Arts Council cuts will hobble regional touring, National Theatre director warns

Rufus Norris says DCMS levelling-up scheme will have opposite effect to that intended

The director of the National Theatre in London is warning that the government's levelling-up agenda will take its toll on its touring productions and schools programmes beyond the capital.

Rufus Norris said that the decision by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in February to redistribute Arts Council England (ACE) funding and level up access to the arts" across the country would be detrimental to the National Theatre's work.