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Towards the Provision of a National Theatre for Wales
A Federal System
An Alternative Drama Strategy for Wales - A Ten Year Plan
Part 3
The Opportunity
Theatre in Wales is a relatively new phenomenon. English Language theatre, with rare exceptions, is less than fifty years old. Although Wales has a long history of great actors their reputations have been forged mainly outside of Wales, lacking historically the large scale spaces on which to develop their craft. (When the Arts Council of Great Britain provided funds to establish a repertory theatre movement post war, Wales was bypassed due to the lack of an identifiable town or city of a sufficient size - an arbitrary decision from which it has never recovered.)
Over the last twenty five years a number of small performance spaces have been built and groups have sprung up, criss- crossing the length and breadth of the country. This movement has lead principally to the creation of a dynamic Theatre- in-Education provision but has failed to meet the larger needs of the population particularly of the urban areas in the South.
The development has been sporadic and unfocused and, lacking larger, more comprehensive spaces, facilities and challenges, many artists have been either forced to leave the country to further develop their talent or opt for a career in television.
Gaps in the producing structures and in the provision of larger scale facilities have also meant that, with some notable exceptions, we have consistently failed to bring a theatre of contemporary relevance to large audiences right across Wales. We have failed to build audiences in the way that orchestral music and opera have managed over recent decades. If this is so, a National Theatre must address the problem of building new audiences, providing access for the entire population. A system is needed that facilitates that access. A theatre without an audience is no theatre.
A National Theatre would give the people of Wales a chance to celebrate their own talents on home ground in a sometimes epic form, involving them in large scale theatre events that give a sense of occasion. Large gatherings - the Eisteddfod, Llangollen, WNO seasons, visiting musicals plus the trips leaving Wales on a weekly basis to theatres in Stratford and London - are proof, indeed, that our audiences do not just need but demand a series of larger theatrical and cultural events.
The arts and theatre are about empowerment, enrichment and involvement. In a rapidly changing, global, mechanised, economy where material values overtake and outweigh spiritual and cultural, where leisure time is on the increase and life expectancy is growing, theatre has a vital role to play in helping the population affirm its right to citizenship. This will be particularly true of Wales with its emerging international identity in the 21st century. A National Theatre would help the people of Wales affirm and reaffirm their cultural roots and future.
Finally, if we are to trade in the world theatre market, then Wales must be able to produce such events to sit happily alongside the large scale work that exists very successfully in Europe and the rest of the world. Theatre could and should be a cultural ambassador for the nation, a celebration of our heritage and a means of inventing our future.
This plan sets out to -
- Establish a working party to carry out a feasibility study into
a federal system for a National Theatre for Wales
- Establish as a first step a Touring Theatre Company , initially
to provide for South Wales, based at the Grand Theatre Swansea.
- Develop a new theatre building for a company in Cardiff as part
of the bid to be Cultural Capital of Europe 2008.
- Develop permanent companies in Swansea, Cardiff, Bangor and Mold
as four centres of the National Theatre for Wales.
- Redistribute the Theatre-in-Education, Children’s Theatre, Community
and Youth Theatre provision throughout the 22 Local Authorities to
ensure that every child and young person receives a service.
- Provide a career and training infrastructure for artists and technicians.
- Link towns across Wales to large, medium and small scale theatre
output by developing existing resources and creating new ones.
- Achieve a federal system for a National Theatre for Wales within
10 years.
A Federal Model
We believe that the model that best meets the criteria is a federal one, loosely based on the German system. There would not be one specific centre but a series of affiliated buildings and groups, co-producing projects, operating in partnership with and co-ordinated by the twenty-two Welsh Local Authorities in conjunction with a ministerial body.(A Ministry for Culture) It would provide an educational and theatrical service for all, being mindful of the regional and linguistic differences that make Wales unique in the British Isles. It is predicated on an educational and training infrastructure, establishing a career base for practitioners in both the Welsh and English languages. The aim would be to provide a chain of resources available to individuals and groups alike - a series of educational, linguistic and geographical bases from which to operate. Productions would be branded National Theatre productions irrespective of the centre of origin. Shared output and facilities ensuring the best possible use is made of resources and funding would be a hallmark of the federal system. Co-productions, combining the organisation of projects from a number of venues, will ensure the quality, value and individuality of the National Theatre of Wales. Buildings are necessary, but the National Theatre is not simply buildings. It is an idea and a movement. A vision.
We believe that a National Theatre of Wales should be about
- recognising the cultural diversity of Wales
- creating a new and larger audience for theatre in Wales
- uniting the dual language cultures of Wales
- providing a greater educational and training infrastructure
- enhancing the working lives of individual artists and groups
- enhancing the existing structures through professional activity
- increasing employment in the arts
- establishing large scale theatre spaces to celebrate the culture
of Wales
- placing the artists of Wales on the world stage and the culture
of Wales in a world context
- initiating co-productions with theatres and groups throughout Britain,
Europe and the world
- professionalising the profession
In defining a model for a National Theatre of Wales we have been anxious to ensure that it should
- maximise existing potential
- be an inclusive rather than exclusive concept
- embrace, North, South, East and West
- embrace both languages
- acknowledges the richness and diversity of existing work
- be a flexible, not a centralised concept
Cost alarum
We realise that what we are proposing is more than ambitious - it is idealistic. The sums required are enormous and outside current budgets and thinking. It must be made clear that the creation of a National Theatre should not be at the expense of the present provision. New monies have to be identified for the vision to succeed. It is clear, therefore, that a sound business plan must be presented in order to negotiate a financially sound future. It is vital that the private sector, the business community, economists, media houses and politicians are involved from the beginning in the development of the proposals. A thorough investigation should take place into European Funding policy, the current funding policy of the ACW and the “Better Wales” financial funding in terms of central allocation.
Unless we shoot for the moon we will not get further than the bottom of the garden.
Next : The Benefits of a Producing
Company + Phase 1
Articles Indices:
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