making theatre "mainstream"...

I think that the theatre isnt mainstream becuase, as someone said previously, some people just dont have the intellect to appreciate the theatre these days. Im not implying that most people are dumb, but the world has changed a hell of alot and what was valued 50 years ago isnt as highly regarded in todays society. As a student in year 9, i can say that i find it much easier to talk with older people rather than my peers. I think this is becuase we are not taught about culture in schools, so many times i have heard about the next math talent quiz coming up, but have i ever heard about the next school production? The answer is no. Theatre, Music, dance and even visual arts arent promoted throughout schools, especially primary school. I think this is the main problem. Perhaps if young people were given more oppurtunities to experience the arts, theatre would beome more popular. I grew up in a family of actors,painter,musicians and writers so i had an abundance of sources at my fingertips but many kids go through life without being introduced to the finer things in life. The bes most get is a day out to see disney on ice and the schools end of year concert where they are all forced to sing 'the aussie jingle bells'. My brother and i have set out to 'change the world', as we call it. We started by forming a youth theatre group in melton for the younger youth, to give them a chance to experience theatre without paying heaps of money. Its definately not the ritz, but they are an AWESOME bunch of kids and we have alot of fun whilst we produce some good quality shows. So maybe, if we give younger people a chance, we can all help bring the theatre back. It wont happen overnight, so in the meantime we simply have to....carry on.