Actors Samuel West and Paapa Essiedu join calls for urgent action to protect and expand access to arts

World-leading drama schools in England are facing a financial crisis that threatens to turn back the clock, shutting down opportunities for talented young people from diverse and less privileged backgrounds, according to leading figures in the arts.

The warning came after one of the most celebrated drama schools in the country, Bristol Old Vic theatre school (BOVTS), which opened in 1946 with the support of Laurence Olivier, has revealed it is closing all undergraduate courses from September. Postgraduate courses will continue.