The newly-opened Rose Theatre could become a centre of excellence for the spoken word if plans by Sir Peter Hall come to fruition.

The man behind the theatre in Kingston is concerned about the growing generation of monosyllabic youths who favour street slang and text talk.

Backed by his successor as artistic director at the Rose Theatre, Stephen Unwin, he is spearheading a call for a national policy for articulacy, with the theatre as the focal point.

He told the Independent on Sunday: "When I came into the theatre it was a great privilege to be able to speak Shakespeare.

"Now any actor under 40 is scared stiff of Shakespeare because he requires you to speak, and it's unfashionable to be able to speak now.

"It's because communication generally has become visual, not verbal, and we need to act to reverse that trend."

Stephen Unwin added: "It's not elocution classes - it's much bigger than that.

"It's about confidence, about empowerment, and fundamentally there's no contradiction between the highest end of high art and everyday life."

The plan would be to make the Rose Theatre a centre of excellence, and the management is now looking for backing from theatres, actors, directors and playwrights across the country.

The £11million Rose Theatre, based on the design of the original Rose Theatre of 1587 in Bankside, is seen as an ideal location The proposals aim to fit in with culture secretary Andy Burnham's announcement last week to get more young people involved in the arts.