Equity the actors union has many thousands of members, very few of whom are in regular employment, with the majority having to work in 'day jobs' to make ends meet. The unemployment exchanges are well supplied with unemployed university graduates, many of whom have degrees in subjects that aren't amenable to making a daily living. All in all, and especially since university status was awarded to almost every educational institute in the UK, we have the best qualified unemployed in Europe.
Why therefore should graduates from Newcastle and the like be any different? They are studying a niche subject, and the number of niches for them to fill is decreasing rapidly, of course there isn't enough work to go round, and there never will be !
Reasons are manifold, lack of venues, lack of audience, low entry prices, high artiste's fees, too many festivals, even the price of beer !
Answer ? I wish I knew, and so do many others.
I do know this, the world doesn't owe anybody a living, we all have to work to earn our daily bread, and the best way to get work, is to make yourself less dispensable than the competition.