Downing Street visit for petition actress

A girl aged ten was one of 20 youngsters chosen to hand in a petition at 10 Downing Street demanding that the performance art licensing system for children be simplified.

Emma Knight went to London with her mother, Mrs Sarah Knight and other young performers from the national Stagecoach Youth Theatre Group on Monday.

Emma, a pupil at St Michael’s Primary School, Farnsfield, is a member of the Mansfield Stagecoach Group.

She was selected on a national basis to hand over the 10,000-name petition which was accepted by a policeman.

There are 2,500 children involved with Stagecoach but an estimated 40,000 youngsters are involved with performing arts.

Mrs Knight said while she had had no bad experiences of the licensing system herself, licences could take between three days and three weeks to come through. Taking up to three weeks means that children lose out on the parts they had auditioned for.

She said the licences were complicated things as they dealt with the need for chaperones, doctors to say a child was fit to perform and the acknowledgement of the Local Education Authority, before they could even be granted.

“It is a very long, complicated process,” said Mrs Knight, who lives near White Post Farm, Farnsfield.

“I think I know as a parent whether my child is fit to perform better than a GP who might not see her for several months because she is fit and healthy. The system needs to be simplified. Our children need safety not bureaucracy which is what we put on our banner.”

Emma has appeared in a short film by Rob Sperenza entitled Show And Spell which has been shown at film festivals.