Young people applying to drama school can expect to pay anything from £45 to £100 per audition on top of travel costs, which can make the whole process unaffordable for those with little or no financial support

Liverpool Theatre School (LTS) has become the first school of its kind in the country to axe audition fees for prospective students as it looks to offer more opportunities to working class youngsters.

The move, which has been welcomed by former Coronation Street and Broadchurch star Julie Hesmondhalgh, comes in response to the recent Acting Up inquiry into working class actors.

It highlights the “diversity crisis” in the performing arts, suggesting that the cost of applying for drama school is one of the main barriers preventing those from working class backgrounds entering the profession.

In a separate report, published in 2016, researchers revealed that just 16% of actors came from working class backgrounds and the British acting profession was “heavily skewed” towards those from more privileged backgrounds.

Young people applying to drama school can expect to pay anything from £45 to £100 per audition on top of travel costs, which can make the whole process unaffordable for those with little or no financial support.

Maxine Ellis, principal at LTS, which was established in 1939 and offers the Trinity College London Diploma in both Professional Musical Theatre and Professional Acting, is calling on other schools to follow suit.

She said: “As a training organisation committed to nurturing young talent, we are proud to be taking the lead in scrapping audition fees for prospective students and I would urge other drama schools to do the same.

“It’s becoming a real issue that there are some extremely talented young people who are missing out on training opportunities, purely because they don’t have the financial backing to cover audition fees.”

Ms Hesmondhalgh, who played Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street, added: “Access to the arts for young people from working class backgrounds is becoming a huge concern.

“The high cost of audition fees is making it very difficult for young actors without financial means to get a foot in the door, which is in turn making the profession very exclusive.”