Gabriel Byrne claims theatre is 'dead'

Gabriel Byrne has revealed that he expects theatre to die out in the future.

The Irish actor grew concerned about the industry when he had a starring role in A Touch Of The Poet on Broadway in 2005.

Speaking to Venice magazine, Byrne explained: "I looked out into the audience and the theatre was packed with well-to-do, white-haired people.

"After the show I turned to one of the other actors and said: 'Theatre is dead. There's no one under 60 out there, they're all white and they can all afford £200 for a night'. Seriously, theatre as we're doing it now is dead."

The 58-year-old has also landed stage roles in The Exonerated and Camelot in recent years.