Hanged, Drawn and Quartered by Class.

I want you to think of your favourite actor or actress.
No seriously, go on. There is a point, I promise.
Got them?
Now I want you to think about what it is you enjoy so much about their performance. Is it their ability to capture the attention of an audience ranging from an auditorium of 100 to millions of viewers at home through a TV Set. Or is it the fact that they bring truth, modesty and a blistering humanity to every character they play?
Well whatever it is, I highly doubt it is due to their upbringing or the social class they belong to you.
Throughout history, theatre has always been available to the masses. From the very beginning in Ancient Greece when theatre was first explored as a religious ritual; to Shakespeare's time where yards were used to communicate news and  historical herritage to the groundlings (who paid 1d- the equivalent of a penny!)
But as of late, the theatre has started to make the transition into becoming an increasingly unjust affair.
This was brought to my attention recently when I was reading an interview with my acting hero, Julie Walters.
Ms Walters is acutely proud of her working class upbrining, and was offered the chance to train at Mancheter Metropolitan University due to economic assistance through government grants.
However, as she explains, this is no longer the case, and in the near future “working class” actors will be almost non-existent because they will not be able to afford to train.
I can see exactly where Ms Walters is coming from, and it breaks my heart.
With a large number of upcoming performers graduating from "posh schools", such as Carey Mulligan (Woldingham school for girls), and Eddie Redmayne (Eton and Trinity College) it is easy to see why a working class girl who aspires for such a career can feel out of her depth.
Even ticket prices reflect the prejudice influence of the middle class, with top band seats for West End shows reaching just under £100. The industry is buzzing with news that audience numbers are dropping and blaming it on a lack of interest in the theatre. Exscuse my french- but that's bull shit. Lower your seat prices and I promise you'll be playing to full houses. Simple.
So, what can we all do?
Well we can cross our fingers and sit tight, as earlier, a quote from Ed Milliband caught my eye;

"Social class is definitely an issue in Britain, and I think that most people across the country would sympathise with the idea that there are lots of people with talent and ability all across this country who want to make more of themselves and part of the responsibility of government is to make that happen."
Cheers Ed. Make it happen my friend.
What the current governement is very good at, is muffling the voice of the little people and snatching funding away from the institutions that need it most, not just the arts.
So next time its your turn to vote, make sure you choose Labour. You may not make dreams come true and be showered with unicorns and rainbows and sunflowers, but you could deffnitely alter a working class actors' career.