Arts education cuts a threat to diversity in theatre - Kwei-Armah

Kwame Kwei-Armah, the outgoing artistic director of the Young Vic, has warned that diversity in the theatre industry will regress if the government does not improve the provision of drama and art classes in schools.

- Nadia Khomami

The director and dramatist has scripted a new Hercules musical that opens at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London in June 2025, taking over the musical mantle at the theatre from Frozen. It will be his first major project since stepping down from the Young Vic earlier this year.

The show is inspired by the 1997 animated film of the same name from Walt Disney Studios, which was a huge hit with audiences and critics.

It stars Luke Brady and is co-written with Robert Horn, directed by Casey Nicholaw and co-choreographed with Tanisha Scott, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and David Zippel.

According to Kwei-Armah, one of the ways the show has been made relevant for modern audiences is the inclusion of "funny gags" that "reference the time we're living in". He also paid tribute to the show's "effortless diversity", which he said reflected audiences and society.