

“You will learn more by stepping foot on stage, where you can’t be edited,” she said. “Nobody’s going to hold your hand; you’re on your own, and you’ve got to make it work.”

Manville was speaking at the Olivier Awards in London over the weekend after being named best actress for her performance as Jocasta in Oedipus at Wyndham’s Theatre, which is located in the West End.