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Theatre News > Plays and musicals 'should feature more regional accents'
Plays and musicals 'should feature more regional accents'
Thursday, 7 October 2010
A writer has argued that British plays and musicals should feature more genuine regional accents in a bid to ensure they represent the whole of the UK.
Daniel Bye of the Guardian said each part of Britain has a unique social history that can come out in people's accents and this should be honoured.
"It's still too easy for millions to assume that things said seriously are said in certain accents, not in others. The singularity of too many regions goes uncelebrated," he commented.
Mr Bye pointed out that less than five per cent of the UK population speaks in received pronunciation, even though it is often the most prevalent form of speech in theatres.
He insisted that bringing more regional accents in to plays and musicals will give people self-confidence in how they speak.
Being from the north-east, Mr Bye could consider going to see Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theatre if he has not already. All the action in the long-running musical is set on Tyneside.
