Scottish Youth Theatre to close after losing funding

After an unsuccessful application to Creative Scotland for regular funding for 2018-21, Scottish Youth Theatre (SYT) has announced it will close in July after 40 years of operation.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to explore all options for saving the organisation, although stressed that the Government could not tell Creative Scotland which organisations to fund. Creative Scotland also turned down SYT’s bid for funding in 2015, but the organisation was propped up by a £400k grant from the Scottish Government in a controversial move that the funder said undermined its arms-length status.

Creative Scotland said it had been in discussions with the SYT about alternative support and was “disappointed” by the closure.